Industries: Ownership and control

Media conglomerate research

1) Type up your research notes from the lesson

 News Corp 

News Corp owns many subsidiaries such as Fox Sports Australia, Fox Crime, Sky News Weather, TalkSPORT radio and GQ Australia are just a few to name. This allows them to make maximum revenue and to establish into further media fields. Also, the potential loss of the parent company can be helped by the subsidiaries, which is why they have many subsidiaries. 

Vertical integration - Started by buying newspapers and television stations - for news and weather.

Fox Filmed Entertainment & Fox Cable News. 

Horizontal integration - Magazines and TV studios

GQ Australia

Synergy - Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Diversification - Digital real estate, contributes to 44% of the company - this allows News Corp to gain money from different areas in the media and also to get an audience aware of their products/company.

2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

In my opinion, I disagree with this statement as the whole point of making a business (the media conglomerate) is to grow huge and expand for monetary and also to outplace any other competition. So, if the government prevented a media conglomerate from becoming too dominant, then it defeats to the whole point of a business. The government should focus on tackling real problems and let people to use the source of their media freely.

However, some may argue that the business market should be shared equally and not have one dominant conglomerate as other companies need revenue and it is unfair if one company takes all of this market. 

Media Magazine reading and questions

1) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

Production - provides the audience with by knowing what the audience wants and using their gratifications.

Promotion - research's the target audience and uses strategical marketing and advertising to convince them to buy the product. 

Distribution - uses methods to make the product more accessible for the audience.

2) What are the different funding models for media institutions?

BBC - funded by the licence fee

ITV - fees from advertisers for using their channel for advertising

Sky One - subscription fee's

Sony - sales from hardware

The MailOnline - sales from advertising spaces

3) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

Disney - family-friendly brand with mainly animation movies, established in 20th century. Branded itself by having things like Disneyland, Disney princess franchise. Has given products and iconic logos to create a sense of their awareness. 

Marvel - associated with the superhero genre franchise. Started as comics and developed into films. Provide mainstream values.

Spotify - developed to counteract free downloads, so people can listen to music with ads, or subscriptions without them. 

4) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

More audiences are wanting a 3D movie experience, which has resulted in the movie industry in investing in technology for having/giving 3D experience to offer gratifications. 

On-demand viewing is becoming more popular in today's audience, so BBC has decided to reconsider its funding structure for it.

5) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

Google - owns YouTube and has established new ways to access music and videos.

Amazon - create, produce and broadcast their own TV shows - establishes their company.

Facebook - bought VR technology, which is an advantage for audiences as it offers them gratifications.

6) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

I agree, as young audiences don't consume media the same way that an older audience would've to original media institutions. For example, a youth audience don't really view/watch BBC anymore as there are more things aimed at older audiences, so doesn't appeal to the youth and doesn't offer them gratifications. 

7) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape? 

Diversification and vertical integration help's the parent company with their financial growth and also to further establish their company to larger audience. It also helps with going forward with the future by advancing with the technology.

8) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

I think the power between audiences and institutions are balanced. This is because audiences provide the institutions with the money, which puts the institutions in a position where they have to rely on the audience otherwise, they won't have revenue, so need to make their products using their target audiences' gratifications. But the audience are also dependent on the institutions, which makes them powerful as they can control what their audience consume. In the future, major global media conglomerates will maintain their power and control as audiences are dependent and reliant on them.    

Audience theory 2

Theory questions and your opinion

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence?

I believe that the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence, to an extent. When an audience sees something on the media, they might try it out, therefore carrying out violent crimes as a result to playing violent video games. However, I do believe that our environment we live in and how our parents bring us up (upbringing) does powerfully influence us.

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.

On the social media, audience observe and replicate what they see. Young people now learn from the social media as there are powerful influencers trying to find young vulnerable minds. Teenagers are influenced by drill artists, who usually talk about violence. These teenagers then dress up and talk like them and carry out the violence they talk about in their songs.

3) Research three examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics?

The Drugs War (late 80's and 90's) - described as a moral panic due to the exaggeration of the issue and hostility towards recreational drug users. Due to this there were hard consequences such as imprisonment for minor offences. It was shown that the drugs actually declined in the 80's.

Immigration - EU fears of migrants coming from Africa and the UK fear of polish immigrants. Caused a widespread panic with the media exaggerating.

The Red Scare - promotion and fear of communism, anarchism and leftist ideologies which occurred after World War I. Threats from American labor movement. 

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society? If the link is blocked in school, you can access the text here.

