Paper 2: Exam Question

Clay Shirky argues that audiences in today’s online age are no longer passive consumers of media content. Evaluate this ‘end of audience’ theory.
Refer to Zoella ( blog /youtube/other channels ) and  the Attitude website to support your answer. [30]

Clay Shirky's end of audience, discuses the evolution of the typical media audience. Shirky says that people are more likely to use the internet to respond to other media products. This hypothesis also includes people making their own forms of Media. For Example Zoella uses Youtube and online Blog sites to create her forms of Media. Her audience can repsond to her media products through the internet, for example by commenting on youtube and her social media pages.  In regards to Attitude magazine, readers can email the magazine company for any queries and concerns they may have. Attitude also has a website, that allows readers to keep up to date with the latest LGBT news, they can also subscribe, so they can receive  every issue to there house, in addition they can subscribe to download the issues, instead of owning a digital copy. Attitude also have social media accounts, that allows its fans to respond and give feedback to the magazine.  Audiences can always be active due to the progression of  online media. Audiences can always respond to the media content by using other social media pages and online comment boxes. In addition, fans can make fan accounts of a public figure using other media platforms. In addition,  Zoella sometimes runs Q & A videos on her youtbe channel, which allows her to respond to her viewers questions.  Both media products encourage audiences to get involved by displaying website pop-up, asking the viewers to subscribe to the email address to received up to date updates and news. Attitude uses an old form  media, which is an old form of media.

Clay Shirky's end of audience theory display a clear outline of how a typical media audience has evolved over time. Shirky's theory can be backed up in nealry every media product. For example in regards to Zoella, audiences are allowed to respond to her media product for social media platforms, which is considered a new form of media platforms. Zoella's target audience is clearly highlighted in her videos, by its titles. The video titles relate to the target audience of  teenage and young girls, this can be backed up by 'My make-up collection, and 'primark haul'. Attitude, display LGBT latest news, which highlights that the LGBT community are the target audience. 

Vouge

The vogue range of magazine we have been asked to anaylyse is 1965. In the 1960s the change of women's rights were beginning to change but there was still a lot of discrimination amongst the genders. During the 1960s social  attitudes to particular social groups was beginning to change, in the 60s more women were beginning to get into paid work, which lead to greater confrontations due to unequal pay and ongoing increase in sexual harassment amongst women. in america in the 60s, before his assassination, John F Kennedy was fighting too stimulate the economy, by reducing unemployment, and to expand the democracy on an international basis. They also aimed to minimise poverty in america, and also tried to empower women and minority groups to have a bigger involvement in the economy. This means that Vouge will help to promote this new freedom for women's rights, by making their readers aware of these changes and how they can get involved with the new economy. In regards to fashion, which is the main topic expressed in the Vouge magazine, in the 1960s fashion was used to express women's feeling and emotions. The 1960s women wanted smart wear as they start to go into employment. Therefore Vouge will want to  target this market by advertising smart and employment suitable clothing. In the worl of music, female artists were also becoming more well known and popular, like Aretha Franklin, Cher and Dionne Warwick.

With the Vouge magazine provided, the front cover displays a close up image of Sophia Loren that takes up the whole cover. This helps too attract readers who are fans of the actress, which will encourage them to buy and read the magazine. The magazine title is projected at the top of cover in a big text size and font , which allows people to be aware of the name of the magazine and they again may be familiar with the franchise and former issues, which again may encourage them to buy an read the magazine. The weakness of the cover is that the colour of the text contradicts the main image, making it hard to read the text.  The contents page, displays a basic and simple layout, it shows a promotional blurb of the main cover informing readers of Sophia Loren. The contents column provides readers to be clearly directed to topic of interest. It is in a good text size that allows people to read the text. The topic pages will all target the target audience which is women.

The next page shows a feature page headed 'Money' which is a topic that women will care about due to the ongoing debate of males getting paid more than women, and a lack of employment availability for females. The author answered questions from Vouge readers about money problems they have. This is important because it is a common topic that many women will be concerned about, due to the changes in the economy.   There is an advert in the vouge magazine to help promote the product which will appeal to the readers. The advert is a make-up methods which will appeal to many women. The advert shows a main image of the products and methods being used. There sub images presented at the bottom amid the information text, again showing the products that are for sale. This advertising technique allows people to see what products are available and what there uses are. The advert Includes a summary title, explaining the point of the product.

Zoella: Audience

How far can aspects of identity be seen to affect the way in which audiences use online media?

David Gauntlet Representation Theory: He says that that people's personal identity are made up of the media that those people use.  Zoella's fans use her media text (Her youtube videos) to discover and build their personal identity.

Clay Shirky End of the Audience theory: He says People use the internet to respond to media texts and creating their own fan media. Zoella's fan can respond to her media texts by commenting on her videos. Some of her fans think she is their friend, and may be obsessive. Her fans have made a twitter fan account that consist of updates oh her posts and their feeling towards her. 

