Baseline assessment learner response

 Baseline assessment learner response

Create a new blog post called 'Y13 baseline assessment learner response' and complete the following tasks:

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

WWW: Detailed response for Q3, lots of general knowledge of both magazine csp's - cost, circulation figures, target audience profiles 

EBI: Q2 which other media effect theory is the most useful when commenting on this csp 

Not enough specific examples from the CSP pages referenced or audience theories (e.g. uses + gratifications) for Q3 or focus on the industries behind the products

28/40 - B 

2) Focusing on the BBC Newsbeat question, write three ways it helps to fulfil the BBC's mission statement that you didn't include in your original assessment answer. Use the mark scheme for ideas.

Entertain - every newsbeat bulletin contains sport/entertainment content by focusing on sporting events such as the world cup and Wimbledon. They also talk about music/film awards.

3) Question two asked you how useful media effects theories are in understanding the audience response to War of the Worlds. Complete the following:

• Gerbner's Cultivation theory: useful or not useful? Why? It isn’t that useful because the radio broadcast was a one time thing, this means people weren’t repeatedly exposed to it.  
• Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle model: useful or not useful? Why? Somewhat useful, it showed how some people will believe media without question when they trust it. However, it’s an oversimplified theory and the 2 step flow model would be more useful. 
• Stuart Hall's Reception theory: useful or not useful? Why? Very useful, many people knew it was fiction and listened to it for entertainment (preferred/dominant reading). Whereas some people fully believed it and thought it to be a real news broadcast (oppositional). 

4) Write a full essay plan for the 25-mark Magazines question. The mark scheme contains plenty of ideas you can use here. Your plan should include notes/bullet points addressing the following:

• Introduction: one sentence answering the original question and laying out your argument clearly.

GQ and the gentlewoman have both been highly successful in attracting their upper class youth/middle age audience.

• Paragraph 1 content/ideas:

Traditional men’s magazine brand affected by declining print circulation
cross-platform content - social media, YouTube, GQ website
Uses and Gratifications Theory: GQ provides personal identity (self expression, style), surveillance (culture and fashion)
New Masculinity challenges outdated gender norms
It’s adapting but its shrinking print audience show partial success.

• Paragraph 2 content/ideas:

GQ has some success thanks to diversification beyond print.                                 Digital convergence, GQ becoming a multimedia lifestyle brand:GQ YouTube videos and events (GQ Men of the Year).                                                                               curran and Seaton’s power and media industries theory = GQ uses vertical/horizontal integration to maintain power.                                                      Active audiences - Shirky: user engagement through social media comments and online communities                                                                                                    Print sales declining, GQ’s digital media keeps it relevant to a younger audience

• Paragraph 3 content/ideas:

The Gentlewoman 

Publishes twice a year

£10 price, high production quality = luxury experience.

Uses and Gratifications Theory:
Personal identity  intelligent, independent female readers
Surveillance  fashion, sustainability, womens achievements 
Personal relationships sense of belonging through The Gentlewoman Club (exclusive community)

exclusivity and luxury makes it desirable + helps it survive

• Paragraph 4 content/ideas:

Features such as Ramla Ali,  Isabella Tree,  Stella McCartney reflect feminist values and changing social contexts.

Feminist theory (van Zoonen) – rejects objectification and promotes empowerment

Independent ownership – allows creative freedom, niche targeting, and global reach through digital subscriptions.

success in attracting a global, socially aware, high income audience that values authenticity and exclusive media

In contrast to GQ’s digital strategy, The Gentlewoman thrives through niche branding and exclusive engagement 

• Conclusion: sum up your argument a final time in one sentence

GQ has been somewhat successful in adapting to digital media through diversification and rebranding, while The Gentlewoman has been highly successful by turning print into a luxury niche experience and using digital tools to maintain global exclusivity and a strong brand identity.

5) Finally, identify three key skills/topics you want to work on in A Level Media this year before the final exams in the summer.

Media effects theories, key information/examples from csps (revise csps in more detail) and industry context. 

OSP: Paul Gilroy - Postcolonial theory and diasporic identity

 Paul Gilroy - blog tasks

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can access it online here using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

He believes race was caused by racism and that racial identities were constructed through historical conflict. 

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

He says racism wasn’t caused by human nature but rather by history/historical events such as colonialism which turned cultural differences into racial hierarchies. 

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

The idea that humans belong to fixed groups based on their ethnicity/race and shouldn’t mix. He rejects this idea as he believes in a fluid identity that is shaped by history. 

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

He sees diasporic identity as a product of movement throughout history: ‘based on routes taken throughout history, and not through the roots of origin.’ 

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

He believed they were ‘external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation’. 

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

There’s a clash of identities and ideologies which leads to cultural tension which has negative effects such as racism, cultural conflict and double consciousness. 

