The Voice, founded in 1982, is a British national African-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. The paper is based in London and was published every Thursday until 2019 when it became monthly. It is available in a paper version by subscription and also online. It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community.
Selection Criteria Online, social and participatory – news website, produced by and targeting a minority group
The Voice online was a printed newspaper and then moved to online articles in 2016.
The aim of the voice online is to give a positive voice to black British citizens. This is evident in their articles. There is an article titled ‘Black women’s wellbeing takes centre stage in new social media campaign’ published on 30th January 2023 written by Vic Motune which showcases the positivity being spread amongst people of colours achievements.The article is about a wellness campaign organised through social media for black women.
The Dunbar number suggests that connectivity for individuals, communities or groups is typically 5 o 6, with an upper limit of 150. So who benefits from greater connectivity? Companies, organisations, institutions – ‘small elites dominate’ (Andrew Kean)
What is the Theory? Clay Shirky argued audience behaviour has progressed from the passive consumption of media texts to a much more interactive experience with the products and each other. New digital technologies and social media has made connecting and collaborating incredibly easy. Clay Shirky argues that the history of the modern world could be rendered as the history of ways of arguing, where changes in media change what sort of arguments are possible — with deep social and political implications. Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics.
associative not linear thinking the demise of long form reading So changing rules for logic, rationality, truth, understanding, knowledge. Baudrillard implosion (a culture imploding in on itself rather than expanding and developing?)
the inventor / creator of the World Wide Web – developed and given to everybody for free?!! Why? What did he hope it would achieve? Is he satisfied or disappointed with how it has developed and made an impact on society?
Marshall McLuhan
The Global Village – ‘a sophisticated interactive culture’
The impact on political and economic decision making
B.F. Skinner
Skinner researched behaviour and looked thoroughly into operant conditioning. According to this principle, behaviour that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and behaviour followed by unpleasant consequences is less likely to be repeated. Skinner introduced a new term into the Law of Effect – Reinforcement. This can be seen in media by individuals being feed content and being dragged in.
Conclusions, suggestions, reflections and predictions
Most people — young and old — are able to moderate their use of social media so it doesn’t take over their lives. However, 20% of people who have at least one social media account feel they have to check them at least once every three hours to avoid feeling anxious. This phenomenon goes beyond “fear of missing out,” or FOMO. In fact, it now has its own name: social media anxiety disorder, as reported by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). – Uni of Nevada
On average, Americans check their phones 344 times a day, once every 4 minutes.
15-16 year olds had an increased chance of developing ADHD from high digital media use.
2021, South Africans had the highest device usage of 10 hours a day.
64% of Americans use their phone on the toilet.
Suggested Essay Structure?
Remember to focus on key issues around new media – privacy, knowledge, understanding, education, friendship, behaviour, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, politics, economics, employment, war, conflict, food, the environment, space, science (essentially social change)
Overview: New media always creates change (printing press, telegram etc)
Q: so how has recent technology changed (society, individuals, organisations, ideas, beliefs etc etc)
CSP 1 – show knowledge of CSP
characteristics of new media (in reference to CSP 1)
theoretical / conceptual analysis of new media (loop theory, network theory, Dunbar number, McLuhan, Krotoski)
Critically thinking about new media (Baudrillard, McLuhan, Krotoski, B. F. Skinner, Zuboff, Lanier – are all essentially critical of new media technologies. But Gauntlett, Shirky, Jenkins are all very positive about new media technologies)
CSP 2 – show knowledge
Draw parallels and conclusions
Suggest future pathways / developments
Some themes and discussion points from Great Hack(doc we watched):
The Exchange of Data – Individuals personal data shared whether that be illegal or legal.
Search for Truth –
Behaviour Management –
Propaganda / Persuasion – Propaganda is the dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion. Campaigns to work in peoples favour in political elections.
Regulation –
Jaron Lanier – American computer scientist, visual artist, computer philosophy writer, technologist, futurist, and composer of contemporary classical music.
