Language	website codes and conventions: -masthead – dominant signifier, ‘teen VOGUE’ promotes vogue where new meets traditional, red font symbolic sign – implies female audience -adverts – on homepage, below menu – immediate – provides funding for magazine -menu bar – sets agenda, what the website covers – ‘style’ first so most important/focus, ‘politics’ second shapes audiences viewpoints Neale genres change as society and culture changes – genres are historically specific and reflect/represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society lifestyle magazine – depicts many elements of lifestyle – ‘style’, ‘politics’, ‘culture’ etc -‘politics’ not traditional element of lifestyle mag, became an element when women became more exposed politics (through media) therefore TV has adapted to audiences changing attitudes to culture/society Narrative non-linear narrative – selection of unrelated articles no meta-narrative – instead collection of micro-narratives narrative creates ideology that there are issues surrounding ‘politics’/’culture’, also suggested by slogan ‘Rise, Resist. Raise your Voice’, which needs to be raised and made apparent to female audience, use of ‘style’ material for EG makes the content more digestible, entertaining for reader
Representation	magazine values: left-wing, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-life etc representations: all ages, all ethnicities, all genders, all sexualities – ages: ethnicities: ‘Can Brown Girls Every Like Ourselves on TV?’ (Jan 2023) genders: ‘Robert Pattinson Opened Up About ‘Insidious’ Body Standards for Men in Hollywood’ (Jan 2023) sexuality: ‘Noah Schnapp Came out as Gay on TikTok’ (Jan 2023) BUTLER style section shows ‘fashion’, ‘beauty’ ‘shopping’ etc… – traditionally female performances style section shows ‘fashion’, ‘beauty’ ‘shopping’ etc… – traditionally female performances However: ‘politics’ menu suggests women are more than just their interests in ‘fashion’ and ‘beauty’ etc… overall: Although Teen Vogue has been successful at creating an androgynous side to their audiences by not conforming to fixed genders, they are after all a fashion magazine meaning they still do reinforce certain eurocentric beauty standards Gauntlett media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities modern media offers us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas reflex identity construction: audiences can ‘borrow from these stories when shaping our narratives of the self’ representations: all ages, all ethnicities, all genders, all sexualities – ethnicities: ‘Can Brown Girls Every Like Ourselves on TV?’ (Jan 2023) genders: ‘Robert Pattinson Opened Up About ‘Insidious’ Body Standards for Men in Hollywood’ (Jan 2023) sexuality: ‘Noah Schnapp Came out as Gay on TikTok’ (Jan 2023) representing a collection of identities – allows people to build upon their identity and therefore gain sense of self (link to uses and gratifications?)
Industry	Teen Vogue is part of the Conde Nast publishing group, and was first produced in print edition in 2003 as a sister publication to Vogue. Conde Nast claims with Teen Vogue they ‘educate, enlighten, and empower young people, arming them with all they need to lead stylish and informed lives’ Conde Nast as a conglomerate: horizontal and vertical integration – they own a number of publications/magazines Conde Nast (distributer) owns the exhibitioners 2017, it was announced Teen Vogue would cease in print and continue online-only as part of a new round of cost cuts – show how institutions respond to changes in consumption like Vogue, it used to include only stories of celebrities and fashion, however expanded its focus to include politics and current affairs in order to adapt to changing climate of the media landscape as a result of consumers needs and wants The Atlantic magazine claimed: ‘Teen Vogue is doing a better job of covering important stories in 2016 than legacy news publications.’ how teen vogue has adapted to changing media landscape: as well as a website they also have: facebook, instagram ,twitter, tiktok and pinterest – use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the products demonstrates how institutions have responded to the impact of new technology WEBSITE: 6.2 million visits (Dec 2022), 12M unique users IG: 4.1m followers (Jan 2023) regulation not regulator to monitor online content Curran and Seaton the media is controlled by a small number of global conglomerates primarily driven by the logic of profit and power – this concentration limits variety, creativity and quality Conde Nast assets: 8 print titles including Voge and AD, as well as 12 digital titles including Teen Vogue (obvs), Glamour Large market share results in lack of diversity within content however, minimises risk for company Hesmondhalgh ‘risky business’ makes us aware of why companies want larger market share (link to C&S), claims: -audiences tastes are continuously adapting which makes predicting their needs and wants nearly impossible – online magazine articles limited consumption capacity meaning the huge sums of money invested in creating media products result in only a one time reward therefore Conde Nast’s concentrated use of horizontal integration is arguably to reduce these risks C&S claim benefits of HI: Production costs can be minimised, Resources can be shared, Market can be controlled
Audience	audience ‘3.4x more likely to be 18-24’ total audience reach 18.5m target audience: young people/ teens, mainly girls – TEEN Vogue how TV appeals to target audience: -girls – under ‘style’ menu – ‘beauty’, ‘fashion’ – link to Butler -young people – use of slang/online communication language EG ‘lol’, headlines which refer to pop culture on homepage EG ‘Kylie Jenner finally reveals her baby boy’s name!’ (Jan 2023), use of social media Shirky End of Audience – audience has become more active new/digital media has had a profound effect on the relations between media and individuals media consumers have a now become producers who ‘speak back to’ the media in various ways, as well as creating and sharing content with one another TV’s use of online website and social media platforms shows how they have adapted to the changing demands of the audience – to have a voice readers are able to interact with the website, comment on social media posts and share stories McQuail and Blumler uses and gratifications – active selection believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented top them or seek a new IDENTITY – EG identity drop down menu provides stories surrounding: -‘health’, ‘sex and relationships’, ‘wellness’ etc… -‘Health Care for Transgender Adults Becomes New Target in 2023 Legislative Session’ (jan 2021) audience may want to EDUCATE themselves on politics/political climate of the world – EG politics drop down menu – ‘environment’, ‘justice’, ‘government’ -”Greta Thunberg was Detained by Police at a Climate Protest in Germany’ (Jan 2023)
Context	culturally significant in its marrying of the political with fashion and lifestyle to target a young female audience more traditionally seen as interested in more superficial issues. Its explicit feminist stance and reporting on the Trump presidency has made it a relatively radical voice in the context of mainstream US media. The social and economic contexts can be addressed in terms of how the product has been received and how it has succeeded when other magazines (online) are struggling to maintain audiences