Stuart Hall- reception- Media producers want audience to respond in a certain way to a text   . Producers encode certain ideas to make their mediate get across. They want the audience to decode the message. Preffered reading theory, infer the producers message in the intended way, Oppositional reading- don't infer the audience in the intended way. Negotiated reading- audience understand the intended message, accept some of the messages, but reject the other messages.

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Life on Mars: Audience + Industry

Life on mars is a typical crime/sci-fi British television series which broadcasted in 2006. There was a poster and a trailer that helped to promote the tv shows and helps to attract an audience. The trailer began with an introduction to the main character, Sam Tyler who is played by Jon Simm, who was famous for appearing in various other BBC Dramas like State of plays and The Lakes. The trailer is a voiceover from Sam Tyler, who introduces himself as a character and explains his predicament to the audience. This allows the audience to be prepared for watching the main episode, they will go into, having a full understanding of the main plot of the episode, which is that Sam has travelled back in time. The Music used in the trailer is a 70s rock song called Immigrant Song, by Led Zeppelin. The music is from the era of the setting of the Tv shows which is the 70s. The editing pace matches the main tempo of the music, which appeals to a mainstream audience and attracts them to watch the tailer. The music helps to engage with audience, if the trailer didn't contain any music then it would be dull and boring and would attract less of an audience.

From the main trailer the audience can easily identify the main genres of the series, by conventions shown in the trailer.  We can connote that is a crime show, because of the blue police siren and the use of the phrase 'DCI'. Also we can identify that it a SCI-FI, show aw well, due to the transformation of the modern car to 70s style car. The poster contains the main character Sam Tyler and co- star Gene Hunt, which is the man in charge at the police office. It is full body of them both standing in-front, of a classic 70s car. Sam is dressed in 21st century style clothes, whereas Gene Hunt is dressed in 70s style clothing, which connotes what time periods they are both from. The poster also features a positive review from a trusted media company 'radio times'.

Post-Modernism in Life on Mars

Intertextuality- The title 'Life on Mars' is in reference to the David Bowie song 'Life on Mars', with the song and the main set of the tv show is from the 70s. The title coyotes a sci-fi genre theme. 

Parody- References to English 70s cop shows like The Sweeney 

Hyperreality- Sam is stuck in his own hyper reality, made up of his own thoughts and memories based on past TV shows that he is watched. 0 

Irony- The whole episode is based on irony created by facts that it deals with an unlikely event, that is based on mirroring hiss real life. It is also ironic because he is stetted about his ex-partner being dead or kidnapped, but he then puts his own life in danger by nearly crashing his car and then stepping into the road. 

Ambiguity- The idea behind the characters that he meets in his dreams, is so he can learn a lesson and realise his true feelings. It is ambitious as we don't know why he has ended up in 1973 and how he is going to get out. 

Reflexivity- 

Life On Mars

In the first episode of life in mars, they use many conventions of the crime and sci-fi drama. For example, the main convention of crime, is a police investigation, this is the first thing that we see. We see a traditional, cop asking for the criminal to open the door scene, and a classic chase scene, then we have a police interrogation, where the main suspect is interviewed. The female cop then chases down the criminal and harm comes to her, this a classic convention of crime, a damsel in distress, and the ongoing enigma , that the main character will have to solve.

The Bridge

The bridge is a Scandinavian-noir crime television series, set in Sweden/ Denmark. Every crime drama will have some of these character archetypes.

• the investigator- Saga- she is the main detective in the show, she is determined at solving the cases and likes to get the job done, she is good at what she does, but often struggles with forming relationships and attachments with her co-workers
• Sidekick- Saga doesn't really have a sidekick, she has a partner, who is made out to be her rival and they don't like each other, they are from different backgrounds and have different personalties.In season 1 and 2, she has a male sidekick, who is older, she forms a close friendship with him, but she grassed on him as he commuted murder, this shows that for her law trumps friendship. 
• Most crime drams have a boss, who follows the rules, and always have a soft spot for the main character, and tries to keep them out of trouble. This is the same in The bridge. The boss is an older make, who looks out for Saga, and is often concerned for her mental wellbeing. 
• In this particular episode of the bridge, there is no Main Villain outlined, but there our murder suspects, The victims son, has had run ins with Saga and her partner, and has annoyed Saga, as he caused the partner very serious injuries 

Nordic Noir is Scandinavian sub-genre of crime. It generally features dark topics and filmed in the night, it is used in The bridge.  Nordic noir tv shows, regularly include the following conventions, Stylised murder, which is used in The bridge, as the victim is placed in a dinner party scene accompanied with other dolls. The characters  usually the programme, for example they're being a lot of dialogue, and the characters have huge personalities, that dominate the episode. There are also often social issues are often explored, for example Saga is interpreted in being autistic, judged by her lack of emotions and feeling for other people, for example her taking her top off infront of male co-workers.