Shoshana Zuboff – Instrumentarian power is characterised by Zuboff as the “instrumentation and instrumentalization of behaviour for the purposes of modification, prediction, monetization, and control”
the transformation of social interaction (audiences);
the transformation of individual identity (audiences and representation);
the transformation of institutional structures (industry); and the changes in textual content and structure (language).
The transformation of audience consumption
Media Theorists
Ferdinand de Saussure (Media Language) CS Pierce (Media Language) Roland Barthes (Media Language) Levi-Strauss (Media Language) Steve Neale (Media Language) Jean Baudrillard (Media Language)
Judith Butler (Media Representation) David Gauntlett (Media Representation) Paul Gilroy (Media Representation) Stuart Hall (Media Representation) Bell Hooks (Media Representation) Liesbet van Zoonen (Media Representation)
Semiotics: • Sign – something which can stand for something else – in other words, a sign is anything that can convey meaning • Signifier – the thing, item, or code that we ‘read’ – so, a drawing, a word, a photo. • Signified – the concept behind the object that is being represented. • Dominant signifier – main thing we see • Icon – A sign that resembles what it represents. • Index – A sign that works by a relationship to the object or concept it refers to for example an image of a ball can be indexical of sport. • Code – • Symbol – • Anchorage – • Ideology – • Paradigm – • Syntagm. –
Barthes’ ideas and theories on semiotics: • Signification • Denotation • Connotation • Myth.
ROLAND BARTHES – Concept 1: Denotation and Connotation
Barthes’ tells us by using a ‘denotative reading’ is how viewers decode media products. This occurs when a reader recognises the literal and physical content, e.g. an older man with his fist in the air, the style and colour of clothing. After this, readers quickly move beyond the recognition of the product and engage with what he calls ‘cognitive decoding.’ This refers to the deeper understanding prompted by advertisers to the emotional, symbolic/ideological significances, e.g. the older man’s fist may suggest defiance or aggression, the clothes may suggest a class.
WHEN LOOKING AT A MEDIA TEXT:
Image Features:
Look out for:
POSE (Subject positioning, stance or body language)
Breaking the 4th wall creates: confrontational/aggressive or invitational feel. Off screen gaze: Right side – adventure/optimism. Left side – regret/nostalgia. Body language: strong/weak/passive/active/open/closed Subject Positioning: Where the person/people stand. Proxemics: Their distance from people/things.
MISE-EN-SCENE (Props, costume and setting)
Symbolic Props: rarely accidental Pathetic fallacy: weather connotations to add meaning – character’s thoughts/tone Costume Symbolism: Stereotypes help to decipher a character’s narrative function
LIGHTING CONNOTATIONS
High-Key lighting: no shadows – positive and upbeat with a lighter feel Low-Key lighting: Serious/ sad/moody connotations. Chiaroscuro lighting: contrast lighting (light sharply cuts through darkness) – hopelessness/mystery Ambient: infers realism
COMPOSITIONAL EFFECTS (Shot distance, positioning of subjects in the frame)
Long shots: dominated their environment Close-ups: intensifies emotions/impending drama Open/closed frames: open- freedom, closed – entrapment
POSTPRODUCTION EFFECTS
Colour control: Red- anger, white – innocence High saturation: Vibrant colours – cheerful Desaturation: Dull colours – serious/sombre
Barthes’ recognised that text also gave meaning. He says it helps to ‘anchor’ image meanings in advertisements. Without anchorage, media imagery is likely to produce polysemic connotations (multiple meanings).
“a vice which holds the connotated meanings from proliferating”
Concept 2: The media’s ideological effect
Barthes’ suggests media replaces/replicates functions of myth making. The press, television, advertising, radio – convey the same sort of authority as myths and induce similar ideological effects. Anonymisation of myths shows it’s a collective view rather than singular –> media replicates this.