Language	codes and conventions news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations the header consists of a logo, which links to the homepage, a horizontal menu with the main categories, a subscription button, and the social media links if you hover over any of the main categories on a larger device, a submenu will appear This straightforward interface enables users to quickly understand the structure of the website and to navigate to the sections which are relevant to their interests homepage and category pages contain a collection of links to the news stories making the headlines, use of cards is a very popular convention in website design – inspired by social media. appeals to contemporary audiences  cards are organised into grids – a layout which echoes the traditional frontpages of newspapers and is frequently used for online newspapers, magazines and blogs, appeals to traditional audiences headlines and captions provide anchorage The social share buttons are provided by the AddThis – a company which aims to help businesses “develop a more personal and effective relationships with their current and future customers”- a subtle way to encourage readers to share the articles on their own social channels and become ambassadors for The Voice. also comment section Neale genres change as society and culture changes – genres are historically specific and reflect/represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society black lifestyle/news social and political context of the early 1980s -clashes between police and black youth – generated the idea that black people were criminals EG more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc -1981 – Black community targeted by SUS Laws -1970s – NF gained support of disillusioned of white youth leading to radical attacks and violence changes in attitudes towards society formed new genre which had a focus on BLACK lifestyle/news Todorov narratives share a basic structure that involves a movement from one state of equilibrium to another The idea that the way in which narratives are resolved can have particular ideological significance underlying metanarrative – narrative surrounding issues faced by black people and the plight to establish equality series of micro-narratives, which follow Tripartite structure and make up the overall metanarrative: EG ‘Africa Diaspora hunger crisis’ (Jan 2023) equilibrium (condensed) – reader goes onto website and sees article headline disruption – ‘world hunger increased from 8.0 percent …to 9.8 percent’ between 2019-2021 new equilibrium – audience is educated on the issues facing their community and will feel encouraged to help
Representation	“committed to celebrating black experience”  and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”. They value black people and like to make them feel superior and strong and independent. They bring racist issues and discrimination problems to the light to relate to their specific audience. purpose: The issue of police racism and harassment being the defining story. Mainstream media was not reporting the issue or framed it through the perspective of the police, government and lawmakers. Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries.  The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain They were eager to create a countertype to the negative portrayals of black people often represented in the mainstream media. This was particularly important after the civil unrest across England in 1981 The media producers are encoding black news as black superiority for the audience to decode the importance of black lives and normalises them. Hall The idea that representation is the production of   meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs The idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits The idea that stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ social and political context of the early 1980s influences by Thatcher’s government provoked the newspaper – Margaret Thatcher’s concern in 1978 that the UK “might be rather swamped by people of a different culture” -clashes between police and black youth – generated the idea that black people were criminals EG more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc -1981 – Black community targeted by SUS Laws -1970s – NF gained support of disillusioned of white youth leading to radical attacks and violence therefore, culture and society stereotypes black community, reducing them to few negative characteristics – as a result of inequalities of power V was created to battle these stereotypes EG -‘given a voice to those who have often felt voiceless’ – Gilroy colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era. The idea that civilisations constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness. caused by the african diaspora generated by the slave trade V was made in an effort to get rid of this belief and to abolish binaray oppositions between black and white community EG – ‘given a voice to those who have often felt voiceless’
Industry	owned by GV Media, owned by Gleaner Company Ltd, aparent company of The Gleaner, Jamaican newspaper The company’s subsidiaries include Independent Radio Company Limited (IRC)- Power 106 and Music 99 FM, Gleaner Online Limited, Creek Investments Limited, Selectco Publications Limited, GV Media Group Limited and The Gleaner Company (Canada) Inc. and The Gleaner Company (USA) Limited The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper” despite targeting a niche audience – Barclays provided the label with £66,000 loan which was paid back in fiver years despite being a commercial media product but could also be seen as fulfilling a public service through its targeting of an ethnic minority audience Paying over £3m, The Gleaner Company took ownership of the newspaper in 2004. They are a Jamaican newspaper and media enterprise The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers, selling to one in 10 of London’s black population how the voice has responded to changes in audience needs and wants: V has print version – published monthly also has web edition, convergence – where subscribers don’t have to wait monthly for new stories this appeals to new audiences as well as more traditional audiences publishers continue to make money through subscriptions and single-copy sales of the print edition, the online version from display ads and advertorials HOWEVER: New Nation is another newspaper targeting black people but is more concerned with providing an entertaining read than manning the race barricades it recieves a higher circulation which indicates audienced wantsare shifting more towards pleasure rather than information – V has not responded to this change New Nation claims a readership of 32,000 when new nation appeared in 1996 – V sales dropped by 20% The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK require advertorials to be clearly labelled as paid content to “ensure that readers are not confused about whether copy is marketing material or editorial” Curran and Seaton The idea that the media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by the logic of profit and power The idea that more socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions Gleaner company has a much smaller market share whilst it owns majority of the black labels, which can result in a lack of diversity, on a wider scale its market share is relatively low and therefore does not relate to C&S therefore its more socially diverse ownership and content creates more diversity within the market Hesmondhalgh Hesmondhalgh highlights that the risk associated with media creation encourages organisations, most significantly the large-scale organisations, to overproduce media content in the hopes that enough of those projects will succeed and make up for any losses Gleaner Company owns multiple labels of the same genre – black lifestyle and news therefore if one label fails they can still make profit from the others with regards to the voice – creating niche media content has not proved successful EG whilst the content is more diverse it only targets a smaller audience therefore smaller sales
Audience	target audience: the British African-Caribbean community specialised audience – proves less successful in practice as tends to be smaller therefore less consumption EG drop in sales Shirky End of Audience – audience has become more active new/digital media has had a profound effect on the relations between media and individuals media consumers have a now become producers who ‘speak back to’ the media in various ways, as well as creating and sharing content with one another V’s use of online website and social media platforms shows how they have adapted to the changing demands of the audience – to have a voice readers are able to interact with the website, comment on social media posts and share stories McQuail and Blumler uses and gratifications – active selection believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented – EG audience may want to EDUCATE themselves on black issues across the globe – EG
Context	The Voice as an institution has historical and cultural significance in its origins (1982) as the UK’s first (and only) newspaper aimed specifically at a black British audience, dealing with relevant political and social issues. The website continues this function but is perhaps considered more mainstream and less political than in the past. The economic context can be explored through a consideration of the nature of the production and distribution and move to online content to reach a wider audience and attract advertisers.

