Theory- uses and gratifications, reception and passive and active

Uses and gratifications
The theory is a population approach to understand mass communication. Instead of asking 'what does the media do to people?' you would ask 'what do people do with the media?'
It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media and not their lives.
How you use media for your own uses, for example if you go to the cinema with the intention of getting scared, you would watch a horror film to gratify your intention. You have the choice what you see who you interact with. Your Facebook, Twitter and Snap-chat become an echo chamber what the things you want to hear and you become enveloped in a social bubble.
There are many different media outlets that we use to gratify our needs.

Reception
The reception of an audience is the way they react to a product by the media. A producer of a media product has a certain perception of how people would react to that product. Sometimes the pressured reception and actual reception of the audience can differ. There are many different reactions to the same thing. Media can also be a means of showing the reception to a film or video game via ratings on websites such as IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. There are three main groups of audience reception: first is the receptive audience, this group of people would watch a film and think 'yes this is really good'.

Second would be the opposition where people would think 'oh no what a load of rubbish'.


Lastly there are the negotiable audience who may like some aspects of a film a dislike others.

Images from Google
Active and passive audience
Passive- Not taking action related to something you have seen or heard. People may not take action to what they have been or heard because they are unaffected by the news. Sometimes people do nothing because they may think it's pointless.
For example the result of Brexit may not have a big impact on your life so you take it as it comes.
Active- Taking action that is related to something you have seen or heard. People may take action in a supportive or destructive way.
Using the Brexit example again, people may actively put out their comments onto social network. People may start strikes to get their point across.

Examples of mass media (U6.3)

Hitler's propaganda
He made himself appear as the God appointed person to the German people. He arrived to a crowd in an airplane like he came from the heavens above. The people were spoon fed information about how dress, how to behave and how to act towards certain groups of people. He was very powerfully in the media industry. There were special parades in his honour and people were expected to do the Nazi solute every time he drove by.

World war one/two propaganda was very influential and getting people to actively serve their country, regardless of their moral compass. The way that the media represented the Nazis in WW2 gave people in Great Britain the impression that all Germans behaved the same way.
 

The British army wanted people to answer their country’s call and fight for what their believed in. The media would manipulate people’s minds so that what they believed matched with the governments ideas. In some way the media were trying to boots people's moral.

Hypodermic needle theory (U6.3)

Hypodermic needle model

Created in the 1930s and it was also called the magic bullet theory.
 It suggests that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. It effected how people were/are influence. Another way of perceiving this theory is like a baby being spoon fed.

Image reference: http://knowyourmeme.com/forums/just-for-fun/topics/18178-last-letter-to-first-letter-nintendo-version
http://www.deviantart.com/tag/syringe
The media gave a message to people and they soaked it up like a sponge. The media had no concern for people views or moral compass. The audience were passive and did not question the information being given to them. There were limited media resources so people could not conduct further research into the information they were given. The audience was not specified and they had no input in what the media released.

Image reference: http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/cleaning-organizing/can-you-disinfect-kitchen-sponges.htm
If you asked a group of people if they liked strawberries, they may say yes or no. If those people said they liked strawberries then you would assume that everybody likes them.
Then and Now
1930
In the 1930's people would have limited media resources, if they heard a news story on the radio, they then could not look up the same information on the internet to verify the truth of the story. 

2017
Now in this detail age, there are more ways to access the news, if we hear a news story on the radio we can we check the internet to double check if the story is true. There are products that are targeted at specific groups of people instead of the masses. There is a breakdown of different social classes and people are likely to argue against the media with their own opinions.


Disadvantages

• The media can deceive the mass audience
• Giving false information
• Not everyone is susceptible
• Ignores people's free will
• No concern for a person's moral compass
• The media can edit a news story to their preference
• This theory ignores individuality
• We create our own social bubbles (surrounding ourselves with what we like)

 

Crtical approaches

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Moodboards and mock magazine covers for The Sun and The times readers

Mood board for The Sun readers

Mock cover for a free magazine for The Sun

This is what I think a cover would look like for a weekly magazine in The Sun. I have made the titles big and bold so attract the reader's attention. The class of people who would read are the C2/D/E class. The magazine would be aimed at people between the age of 16-35.
 I have included pictures of celebrities to make the magazine stand out and more relatable. By adding a website the reader can get more information and look up more stories. I wanted to use purple because it stands out. I think a magazine for The Sun should be in this format because it is eye catching and it invites the reader to look inside.

Mood board for The Times readers
These are a few pictures of what people who read The Times are interested in.

Mock front cover of a magazine free in The Times



I researching a few elements that The Times 2 magazine includes, This helped me to work out what the audience for The Time likes to read about. some topics included fashion, art, health and food. I wanted to used some of these elements to match the audience. By adding 'Free' on the front, people will take more interest reading it. I have also added a pug that advertises a competition, this may entice the reader's interest. Both magazines are for weekly circulation because it is the more popular than monthly or yearly magazines. The blue background is calming and the writing write because it is a neutral colour. This is how I think a magazine for the times should be laid out because it is informative and it is laid out in an orderly way.

