A level media exam blog

  1) Media Magazine reading Media Magazine 72 has a feature linking YouTube influencers to A Level media theories. Go to  our Media Magazine archive , click on MM72 and scroll to page 60 to read the article ‘The theory of everything - using YouTubers to understand media theory’. Answer the following questions: 1) How has YouTube "democratised media creativity"? With ordinary users uploading their own content: they are ‘produsers’ (producer-users) and ‘prosumers’ (producer-consumers). 2) How does YouTube and social media culture act as a form of cultural imperialism or 'Americanisation'?  YouTube influencers encourage the spread of US cultural references, language and attitudes. This form of globalisation implies a dominance of Western cultural attitudes 3) How do influencers reinforce capitalist ideologies?  Most globally popular YouTubers also promote materialism and consumption. Once they become successful, YouTube stars are often sponsored by commercial companies a

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? Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters, Beyoncé’s Bey Hive, Taylor Swift’s Swifties, and Nicki Minaj’s Barbs. 2) Why did Taylor Swift run into trouble with her fanbase?  When the presale for Taylor Swift’s tour turned into a battle royale for fans locked out of Ticketmaster’s system, frazzled Swifties voiced their disappointment. Ticketmaster and Swift quickly apologized, with the singer  calling the process “excruciating” . Ticketmaster ended up testifying in Congress in a hearing about consolidation in the ticketing industry. 3) Do stan accounts reflect Clay Shirky's ideas regarding the 'end of audience'? How?  Yes, stan accounts now have rthe power to act as publishers and report in place of professional joiurnalists. Mass amateurisation- if anyone can be a publisher, anyone can becom

  Homepage Go to  the Voice homepage  and answer the following: 1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage? The subscribe button, the top handle with all the subjects and the headlines on each article 2) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice? News-  this shows the Voice report on issues regarding balck communities Lifestyle-  represents black culture and celebrated black identity Entertainment- covers film, music and television etc.. celbrating black talent and pitting a spotlight on black voices in these industries 3) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick  two  stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience.  The record stores that shaped Black music in Britain- highlighting black influence in music industry ‘A leader, mentor, and friend’: what Lord Herman Ouseley meant to me- keeing audience informed about politics and cu

  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? Race can be seen as shared biological identities inherited from previous generations. Gilroy would argue that race makes the identity of oppressors and the oppressed seem fixed and uniform. Around the  world structures of political and social life  have been constructed under race thinking. 2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism? Gilroy sees race as a result of racism, the fact  that these aspects of society are based upon race thinking is problematic. 3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it? Ethnic absolutism is a

  Media Magazine reading Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to  our Media Magazine archive , click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions: 1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson? It is made it next to impossible to stop spam, abuse or the trading of images of child abuse. 2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet? Today, the network is becoming invisible, as connectivity becomes seamless, pervasive and fast enough to just work most of the time. We stop seeing it – we only see the connectivity. The internet  delivers freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press in

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?  In 2005, aged just 15, Swift signed a record deal with the label which gave it ownership of the masters to her first six studio albums. Swift’s deal with Big Machine ended in 2018 and she signed with Republic Records, but the masters remained with her former label, which was subsequently purchased by  Scooter Braun for a reported $300m – with his purchase of the label, Braun became the owner of Swift’s masters in late 2020 on the condition that he would continue to financially profit from them. She quickly announced her intentions to re-record her Big Machine albums, which would give her complete  ownership of the records and nullify Braun’s involvement. 2) Why did Taylor Swift choose to make the short film 'All Too Well'?  Swift has consciously