Online child safety, digital privacy and cybersecurity, due to societal learning and experimentation. 

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?

I think the government shouldn't control what we can see but should control when people post and preach false statements to try and snatch vulnerable minds to influence them. 

6) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse? Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? Write a paragraph discussing these ideas.

The internet creates a population of negative people who influence, bully and threat others. In my opinion, I think we have become more desensitised to online threats etc. as they have become so common and part of social norms for online users. I think we should worry about heavy use of internet as the youth rely on it too much, that they become too ignorant about their surroundings.

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. You can also access it via your school Google login here.

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

I play/watch violent video games/films, but I am not violent in real life.                                           When I see products advertised, I don't really want to buy it because it has no significant use for me.      I haven't seen a documentary which has made me feel passionate about something.

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

• Bandura: Social Learning Theory
• Stanley Cohan: Moral Panic
• Technopanic: The modern moral panic
• George Gerbner: cultivation theory 

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

The murder of James Bulger was compared to Childs play.

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

The columbine high school shooting massacre was a school shooting and an attempt bombing by 2 12th grade students. 12 students and 1 teacher were murdered, with 21 people being injured by gunshots. The 2 shooters committed suicide in the end.

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

• Easy access to weapons/social acceptance to gun ownership
• Teenagers feeling that they needed to fit in
• Hopelessness of living in disadvantaged areas and high unemployment
• Desensitisation of access to violent images from movies, games, news and the internet

6) How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?

Attitudes are communicated through the media which creates a social norm, which repeat and make an audience desensitised towards negative behavior. 

7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

It suggests that even if the hero kills the villain, is it still moral and ethical, and is it acceptable to show.

8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

That whatever we see in the media, we tend to discuss it with others and believe it.

9) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

The time the sitcom was produced was made specifically for a 70's audience who had different views and morals. The preferred reading would be that the producers made it to provide a source of entertainment for an audience. The oppositional reading is that the audience would be disgusted with the things mentioned in the sitcom and find them offensive as overtime, the society has changed with the views of social norms.

10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

The way that "The Sun" and "The Guardian" present news stories in the media.

Audience theory 1

 

Hypodermic needle model

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

In the results, participants who played violent video games had an increase in violent behaviors and hostile expectations. This suggests how the media impacts (in this case video games)      

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

The newspapers editors have said that he "is a violent video game addict who barely leaves his bedroom", trying to persuade their audience that, that is the only reason for doing what he did.

They also make their audience aware that his mum is a "single mother" suggesting that she is a troubled parent that needs help, and that the boy requires a father figure.

3) What do you think of the hypodermic needle theory? Do audiences believe everything they see in the media?

I believe that the hypodermic needle is partially true as some members of the audience will passively believe anything the media tells them, whereas other members of the audience are actively questioning the media and won't believe everything - they need it to make sense to them.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. What is an opinion leader?

Audiences are influenced by 'opinion leaders' in the media who are people make an impact on how we behave and react. 

2) How do influencers like Zendaya fit into the two-step flow model? 

They are on most social media platforms and have a large network of fans. This makes them more likely to be more influential, making people idolise them.  For example, Zendaya has a lot of music on her YouTube channel as well as some reaction videos and behind the scenes of some films. On this she can influence and give an inside of her life to her fans. According to some people, she represents girls being in a strong and powerful position with her views etc.

3) In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

In my opinion I think it is still relevant to today as many people look up to opinion leaders and more people are influenced by their behaviours as they think this is the social norms. 

   

Uses and Gratifications theory

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text (e.g. film, TV programme, newspaper etc.) that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points. The first one is done for you.

Diversion: Film - Blinded By The Light. Entertaining and offering escapism for fans of Bruce Springsteen or anyone that enjoys coming of age films or culture-clash comedies.

Personal Relationships: Creating personal relationships with Javed and the other young characters.

Personal Identity: Brown people can see themselves replicated with Javed - Racism etc. 

Surveillance: People may watch it to see how brown Asian people had to live in the 70's and 80's.

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view?

I agree that audiences have become too dependent on the media as they constantly use it non-stop. Some might use it for work etc. but majority use it for voyeuristic pleasures. The media also has the ability to satisfy people's needs and also audiences become active and participate with the media. According to some websites 66% of the population suffers from nomophobia, which is the fear from being detached from mobile phone connectivity. 

2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem?

As digital technology has had an increase of growth, due to new smart phones and being able to access it from pretty much everywhere, people have become more dependent on the media, and this has become a problem. People have become too addicted to the media and repetitively use it. This stops them from doing normal day-to-day routines. It also has an effect of making us feel pressured or having negative thoughts, due to what people say and online cyber bullying.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and wellbeing? Why?