8th November 2016

 Newspaper conventions

Broadsheets- The Times, The Guardian, The independent- Someone siting on a train or in their garden.
The broadsheet newspapers lay out their pages so that each article is clearly distinguished. Every article has it's own section so that they don't roll into one big mess to words. the demographic audience would be people who live in towns and more rural areas.
 Tabloid- The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror- Reader would be someone who is always on their feet and has no time to fully absorb the whole story.
The tabloid newspapers do not have a neat lay out. There are pictures all over the page and the articles are fitted into tiny boxes on the page. The demographic audience for tabloid readers are people living in the suburbs and cities.

Tabloids have big pictures and bold headlines that match the article, does not leave room for your own opinion. Summarizing the information, the reader can absorb the content quicker. The Sun's front cover, for example, has a splash that covers the whole front cover with a big photograph and bold heading. There are also smaller photographs there relate to other articles. Usually on a tabloid there a is a pug at the top of the page, this is an advert for either something within a newspaper or a discount off a product.

Broadsheets may more than one article displayed on the front cover. The Times, for example, would have a separate columns of different news stories and a big photograph in the middle. A broadsheet would have a byline before the article to give credit to the reporter. This is done to promote the reporter and shows the quality of the article.
On The Times there is a banner under the name of the paper for football and cricket. Both The Sun and The Times for 31st October have covered the American presidential election. In the latter there is a two page spread photograph of Hilary Clinton with her political aide, Huma Abedin. It mostly covers the FBI investigating Hilary Clinton's e-mails. The former covers a story about Jennifer Lopez supporting Clinton instead of Trump and it also has a headline about Hilary's lead in the polls (so far). There are different methods to catch the eye of the target audience, The Sun has a flashy heading that takes you by surprise as you walk by.
On the other hand, The Times has a more subtle approach in using a formal layout. There is more information on the page with bold titles to highlight the issues that are in the public eye; such as the US election and the crisis in Aleppo. Both newspapers are targeted at the ABC1C2D class but they have different approaches for different types of working class. The Times is formal and covers many worldly issues and so people who work in office jobs may read the paper on their commute to work. People who read The Sun may work in construction or delivery services and they would only have time to glance at the headline. There are also different approaches to appealing to different age groups. The colour, image, font and layout have an important roll in attracting a person's attention. If there was no colour on the front cover, it would not be appealing to anyone. Adding colour can make the front cover look more lively and inviting. With the addition of photograph, the page is brighter and ever more appealing.

Task 1 Unit 6.2

The Times and The Sun- appealing to the target audience
The Times and The Sun are both read by the ABC1C2 social class. One article in particular, that both newspapers cover is the American presidential election. Both The Sun and The Time cover Hilary Clinton's lead in the polls of the American presidential election. The Times also covered the FBI e-mail scandal. There was also an article that The Sun covered about Jenifer Lopez supporting Hilary. It seems that the readers of The Sun would only pick up the paper if there was a celebrity on the page. Although The Sun is aimed at the C2DE audience, they would be interested in the electon because it could affect their lifestyle. They would be concerned for their jobs, especially if they work in a company where a large percent of their income comes from trading. They might be a bit paranoid about what could happen in the future. The layout of The Sun is informal and has big, bold headlines that catch the eye of people passing by. The headlines are short and to the point and makes the reader want to read more. The font is big and directs the reader's eye to the article. The Times uses more formal language and they use photographs that are often spread over two pages. The font has serifs which makes it look more sophisticated. Both papers have their name at the top of the page, this could indicate the particular way in which the reader would scan the page. They would be looking straight the name and then glance at the articles.
The Sun- There is a big heading that just screams "read me" and there is a picture that relates to article. There are at least three main articles and a pug at the top right of the page. When you look inside the pages are covered with huge headlines and pictures. The writing is squished into small sections and this lets the pictures tell the story. This kind of layout would appeal to the C2DE audience. This audience is the working class and they read it because they can absorb the information at a glance, whilst multi-tasking.
The Sun has a down to earth approach and it tells the story has it is. It is almost like someone is sitting next to you and relaying the news to you.
The highest percentage of circulation for both newspapers are elderly people, 65+. This may be because is less likely that they would know how to download an app onto their phone. They like more traditional meaning of accessing the news. People who are 65+ would read The Sun because it has big font and it is straight to the point.
The Times- The content is laid out in sections subheadings are used to breakup different sections. The main topic would have a bold title accompanied by a big photograph and a caption. there may also be diagrams which display information like for example, the American presentational election. These diagrams would give a summary of an important topic and this also holds the readers attention for longer. People who read The Times are likely to be commuters, they would read the paper on the train or the bus. The class of people this newspaper is aimed at is ABC1 and they might download an app to read the news on their tablets or smart phones. Elderly people who read The Times would like to keep informed and they are more interested about worldly matters that celebrity gossip.
The people who read the paper and the target audience are not quite the same. People who are aged 15-24 may not buy The Sun or The Times, however they may take a look at the headings in a shop. They may look at the news online, The Sun and The Times have websites with the latest news from around the world and celebrity gossip. Teenagers in particular may be more interested in gossip  about their favourite celebrity than current events that happen around the world.
Adults who work in a secondary job (such as manufacturing cars) may read a newspaper (possibly The Giardian or The Times) to find out what is happening in the stock market and how it may affect their income. The imformation would be lais out in diagrams to summarise or hightlight the main stastics. A CEO of a large company would be reading a broadsheet or a tabloid (the tabloid may summarise the inormation to make the article less long winded) to get statastics in international news so that they can be informed about their parnters abroad or their opposition.