Naturalisation: Media products present ideas as natural/fact/common sense. When a range of media texts repeat the same idea, audience believe it is a fact rather than perspective, social norm.
Media myths are reductive: Media simplifies and reduces/purifies ideas to make it more digestible. – message reduction discourages audiences to question and analyse thoroughly.
Media myths reinforce existing social power structures: “the oppressor has everything, his language is rich, multiform, supple.” Those who have power tend to control the myth making process through the privileged access – maintain illusion that the system that benefits the powerful is naturally ordered and unchangeable.
C.S PEIRCE:
Peirce did not believe that signification was a straightforward binary relationship between a sign and an object, he viewed this innovative part of his triad as how we perceive or understand a sign and its relationship to the object it is referring to. The representamen in Peirce’s theory is the form the sign takes, which is not necessarily a material or concrete object. Peirce theorised that we interpret symbols according to a rule, a habitual connection. ‘The symbol is connected with its object because the symbol-user and a sign exists mainly due to the fact that it is used and understood. Peirce’s triad of signs concludes of:
Icon – A sign that looks like an object/person, e.g picture of a lamp.
Index – A sign that has a link to its object, e.g smoke and fire.
Symbol – A sign that has a more random link to its object, e.g colour, shape
FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE:
According to Saussure theory of signs, signifier and signified make up of signs. A sign is composed of both a material form and a mental concept. The signifier is the material form, i.e., something that can be heard, seen, smelled, touched or tasted, whereas the signified is the mental concept associated with it. C.S Peirce based his research off of Saussure.
Lara Croft is the dominant signifier on the front cover
Paradigm of signifiers relating to action, adventure and violence
Iconic signs such as a gun, rope, gloves and a backpack create connotations of a more masculine woman which counteracts the stereotype of women and femininity. – the gun also implies the basic stock types of ‘Good guy vs Bad guy’
Use of the colour gold could be a symbolic sign linking towards treasure and wealth whilst also implying theft
The coding engraved into the stone on the back cover could be representing a different language – typically a non-English speaking country This also creates the sense of ‘the other’ without specifically othering a specific country
The age rating is a denotation as it warns customers the game may be inappropriate for ages younger
Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure
Representation:
The dominant signifier is a reactionary representation of women as the lack of clothing worn represents the over-sexualisation of women and women in all media platforms. Her features are also exaggerated and accentuated through the use of tightly fitted clothing which creates unrealistic standards and ideologies of women for both genders to look up to. This can increase anxieties around body image and be damaging for young girls growing up. This also teaches girls and women to base their worth off the validation they receive from their body appearance, as both genders will learn that is socially acceptable to objectify women and to compare women to others. Furthermore, this will create and even bigger gender divide as it creates a lack of understanding for other connections other than physical. Camera positioning also contributes to the way in which women are perceived, women within video games are often seen with their features in shot at all angles whilst men are not. The characteristics also vary as women are seen to ‘saunter’ with some sassy walk and men are seen to walk ‘normally’ which shows that even within a video game woman are ‘seductive’. (Feminist frequency videos) However, Tomb Raider also provides a contrasting representation of women as the dominant signifier is female rather than male. Which countertypes to the usual ‘damsel-in-distress’ stereotype of women in video games- or even sometimes they are the ‘trophy’.
Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)
Genre:
Tomb raider’s genre consists of action and adventure. Steve Neale talks about the repetition and differences within genre and weather they follow the typical conventions. Whilst Tomb Raider does follow the typical genre conventions featuring themes of violence however it does challenge the stereotypical male lead by utilising a main character as female, which serves to maintain interest in an evolving genre. The game utilises a third-person perspective which allows the audience to look around the character without her moving.
Narrative:
Perhaps the most poignant action code is the fatal battle between Lara and Larson. In this quick time event, the player takes limited control of the character and follows the on-screen prompts to shoot Larson. Each button press seems more intimate than the last. It’s clear from the softer music and Lara’s facial expressions that she regrets having to kill the henchman.