Language	Narrative in the context of online material can refer to the way that the images and the selection of stories construct a narrative about the world – one which is likely to be ideological -Wright has stated that The Sims was actually meant as a satire of U.S. consumer culture – – Purchased objects connote the wealth and success of the sim (suggest a capitalist view -non-linear playing style – no end goal – instead have to have to complete goals in order to progress in the game – “Cook eggs and Bacon” or “Talk to a neighbour for the first time” – which is not a feature on the OG sims Todorov only really applied in small doses to micro-narratives, due to open-ended game, rather than to larger meta narrative that cross the whole game e.g. o Equilibrium: The sim lives in a small house with limited furnishing o Disruption: A new task appears o Recognition: The player clicks the task to reveal it wants them to buy a TV o Attempts to Resolve: The player opens the item tab and finds the TV o Resolution: The player purchases the TV and places it in the house o New Equilibrium: The sim can now watch TV o This narrative would then repeat until such time that the player becomes bored or can no longer complete these tasks and has to complete other tasks in order to complete these The genre conventions of video games, particularly the subgenre of life simulation or sandbox games, can be identified and discussed in relation to other CSP video games -As a life simulation game Sims Freeplay includes many normative codes and values. They include features such as being married to have a child and also being able to own a house as a teen. -took inspiration from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – Each character has a “needs” bar at the bottom left of the screen which displays what that individual sim needs to survive Neale -hybrid of: sandbox – player is not constrained to achieving specific goals and has a large degree of freedom to explore, interact with, or modify the game environment -LOOK AT NARRATIVE FOR EG life simulation – player lives or controls one or more virtual characters – EG – Icons for people, furniture and everyday items – Indexes for conversations i.e. speech bubbles above a sim’s head – Symbols for speech in the bubbles in the air, symbol for having a sim selected in the iconic green diamond, symbols for needs in needs bar and symbols for money and experience Baudrillard in postmodern culture the boundaries between the ‘real’ world and the world of the media have collapsed and that it is no longer possible to distinguish between reality and simulation – media images have come to seem more ‘real’ than the reality they supposedly represent (hyperreality) “It is no longer a question of imitation… It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real” (The Precession of Simulacra 2) SFP represents a simulacrum of reality – human-like avatars each with their own needs, tasks need to be done EG cook dinner, shower, watch TV therefore blurs the boundaries between the ‘real’ world and the digital world creating a hyperreality
Representation	representations are infinite/diverse – opportunity to completely personalise character: gender, sexuality, appearance (skin colour, eye colour, weight) audience creates representations – allows people to challenge stereotypes can create male characters w female characteristics etc… however whilst the game itself doesn’t make the characters intolerant/prejudice the players can manipulate the game to create intolerant/prejudice worlds – eg creating a world which excludes/segregates a race therefore creating racist representations although the game offers diverse representations – representations in marketing shows common gender stereotypes EG a male and a female getting married, women in maternal and domestic roles accurate representation of reality EG when pregnant sim gets morning sickness, HOWEVER no abortion, miscarriage etc.. because designers want it to be something people want to play(LINK TO BAUDRILLARD) Gauntlett media provides us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities modern media offers us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas reflex identity construction: audiences can ‘borrow from these stories when shaping our narratives of the self’ players are able to choose their identity and literally construct it – appearance, job, home, aspirations can create almost a better version of their identity and mirror it to theirs improves the narrative within the game but also within the players own life Butler gender identities are constructed by the institutions we have been brought up with and exposed to and are often presented to us as objective they theorise that it is your behaviour that fabricate your gender/identity, most significantly your repeated behaviour rather than what the institutions construct ‘rituals and performative actions constantly reinforce our identities’ SFP enables players to give male characteristics to female characters EG facial hair as well as allow them to do stereotypical male acts EG gaming – vice versa therefore sims identity is built upon performance of acts, rather than the biological gender they are issued with