I don't use the media as much as I only use it to listen to music, watch videos, message my friends, to see news and for my studies and I don't use it for too much time, so it doesn't really have a negative impact on me. However, when I do listen to music are watch a video it uplifts my mood as it is enjoying and is a diversion from the real world (Blumler and Katz - Uses and Gratification theory).

MIGRAIN assessment 1 - learner response

 

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

30/49 

B (aupc - C) Exceeded target grade = cp x4!!!

WWW: Well revised, making good use of theories + terminologies. 

EBI: Consider incorporating other narrative theories in Q1 e.g., Propp + Todorov, to allow for more depth.

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q1 - Todorov - The gun symbolises the state of disequilibrium and the eyeline of the character looking of screen suggest threat or danger.

Q2 - Both of the products suggest the shaping of people's lives, reflecting key themes of British culture and media. e.g., the Ill manors poster says "we are products of our environment... some environments are harder to live in"

Q3 - Steave Neale "repetition and difference" allows producers to evolve the genre but maintain the audience.

Q4 - Preferred reading - Vibe being opinion leaders and their sense of authority and confidence " We dare you to disagree"

3) Read this exemplar response from a previous Year 12 (an A grade) - note this was a slightly different paper in terms of the question wording (we've updated it to better reflect recent exams). Identify at least one potential point for each question from this student's paper that you could have mentioned in your assessment. 

Q1 - Todorov - new equilibrium - the person with the gun may be turning to crime to restore the equilibrium.

Q2- In the Nike advert the use of the black actor was used to create brand value and to associate Nike with the urban lifestyle.

Q3 - Abercrombie - use of genre to create a loyal audience, they become used to seeing "cliched" genre convention - they look forward to it.

Q4 - Preferred reading - the use of Miguel having his jewelry shown could be used by the producers to celebrate his success.

Oppositional reading - the use of "sex and drugs" glamorises the type of lifestyle Miguel has.

4) Did you get any media terminology or theory wrong in the assessment? Make a note of it here for future revision, including theories/terminology that you could have used but didn't.

I didn't use Todorov's theory of equilibrium - disequilibrium - new equilibrium and Propps character types for question 1.

5) Identify your weakest question and write five bullet points that would improve on your original response. Use the mark scheme and exemplar paper to identify these points - particularly focusing on the anticipated content and the top-level descriptors.

Question 1

• Todorov - The gun symbolises the state of disequilibrium and the eyeline of the character looking of screen suggest threat or danger.
• New equilibrium - the man turning to crime to restore the new equilibrium.
• Barthes action and enigma codes - why is he in the middle of flats? gun? 
• Propps - the man is presented as hero through the costume - could be the villain as well.
• Narrative codes - genre of order (Schatz) - action, violence and confrontation 

Psychographics: pair presentations

 Structure

Who you are working with: Riya

The psychographic group you are researching: Succeeders

Introduce your example couple that represents your group:

1) Make up their names:

Charles and Elvira Astor

2) Where do they work/study?

Charles - Chartered accountant

Elvira - CEO

3) What do they do in their spare time?

Charles goes to play golf and Elvira does horse riding. They both go to the theatres to watch plays/musicals and go to see the opera.

Now suggest their media consumption:

Print: What newspapers/magazines does your group read (if any)? Is this on paper or tablet? 

Charles reads the financial times and GQ - To read about hard news but men's fashion too. 

Elvira reads vogue - to keep up with women's fashion.

However, they tend to read the online version on a tablet.

Broadcast: What TV programmes/channels do your group watch? Radio stations? TV package – Freeview or Sky? Films?

They own sky TV and Netflix. They both listen to Classical FM and mainly watch BBC channels and view Apprentice and BBC news.

Online: What technology do they own? What websites do they visit (if any)? What social media do they use?

They own most types of technologies such as a computer, personal laptops, mobile phones etc.

They mainly visit work related websites - Charles looks at stock exchange websites and buying shares. Both use twitter - as most influential and famous people use this to get their points across, so they like to keep up to date with that.

2) Which psychographic group do you feel best fits YOUR lifestyle and personality? Explain how and why you made your decision and provide evidence justifying this.

I would associate myself to the mainstreamers as I mainly share similarities to the majority and do things that would be considered as the 'social norms'. I usually consume media products which are well known and look for products which are value for money e.g. I watch tv channels such as BBC and ITV,  I do buy foods from fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, I watch movies which most people do watch such as moves from the action genre.