While these hermeneutic and proairetic codes provide the internal chronology of the narrative, the representation of the hero and villain is the most obvious example of Barthes’ definition of a symbolic code. Of course, Natla is dressed in a black suit – the colour code connoting her evil intent – and Lara is in her blue top. This simple binary opposition is also established by their different hair colour and accents.
When the player takes control of the avatar we are already in the disequilibrium stage. The player must overcome obstacles, puzzle and fight beasts in order to repair the disequilibrium and create a new equilibrium linking to Todorov’s narratology theory.
Audience:
Albert Bandura’s investigations demonstrated a link between young people watching violence on television and then expressing deviant behaviour in real life. The psychologist called this process symbolic modelling “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is an action-adventure game which rewards violence because the players use their weapons to overcome the obstacles and save the planet. That final conflict with Larson is quite direct and emotional because it is performed as a quick time event where you make a clear and conscious decision to kill the character.
We can also link this to George Gerbner and his cultivation theory and mean world index as Tomb Raider exposes players to a series of violence. Where children may be at risk of perceiving the world as more violent then reality.
Industry:
[The original “Tomb Raider” was the first game developed by Core Design. The independent company was acquired by Eidos Interactive 1996 who helped finance their projects. After further mergers and acquisitions, Eidos Interactive is now a British subsidiary of Square Enix – a Japanese entertainment conglomerate.
This level of consolidation is typical of the concentration of media ownership identified by David Hesmondhalgh who was eager to highlight how the cultural industries were dominated by a very small number of firms. Although this gives the conglomerates incredible power, some critics would also argue this business model enables the creation of increasingly complex and financially risky games. For example, Core Design needed substantial funding to complete “Tomb Raider” or the game would never have left the design board.
It is also worth noting Eidos and Sony worked together to make “Tomb Raider” exclusive to the new PlayStation console rather than developing the game for the Nintendo or Sega platforms. This marketing strategy, which Hesmondhalgh called artificial scarcity, certainly helped the PlayStation brand to dominate the industry.
The computer game industry is one of the largest sectors in the entertainment business. It might be bigger than Holywood, but there are still lots of financial and legal pressures. “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is a good illustration of the three formatting techniques used by companies to improve their chances of success.
First, it uses the iconography of action-adventure which will appeal to audiences who are already familiar with the genre. Third-person shooters are also incredibly popular with players. Lara Croft has developed into a cultural icon with her own fanbase, so the game can rely on her star power. Finally, franchises are easier to promote because the intellectual property is firmly established and there will an audience eager for the next instalment.
Square Enix reported the game sold 1.3 million copies worldwide, falling short of the return from the previous Tomb Raider games. It’s a risky business.]
Title of the game suggests themes of space and/or science fiction – Pun for ‘meteoroid’
The iconic sign of a gun, like Tomb Raider, also implies violence
The dominant signifier is a girl (Samus Aran); however, this isn’t obvious as on the main cover she is disguised in an over-sized space suit.
Indexical signifiers such as mathematics related coding, numbers and diagrams and shapes, create a myth that displays links to action, suspense and a quest.
The symbolic sign of the white-like highlight that contours the dominant signifier, could symbolise innocence or power and goodness. – connotating to the fact that she is the ‘Good guy’
Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure
Representation:
This character counteracts the stereotypical representation, demonstrating a radical presentation of women and video games. The character’s appearance is not revealed until the last part of the game which helps to enhance a sense of freedom from the player as they can imagine/perceive the character to fit themselves. It is also implied the relationship between fictional characters and our factual lives are to do with the influence of media from a young age. Alike Tomb Raider, the dominant signifier is female which is a radical representation of women as it shows women in a more masculine dominated area. It helps to break the stereotype of women being the weaker gender or at least less capable in comparison to men. However, at the end of the game, Samus Aran is revealed wearing a blue body suit, in which, her body is majorly exaggerated and enhanced. Presenting an idealistic and non-realistic body type. This refreshing presentation is snatched away and the game, like so many others, fall into the archaic ways of appealing to the Male Gaze as a sales strategy.
Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)
Genre:
Metroid is a hybrid genre due to its feature of action and adventure, horror and sci-fi. Steve Neale says there’s an ‘interplay of codes’ which refers to all the features connoting to a genre which help to convey attitudes and beliefs on an ideological world. An example in Metroid is ‘If you weren’t afraid of the dark before, you will be.’ which was a tagline used in marketing the game. It is reassuring for the audience to be able to recognise these codes within the game, such as violence, fictional worlds, powers, and parallel universes are all genre conventions of sci-fi and action. However the differences within this game also helps to entice/engage audiences.
Narrative:
The main character, Samus Aran, serves as the stock character of the hero as she goes on a rescue mission to find her missing troops. Here we can see Todorov’s narratology theory containing the structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, resolution and new equilibrium. The threat posed by the bad guys is the disequilibrium, she then flies across three planets to collect a light and return it to it’s rightful place which serves as the repair that will create peace and a new equilibrium. The game also shows Levi Strauss’ binary oppositions between the characters. As in order to have Samus Aran as the hero that foreshadows there must be a villan which interweaves with Propp’s stock characters.
Audience:
Scanning through the game, most people would assume the target audience is mainly male because of the stereotypical representations of male and female games and the symbolic link between colours such as blue and pink that are associated with gender. An advert that was used to market the game also only featured two young boys playing the game, this also connotes that the primary target audience is male. Nintendo also called their controller the ‘Game Boy’ which would also suggest a gender bias. However, an industry historical review reported that more females were becoming “video game fans” and that 27 per cent of NES players in 1988 were female. The video game is regulated by PEGI and rated a 12 due to the features of violence.
Although we are exploring a virtual world full of ridiculous signifiers, audiences are still learning values and behaviours from a game which celebrates violence. In the development of his cultivation theory, George Gerbner included cartoon depictions of violence in his research because they resonated with the audience. He says the more someone is exposed to something the more they start to recognise it and believe the world is a far more dangerous place then it really is which links to his second theory of mean world index. Aether is a fictional planet. There was no catastrophic meteor. But the violence in the game feels real to a player immersed in that experience especially as it is played through first person which still creates the same tension and adrenaline as someone living in that experience. Here we can see the links to hyperreality and simulation that connotes to Baudrillard’s theory. Albert Bandura also drew attention to television as a socialising agent. Through a process of symbolic modelling, we copy the behaviour we see on the screen, especially if there is positive reinforcement. “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” rewards players for their skill, gaining power ups and bonus content to defeat the bosses.
Industry:
As a Nintendo game Metroid is the product of one of a handful of conglomerates which dominate the video games industry, a context which means that the study of the industry raises issues which are central to contemporary media studies: • The structure of Nintendo as a company and its control of production, distribution and circulation • The use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the games demonstrates how institutions have responded to the impact of new technology. • Regulation of games through PEGI • Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh
Social and Cultural contexts:
Metroid is a Japanese, sci-fi, action adventure video game developed by Nintendo. It is one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises with 11 games available across all of the company’s platforms. Metroid is a culturally significant game in the gaming universe due to its mix of style and tone which combines Super Mario Bros style platforming with darker content, but also due to the representation of the central character, Samus Aran. Aran is a bounty hunter whose gender identity has been the subject of controversy and debate, leading some commentators to identify the character as transgender reflecting contemporary social and cultural contexts.
Article:Why Diversity Matters – Links as to why media should include more diversity in their representations. These quotes are referring to the gaming industry.
‘ The industry traditionally projects an image that is young, white, straight and male’
‘Most games feature white protagonists’
‘A scene in Pakistan displays shop signs written in Arabic, even though Pakistani people speak English and Urdu, not Arabic’