Industry	developed/produced by EA mobile and FireMonkeys – subsidiaries of EA (also responsible for other games EG FIFA) horizontally and vertically integrated – develop, publish and market the games themselves saving money and giving them creative control Maxis originally developed game but EA bought it when they realised the games potential – HI As of October 2019, all The Sims games combined generated lifetime sales of more than US$5 billion SFP has seen OVER 200 million downloads since 2011 – remarkable success The videogames industry has changed massively since the emergence of the smart phone and app store distribution model. Mobile gaming has changed the audience demographics for gaming and brought the industry into the mainstream. The app store model means tech giants such as Apple and Google are making significant sums from mobile gaming but mobile hits can still earn developers millions how was SFP adapted to changing media landscape? The Sims FreePlay is a spin-off from the hugely successful Sims franchise first published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2000 EA mobile has 9 offices around the world, reflecting popularity of mobile gaming – created online mobile game to adapt to new platform example of diversification and technological change as the video game industry has started to shift away from a reliance on hard copy console and PC products to streaming and (as here) to apps for tablets and mobile phones – cheaper to produce however more up keep due to constant need to update game (due to updates on phones as well as to keep audience interested eg update which allowed people to have pets synergetic partnerships – sponsodred content within the game or pop up ads EG worked with Moschino gave them the opportunity to sponsor an update to brands clothing was available to players a to purchase in game VSC and PEGI regulate rate 12 – due to minor adult content – drinking sex mobile gaming cannot be regulated as easy as console different countries have different policies – many countries in asia have banned SFP due to the ability to have lgbtq+ relationships audience can communicate with producer – social media, app store EG audience suggested pregnancy feature Hesmondhalgh ‘risky business’ makes us aware of why companies want larger market share (link to C&S), claims: -audiences tastes are continuously adapting which makes predicting their needs and wants nearly impossible a way to battle this risk is serialisation and remakes, which SFP use: SFP remade the sims franchise digitally – recycling previously successful archived material requires less time, effort and money when it comes to the production and instantly engages an audience through nostalgia-based appeals, while also rebranding content so that it fits the tastes of contemporary audiences ie digital generation also use of serialisation – use of sequels, prequels, spin-offs etc… requires less investment in marketing activities to create audience visibility therefore allowing producers to maximise their investments – SFP is a spin off of the Sims, digital mobile game, includes elements of original products as well as the sequels of the og product EG ability to have pets this is an example of diversification – a corporate strategy used to enter into a new market or industry in which the business does not currently operate ie mobile gaming Livingstone and Lunt idea that there is an underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from harmful or offensive material), and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition) does not appear to apply to SFP as it appears to offer both citizen and consumer approach: -citizen: despite being self-regulated, it still protects citizens from harmful material EG- when the sims are going to the ‘toilet’ or ‘trying for a baby’ a blue graphic appears in order to hide the activity which could be considered offensive material -consumer: ensures choice by making the avatar completely customisable, value for money by the game being free (however in app purchases, which many players feel like they cannot proceed far into the game without indulging in)
Audience	target female casual gamers – 18-40 virtual ‘dolls house’ allows audience to be creative – build house, character sense of escapism – create dream house, world sense of identity – McQuail and Blumler uses and gratifications – active selection believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seek specific uses and gratifications when consuming media (link to gauntlett) audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented top them or seek a new IDENTITY – EG players are able to choose their identity and literally construct it – appearance, job, home, aspirations – can create almost a better version of their identity and mirror it to theirs OR audience may want to seek ESCAPISM – EG can built a completely new life, dream world, dream house, dream version of themselves Gerbner examines the lasting effects of media – Looking primarily at the relationship between violence on television and violence in society EG  the more television people watch, the more likely they are to hold a view of reality that is closer to television’s depiction of reality For many individuals the distorted and partial reality portrayed on television represents what the world is ‘really’ like (could like to Baudrillard) This can be applied to SFP as a mobile game as a simulation its depiction of reality is accurate/realistic whilst it does not heavily depict violent content which can influence the audience to see the world as more straight forward than it actually is – what Gerbner calls World Syndrome instead SFP representation of reality distorts our own reality as tasks in the Sim world are significantly a lot easier than in the real world – therefore the more sims people play,  the more likely they are to hold a view of reality that is closer to SFP’s depiction of reality
Context	l focus on the rapid growth and development of the video game industry and the debates about representation and effects