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

They can use the media to maintain a connection to their home country by engaging with cultural content, music and political movements. 

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

He believes the modern world was built upon a normalised view of slavery and it has links to capitalism and black identity. 

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

In the media black people are often represented using stereotypes like rapper, criminal, gang member or athlete. This makes black people believe that this is how society views them and they see themselves through a racist pov as well as their personal pov. 

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

The film challenges stereotypes by representing black women as intelligent, capable scientists and mathematicians who worked for NASA during segregation. The tag line says ‘Genius has no race. Strength has no gender. Courage has no limit.’ which directly challenges racist and sexist assumptions. The trailer shows the main characters struggling with the negative views that society has of them and how this limits them in their jobs and lives. Despite this, they work hard and are shown to be a big part of a significant historical moment as they help launch a rocket into space by doing maths nobody else was capable of. 

Taylor Swift: Audience and Industries blog tasks

 Audience

Background and audience wider reading

Read this Guardian feature on stan accounts and fandom. Answer the following questions:

1) What examples of fandom and celebrities are provided in the article?

Julia Fox, Matt Healy,Taylor Swift swifties, Nicki Minaj Barbs 

2) Why did Taylor Swift run into trouble with her fanbase? 

She had trouble with her fans over the ticket system failing which meant fans couldn't purchase tickets for her performance.

3) Do stan accounts reflect Clay Shirky's ideas regarding the 'end of audience'? How? 

Yes, Stan accounts do reflect Shirky's ideas as Stan accounts are an example of audiences not just consuming media but also producing it. 

Read this Conversation feature on the economics of Taylor Swift fandom. Answer the following questions: 

1) What do Taylor Swift fans spend their money on? 

Fans spend large amounts of money on concert tickets, albums and merchandise.

2) How does Swift build the connection with her fans? Give examples from the article.

She builds personal connections with randomly selected super fans who she sometimes invites to her home before concerts for 'secret sessions' and she also writes handwritten letters to fans or even sometimes sends personalised gifts.

3) What have Swifties done to try and get Taylor Swift's attention online? 

Swifts post and show off their devotion to her music online by posting images of themselves with merch/at concerts as this is recognised by Taylors 'Taylor Nation' twitter account which reposts these posts (getting her attention).

4) Why is fandom described as a 'hierarchy'? 

They're described as a hierarchy as there's different levels of fandom with those who spend more, attend more concerts or have better seats being considered higher level.

5) What does the article suggest is Swift's 'business model'? 

Her business model relies on fans desire to meet her as she gets people who buy more tickets and merch to gain her attention in hopes of meeting her as she has met other big fans who spend a lot.

Taylor Swift: audience questions and theories

Work through the following questions to apply media debates and theories to the Taylor Swift CSP. You may want to go back to your previous blogpost or your A3 annotated booklet for examples. 

1) Is Taylor Swift's website and social media constructed to appeal to a particular gender or audience?

Taylor swift has multiple fan bases and she reinvents herself with the release of every album by creating new websites and changing the aesthetic of her social media posts.

2) What opportunities are there for audience interaction in Taylor Swift's online presence and how controlled are these? 

Audiences can sign up to her website in order to receive special information/content. They can also interact through her social media by commenting on her posts or responding to her tweets, this is regulated by the social media companies but its hard to control what people say and they can bypass measures put in place to control comments and prevent hate.

3) How does Taylor Swift's online presence reflect Clay Shirky’s ‘End of Audience’ theories? 

It reflects Shirky's end of audience theory theory as it shows how audiences are interacting with and creating their own media. It also shows how Taylor can control her own representation and construct her own image online rather than the media/news having control over it.

4) What effects might Taylor Swift's online presence have on audiences? Is it designed to influence the audience’s views on social or political issues or is this largely a vehicle to promote Swift's work? 

Taylors content has a mix of promotional, personal and political content. She posts content to promote her music/tours and she posts selfies/bts pictures to promote her work and build a connection with her fans but she also posts political statements online and her posts helped boost Kamala's votes in the election by encouraging her fans to sign up to vote.

5) Applying Hall’s Reception theory, what might be a preferred and oppositional reading of Taylor Swift's online presence? 

Preferred - Taylor is posting to seem genuine and relatable, she wants to build a connection wither fans.

Oppositional - her posts are performative and she's only doing it to promote her work and make more money.

Industries

How social media companies make money

Read this analysis of how social media companies make money and answer the following questions:

1) How many users do the major social media sites boast?

Q4 2022

Meta - 2.96 billion monthly active users 

LinkedIn - 900m

2019 (stopped reporting)

Twitter - 330m 

2) What is the main way social media sites make money? 

Advertisement

3) What does ARPU stand for and why is it important for social media companies? 

Average revenue per user and it’s important as it tells the company how much income each user generates.  

4) Why has Meta spent huge money acquiring other brands like Instagram and WhatsApp? 

