theory Flashcards
roland barthes semiotics
texts create meaning through signification
Semiology is the study of signs. Signs consist of a signifier (a word, an image, a sound, and so on) and its meaning – the signified
steve neale genre
genres may be dominated by repetition but are also marked by difference, variation and change
levi strauss structuralism
binary opps
braudillard postmodernism
hyperreality: A representation of something that does not exist. Through the use of hyperreal imagery, audiences now confuse the signs of the real for the real.
simulacra: copies that depict things that either had no original, or that no longer have an original.
e.g., zoella and her picnic vlog
attitude and their portrayal of gay men
todorov narratology
basic narrative structure:
Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition Repair the Damage and Equilibrium Again.
propps character theory
villain
hero
donor
helper
princess
father
dispatcher
false hero
derrida reflexivity
audience are reminded that they are watching someone watching something
goodwin music vid
5 aspects of a music vid:
- seeing the sound
- narrative & performance
- star image
- relation of visuals to song
- technical aspects
field narrative
- set up
- confrontation
- resolution
barthes codes
codes that describe meaning of a text:
- enigma
- semantic: elements of a product that connote particular meanings e.g red = danger
- symbolic e.g, hoodie = violence
- action codes
saussure signification
signifier: the simple form of the sign e.g., photo, word, gesture
signified: meaning
peirce 3 sign types
- icon: physical resemblance to what is being signified
- index: connection of what is being represented
- symbol
alvarado racial rep
Alvarado noted that there are 4 themes in racial representations in the media. These are as:
- exotic
- dangerous
- humorous
- pitied
perkins stereotype
- stereotypes are not always negative
- not always ab minority groups or less powerful
- can be ab one’s own group
- not rigid or unchanging
- not always false
said otherness
the West creates a wrong image about the Orient and considers it as the “Other” in contrast to the ideal West.
mcluhan
global village
The global village definition implies that even when people are not physically close, they can still connect, share experiences, and access the same information through technologies, such as social media.
mulvey
male gaze
gilory
post colonisation
in a predominantly white society, ethnic minorities and women were portrayed in negative way to the masses through the media.
dehumanised, weak, powerless and seen as “other”
e.g., wateraid: the rain, british accent and location suggests english location at first vs dry, sunny african location. “text sunny to 70555 to give £3 today” suggests that the white english are in power and only able to helo
butler
gender performativity
gender is constructed through performance, repeatedly completing stereotypical steps like a ritual to construct an ideology of gender identities and how to “be one”
e.g., zoella applying makeup, hauls, discussing shoes, outfits
hooks
feminist
- feminism is the struggle to end patriarchal (dominated by men) oppression e.g., fighting for equality
- discrimination & oppression agasint women vary depending on ethnicity and class
e.g., wateraid, still cooking and getting water but discriminated more as being poor due to race
hall
rep
- media use stereotypes often negatively
- stereotypes result from inequality of power
- e.g, newspapers are typically owned by white rich men (rupert murdoch owns times)
gauntlett identity
media provides us w tools that we use to construct our identities
e.g., tide, how women should act in order to be accepted within society.
zoella, should enjoy and focus on fashion and makeup to portray a strong female rep
pick & mix theory: audiences pick the bits of the text that are appropriate to them and their lives and ignore others.
zoonen
feminist
- believes we get ideas about our gender from media
- ideas on gender change depend on historical & cultural context (tide)
- believes women are objectified in media (damsel, tight revealing dress w flesh on display- kotv)
- objectification due to patriarchal culture
- believes women are repped as emotional, domestic and nurturing vs men as individuals, business & politics
- believes men’s bodies are repped as spectacle, strong and brave that they’ve worked to achieve
young & rubicam
4 consumers
7 types of media consumers:
Explorer - needs new experiences and liked discovery
Aspirer - materialistic, worries about what other people think of their superficial qualities
Succeeder - enjoys control and prestige brands
Reformer - anti-materialistic and intellectual
Mainstream - enjoy family values, and value for money. Enjoy security
Struggler - enjoy junk food / alcohol / gambling and need escape from their own lives
Resigned - enjoy tradition, nostalgia and survival
channel 4
uk tribes
research on 16-24 year olds discovered 5 distinct groups based on psychographics:
- mainstream
- alternative
- leading edge
- urban
- aspirant
blumler & katz
uses and grat
personal identity
information
entertainment
social
escapism
frankfurt school
hypodermic needle
media messages are injected directly into the brains of passive audiences.
lazarsfeld
2 step flow
Firstly - opinion leaders get information from a media source.
Secondly – opinion leaders then pass their own interpretation along to others such as friends and family members (the influenced).
audiences don’t create meaning and ideas of their own
maslows hierachy of needs
- physiological needs
- safety needs
- love / belonging needs
- esteem needs
- self actualisation needs
bandura
media effects
An audience can be influenced by media products which can lead to copy cat behaviour.
For example, watching a violent film can make someone act in a violent manner.
hall
reception
Preferred reading - where they accept the messages in the product
Oppositional Reading - where they reject the messages in the product
Negotiated Reading - where they partially accept and partially reject the messages in the text
gerbner
cultivation
repeated exposure to television over time can subtly ‘cultivates’ viewers’ perceptions of reality.
jenkins
fandom
- fans are active participants and constructions and circulation of meanings e.g., comment and share videos, sharing theories or opinions of films/vids to friends
fan made videos on zoella, reviewing her videos, taking clips and talking about them
shirky
end of audience
- believes audiences are no longer passive and are more active, wanting to interact w media
- believes tech has changed our expectations and behaviour, like, comment and share content
curran & seaton
power and media
- believe dominated by small no of giant conglomerates driven by profit & power
- concentrated ownership, lack of choice, lots of same product as safety net
- independent diverse ownership results in more choice, creativity, quality
livingstone & lunt
regulation
- regulators have to try and balance protecting people whilst offering them choice
- downloading, streaming, piracy, yt, etc means people can bypass controls like age certificates (tech has made it difficult for media products to be regulated, bbfc & ofcom cannot regulate streaming sites and online platforms)
- powerful companies can avoid regulations e.g., news corp - times, phone scandals
hesmondhalgh
cultural industries
believes companies need to minimise risk and max audiences to be successful by these suggestions:
- vertically / horizontally integrated
H: when a company buys out / takes over another company that makes similar products or the same part of production process.
V: a company that operates buys out / takes over another company that does a different part of production process to them.
- work across variety of media platforms/ tech
- focus on popular genres / formats / stars
- controlled release schedule (AC only released on ps vita, could only be played if purchased console, increased profit as made it seem rare and exclusive- released game after a year on diff consoles)
- detailed marketing campaign
media convergence
refers to the merging of different types of mass media such as Traditional Media, Print Media, Broadcast Media, New Media and the Internet as well as portable and highly interactive technologies through digital media platforms.