First published in 1982, The Voice newspaper is “committed to celebrating black experience” and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”. With its news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations, The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper”.

Financing

David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money. However, the social and political context of the early 1980s offered the founder of The Voice, Val McCalla, an opportunity to raise the funds needed for such a risky venture.

Barclays Bank was being heavily criticised for its investments in South Africa where racial segregation was institutionalised in a system known as apartheid. In a bit of impression management, the bank attempted to counteract the negative publicity by showing support for African-Caribbean causes.

McCalla secured £62,000 from Barclays with the backing of the Loan Guarantee Scheme which was part of a series of initiatives set up by Margaret Thatcher’s government to help unemployed people start their own business. The Voice enterprise was a success and the bank loan was paid off within five years.

The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers.

Changes in Consumption

The shift in the publishing from print media to digital formats has been dramatic. Clay Shirky’s “Newspapers and Thinking he Unthinkable”  is a great summary of the threat the newspaper industry faced from online competition, but you probably already know Teen Vogue is no longer available as a glossy magazine and Oh Comely sold its last copy in 2021. Inevitably, The Voice moved from weekly to monthly editions.

Production costs are generally cheaper for online newspapers compared to the traditional tabloid. After some upfront expenditure to design and build a functioning website, the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.

Consumers often prefer the digital format because they can access the site at a time that suits their lifestyle and routine. There is no need to wait until next month’s edition to get the story behind the headlines.

The relationship between producers and audiences has also shifted. The publishers promote their content on various social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Most posts will direct you to the main website, but The Voice will also retweet and share posts from other institutions to increase the level of engagement with their primary audience.

Although this connection and level of interactivity is expected by digital natives, an older audience might still prefer the feel of print between their fingers.

The End of Audience

In We The Media, Dan Gillmor (2004) explored the changes in the news industry. He argued grassroots journalists were a serious threat to the monopolies enjoyed by big media conglomerates. The “official” news organisations are no longer writing the “first draft of history” because “the audience is learning how to get a better, timelier report”.

This sort of citizen journalism is a good example of Clay Shirky’s concept of mass amateurisation.