They’ve purchased these companies to increase their total monthly users so they can target more people with advertisement. 

5) What other methods do social media sites have to generate income e.g. Twitter Blue? 

Sites make extra money by charging subscriptions for premium services which give extra benefits such as the X blue check mark. 

Regulation of social media

Read this BBC News article on a report recommending social media regulation. Answer the following questions:

1) What suggestions does the report make? Pick out three you think are particularly interesting. 

Adding ‘friction’ to online sharing to slow down the spread of misinformation

‘circuit breakers’ where viral content is briefly stopped from spreading while it’s fact checked.

Display a correction to everyone who was exposed to misinformation. 

2) Who is Christopher Wylie? 

He exposed how Cambridge Analytica used millions of people’s facebook data for targeted campaigns. 

3) What does Wylie say about the debate between media regulation and free speech? 

Wylie says that regulating platforms wouldn’t limit free speech and that people aren’t entitled to having their free speech amplified by technology. 

4) What is ‘disinformation’ and do you agree that there are things that are objectively true or false? 

Disinformation is false information that is spread to mislead people. I somewhat agree, some things are objectively true or false as they can be proved (positive statements) but people’s opinions (e.g. pizza is the best tasting food) can’t be proved or disproved and therefore can’t be true or false (normative statements). 

5) Why does Wylie compare Facebook to an oil company? 

He compares the spread of misinformation to pollution being spread by oil companies. He does this by saying that oil companies would claim they don’t profit from pollution the same way facebook claim not to benefit from hate. Even though this may be true, it’s still the harmful byproduct of their product. 

6) What does it suggest a consequence of regulating the big social networks might be? 

It could result in people moving to smaller social network platforms which advertise the ability to have “free speech” which will attract those who want to spread hate speech. 

7) What has Instagram been criticised for?

Harming mental health by promoting ‘perfect’ images which are highly edited and unrealistic. 

8) Can we apply any of these criticisms or suggestions to Taylor Swift? For example, should Taylor Swift have to explicitly make clear when she is being paid to promote a company or cause? 

I believe they could apply to Taylor Swift as she had a big influence on a large fan base so if she was to promote a product without stating it, it would make her fans think she use the product personally and make them more likely to use it themselves. 

Taylor Swift: Language and Representations blog tasks

Narrative

Go to our Media Magazine archive (issue MM79) and read the feature All Too Well on Taylor Swift and how she controls her own narrative. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her earlier albums? 

She’s re recording her earlier albums to regain control of her music after her old record label sold the rights to it. 

2) Why did Taylor Swift choose to make the short film 'All Too Well'? 

She wanted to tell her story in her own words so she can take control of her personal narrative.

3) What other examples are provided in the article of Taylor Swift using media to construct her own image? 

Some of the examples provided include: shake it off (telling her haters she doesn’t care about their opinions), bad blood and in 2017 when she altered her image using darker clothing and black eye shadow to make herself seem more mature. 

Taylor Swift textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Taylor Swift's website and social media. 

1) Go to Taylor Swift's website. What do you notice about the media language choices - text, font, images, page design, links?

Use of modern sans serif font 

Very little text, short sentences rather than big chunks of writing 

Focus on imagery, taylor swift album cover 

First thing on the website and on the menu is her Shop/Store - capitalism 

Calls to action (shop now + sign up)

Tries to get users to sign up so they provide their emails and other info which can be used by companies taylor works with 

2) Now visit her Eras tour microsite. What do you notice about the construction of this site in terms of images and website conventions? 

Large central image of taylor from different eras - shows diversity of her music/career 

Mainly images, very little text other than captions

Links to social media accounts with screenshots from instagram and has links to her socials at the bottom of the website (cross media convergence)

3) Visit Taylor Swift's Twitter feed. Analyse her use of tweets/posts - are they promoting her music, her tour, or something else? Can you find any that are socially or politically oriented? 

A post from 2020: After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.

@realdonaldtrump

This post is highly political as it comments on her political views and she’s trying to influence her fanbases political ideas by telling them what she thinks about trump. 

Her most recent post is promoting her newest album which shows that she mixes promotion and business with her personal beliefs on her social media. 

4) Look at Taylor Swift's Instagram account. What do you notice about the selection and construction of images, reels and posts?  

Her posts have a consistent warm colour palette

Posts cinematic shots rather than casual photos 

Mix of promotion and personal content 

Follows 0 people - not a casual instagram user 

5) Research Taylor Swift across any other social media accounts - e.g. Facebook. Do you notice any differences in how she represents herself on different platforms? Comment on text, images or tone/content.  

The content she posts remains very similar across all her platforms, she posts the same promotional content across all her social media but she used X to discuss more serious topics that she’s passionate about and to interact with her fans. Whereas she uses instagram,tiktok and facebook to post promotional content and participate in trends.