The Voice will struggle to be heard by an audience who prefer the quick and easy comment culture of social media rather than long-form journalism.

Representation

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

They were eager to create a countertype to the negative portrayals of black people often represented in the mainstream media. This was particularly important after the civil unrest across England in 1981.

Was there a riot in Brixton or was it an uprising against social and economic injustice? Language matters. Consider the following front cover from The Sun:

The headline reinforces the binary opposition between the civilised England and the savage Other. The audience are positioned to sympathise with the cowering police officers who are under attack. They are almost protecting the viewer from the violence and the side-turned and torched vehicle is a strong signifier of the destruction they are trying to prevent.

NEW MEDIA	OLD MEDIA	COMMENT OR EXAMPLE
Active involvement 	Passive involvement 
Two-way conversation	One-way conversation
Open system	Closed system
Transparent	Opaque
One-on-one marketing	Mass marketing
About Me	About You
Brand and User-generated Content	Professional content
Authentic content	Polished content
FREE platform	Paid platform
Metric: Engagement	Metric: Reach/ frequency
Actors: Users / Influencers	Actors/ Celebrities
Community decision-making	Economic decision-making
Unstructured communication	Controlled communication
Real time creation	Pre-produced/ scheduled
Bottom-up strategy	Top-down strategy
Informal language	Formal language

Background: Mobile Gaming

• The videogames industry has changed massively since the emergence of the smart phone and app store distribution model.
• Mobile gaming has changed the audience demographics for gaming and brought the industry into the mainstream.
• The app store model means tech giants such as Apple and Google are making significant sums from mobile gaming but mobile hits can still earn developers millions.
• Angry Birds made developer Rovio $200m in 2012 and broke 2 billion downloads in 2014.

The Sims FreePlay

• The Sims FreePlay is a spin-off from the hugely successful Sims franchise first published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2000.
• The game is a strategic life simulation game (also known as the sandbox genre). 
• The Sims FreePlay takes the game on to phones and tablets and uses the ‘freemium’ model that makes money via in-app purchases.
• The game has seen 200 million downloads since 2011 – remarkable success.

The Sims FreePlay: Audience

• The Sims franchise has demonstrated there is a strong and lucrative market in female gamers.
• When The Sims was first pitched by creator Will Wright he described it as a ‘doll house’. 
• The development company Maxis weren’t keen because ‘doll houses were for girls, and girls didn’t play videogames’. EA then bought Maxis, saw potential in the idea and one of the most successful ever videogame franchises was born.
• Expansion packs available for The Sims FreePlay reinforce the view that the target audience is predominantly female.

Participatory culture

• The Sims franchise is one of the best examples of Henry Jenkins’ concept of participatory culture.
• Since the very first game in the franchise, online communities have created, suggested and shared content for the game.
• ‘Modding’ – short for modifications – is a huge part of the appeal of the game. Modding changes aspects of the gameplay – anything from the strength of coffee to incorporating ghosts or even sexual content.

It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community. The new 72-page monthly paper will launch on 26 September at an introductory price of £2.50, which is expected to then rise depending on “how the market responds”. The weekly edition of the paper has a cover price of £1.

The Voice 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. Founded 30th August 1982, the editor is Lester Holloway and the founder, Val McCalla.

‘The Voice newspaper to go monthly after 37 years as weekly’

The company then moved from print to online and changed to only monthly editions. Production costs for online newspapers are generally cheaper. For the website the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.

Representation

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

Theorists:

• David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money.

The Sims FreePlay is a mobile video game where players create and manage their own virtual characters, known as Sims. You can determine their personality and customise their appearance, including their clothing, hairstyles, and facial features. Players are then tasked to fulfil the needs and desires of their characters by cooking meals, going to work, and building relationships with other Sims. Once you have designed your house, there is a store where you can purchase furniture, appliances, and other items to decorate your home and keep your Sim happy.

The game’s community is an important part of its success. You can visit and interact with other Sims, play against friends in in multiplayer competitions, and compare your scores and achievements.

Released in 2011 and still available on iOS and Android devices, this virtual town and story builder is free to play, but users are able to purchase in-game items with real money to speed up progress or unlock additional features.

Values and Ideology

Instead of poking fun at our obsession with material possessions and home comforts, The Sims FreePlay encourages the player to shop in the home store to buy more and more expensive goods. Progress is measured by the number of floors in your beach house and whether or not you have a stable for your horses.

This focus on consumerism is epitomised by the mall quests. Once you reach level 12, you can choose to start The Sunset Mall Quest and build your own centre “filled to the brim with stores, clothes and activities”. If you complete the various tasks within the time limit, you unlock the Pickle Sauce Burger Bar to enjoy burgers and milkshakes with other Sims. You can then work through the Pretty Little Planters Quest to unlock a second floor with even more ways to waste your Simoleons.

Put simply, the game reinforces a capitalist culture by normalising the desire for wealth and status.

Identity and Representation

David Gauntlett argues the media and technology play a significant role in shaping our identities and provide us with new ways to express ourselves and connect with others. For instance, the choice of skin tones available at the start of The Sims FreePlay is a recognition of the racial diversity of the audience. Although the gender options follow the simple binary of male and female, players can reject traditional gender roles when they explore the virtual world. In this way, the town will soon become a place which reflects the player’s identity and values.

Henry Jenkins suggested fandoms are social entities with distinct dimensions. The online forums provide opportunities for Simmers to develop a social community around the game where they can praise the text and protest against aspects of the gameplay. Obviously, the mode of reception for some fans is much more intense than the casual player.

Audience Profile

The 2020 survey from The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found “video games transcend age, gender and where we live” and that “there’s a game for everyone”. Interestingly, women were more likely to play games on their smartphones with a strong preference in casual games.

The survey also revealed different uses and gratifications. 55% of women in the 18-34 age group said “games help them stay connected with friends and family”. This obviously reinforces the argument audiences consume media to develop their personal relationships or, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, their sense of social belonging. Competing against friends in The Sims FreePlay might also improve the player’s self-esteem because they will feel accepted by their social circle.

77% of women surveyed in 35-54 age group said they played games to “help them relax”. For women aged 55-64, games provided “mental stimulation”. These motivations are examples of diversion because they are using the games to escape the stresses and strains of the real world. 

The 2020 survey from The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found “video games transcend age, gender and where we live” and that “there’s a game for everyone”. Interestingly, women were more likely to play games on their smartphones with a strong preference in casual games.

The survey also revealed different uses and gratifications. 55% of women in the 18-34 age group said “games help them stay connected with friends and family”. This obviously reinforces the argument audiences consume media to develop their personal relationships or, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, their sense of social belonging. Competing against friends in The Sims FreePlay might also improve the player’s self-esteem because they will feel accepted by their social circle.

77% of women surveyed in 35-54 age group said they played games to “help them relax”. For women aged 55-64, games provided “mental stimulation”. These motivations are examples of diversion because they are using the games to escape the stresses and strains of the real world. 

Genre

Although Steve Neale was describing cinema as a “signifying process”, we can also use his semiotic approach to understand how the interplay of codes creates different genres of computer games. For instance, in The Sims FreePlay, players create and modify their own avatars, including their personalities. This is in contrast to the specific characters in action-adventure games, such as Samus Aran in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West.

The games offer players realistic and immersive experiences their incredible settings, but their narrative structures are another notable difference. The Sims FreePlay is a life simulation game because it focuses on the he emotional and social needs of the characters which Neale might call the “process of desire”. By contrast, Samus is a bounty hunter who is wants to save the universe from the evil Ing and Aloy hunts for the source of mysterious and deadly plague to restore balance to the world. In terms of Todorov’s narrative theory, the disruptions in these stories are obviously violent.

Finally, according to Thomas Schatz, genre films are a “social force”. Since the two protagonists want to eliminate physical threats to society, we can place Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Horizon Forbidden West into the genre of order. The outcomes in The Sims FreePlay are often determined by your relationships so the game could be classified into the genre of integration.

Privacy

The developer offers its own warning of “infrequent or mild references to violence, profanity, or crude themes”. EA also draws attention to the “location detection, user generated content, advertisements” in the game which might be inappropriate for younger audiences.

In terms of privacy, the company stores some of your personal information, such as age and gender, and tracks your use of the app. They might even collect data when you access other apps and websites so they can improve their targeted advertising.

Many critics are worried about the potential for personal information to be mishandled or misused. That is why the European Union strengthened the data protection laws in all its member states in 2018 with the introduction of The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The law sets out a number of rights for individuals in relation to their personal data, including the right to be informed about the collection and use of their personal data. The GDPR also requires companies to implement appropriate measures to protect personal data and to report any breaches to the relevant authorities and affected individuals. Companies which fail to comply with the law can face significant fines.

Of course, all participatory media come with real world risks, especially for young and vulnerable children who may not realise the importance of keeping their personal information private.

Censorship

EA made the game unavailable in some countries in 2018 because of “regional standards”. Many users were quick to suggest the ban was implemented because of the possibility of establishing same-sex relationships in the virtual world. If you want to play the game in places such as China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, you need to use a VPN and change your location.

Key Theorists

Thomas Schatz-page 3

Todorov’s narrative theory,

Steve Neale-page 4

hierarchy of needs-page 6

uses and gratifications

Henry Jenkins+Jeremy Tunstall-page 5

David Gauntlett-page 7

The Sims Freeplay is a strategic life simulation game developed by EA Mobile and later with Firemonkeys Studios. It is a freemium version of The Sims for mobile devices; it was released for iOS on December 15, 2011, released for Android on February 15, 2012, released for BlackBerry 10 on July 31, 2013, and released for Windows Phone 8 on September 12, 2013.

In 2018 The Sims was banned from 7 countries due to a claim about the games explicit LGBT content. The ban applies to seven countries in Asia: China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt. Users who already had the game downloaded would still be able to use it, however the game wouldn’t be updated – example of regulation

Media Industries:

• Developed by, Maxis, EA Mobile, FireMonkey Studios and Blue Tongue Entertainment and was published by EA
• Multiple platform releases between 2011 and 2013 (iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry)
• Facebook page, like the website was/is a marketing hub – updates, events and competitions announced ​
• The Sims FreePlay is a spin-off from the hugely successful Sims franchise first published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2000
• The game has seen 200 million downloads since 2011

Media Audiences:

• The Sims franchise has demonstrated that there is strong market for female gamers
• Expansion packs available for The Sims FreePlay reinforce the view that the target audience is predominantly female
• Target audience of 12-25 mainly female but still targets males
• Secondary target audience young adults who extend game playing onto convergent social and participatory platforms​

Media Languages:

Construction of the Sims reality as ‘normal’:

• Mundane tasks – e.g washing hands, cleaning
• Time management
• Prioritises necessitates / essentials
• The Sims world provides equality – gender, race, sexuality
• Gerbner – cultivation theory – predict that media viewing influences the values and beliefs that people have and the things they believe are “reality”
• Aspirational performance that may never be replicated in real life – personal identity​

Media Representations:

• Non-threatening pastel colours (colour important in terms of brand identity)
• Representations anchored by ‘innocent’ non diegetic music​
• A capitalist society- you have to go to school, get an education, find a job
• People as consumers- lots of examples of Sims spending money and this being desirable
• The police represented positively 

Media Theories:

• Judith Butler – ‘gender as a performance’
• Gauntlett – ‘younger generations aren’t afraid of social changes’ and ‘gender fluidity’
• Gerbner – cultivation theory

Sims involves typical gender stereotypes such as traditional gender roles (boys – karate, blue / girls – ballet, pink). Being young is desirable – older people excluded from the game. The rich people are predominantly white

Sims free play is a game designed EA Mobile and was released on IOS in 2011 and Android in 2012. In The Sims FreePlay, players “build” and design houses and customize and create (a maximum of 34) virtual people called Sims. Players can control their Sims to satisfy their wishes, and let them complete different kinds of actions to gain Simoleons, Lifestyle Points, and Social Points.

Media language

conventions and codes are used in this game to influence meaning.

As a life simulation game Sims Free play includes many normative codes and values. They include features such as being married to have a child and also being able to own a house as a teen.

Sims Freeplay provides a useful case study for the discussion of Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra and hyperreality.

Media representation

representation of certain social groups/ class

represent cultural traditions and values within the game

Sims construct and function stereotypes to generalise their audience.

It has optimistic views of the world and claims realism.

Audience response to representation and issues around identity

Audience

Stuart Halls encoding/ decoding theory can be applied for the sims free play for the audience to decode the values which EA Mobile has encoded into the game.

The Sims FreePlay is a mobile video game where players create and manage their own virtual characters, known as Sims.

Released in 2011 and still available on iOS and Android devices, this virtual town and story builder is free to play, but users are able to purchase in-game items with real money to speed up progress or unlock additional features. If you have over 1GB of spare memory on your phone, download the game and see why The Sims FreePlay scores 4.5 out of 5 in the App Store and remains in the top ten of the Free Apps Charts.

David Hesmondhalgh argued companies involved in the cultural industries, such as EA, were just like any other business who wanted to minimise risk and maximise profit. The Sims FreePlay follows the freemium business model – a strategy commonly used in the media industry to attract users to try the product or service. The basic version of The Sims Freeplay is available to download for free and there are standard items and hobbies which can be unlocked as you progress through the game.

Although The Sims FreePlay looks like harmless fun compared to the more violent titles available to play, EA made the game unavailable in some countries in 2018 because of “regional standards”. Many users were quick to suggest the ban was implemented because of the possibility of establishing same-sex relationships in the virtual world. If you want to play the game in places such as China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, you need to use a VPN and change your location.