How does your media product represent particular social groups?
front cover
The name of my magazine is "Plectrum", A plectrum is used for
strumming guitars, I
thought that in Indie Rock there are a lot of stringed instruments, a plectrum is directly associated with Indie Rock, making easier for me to reach my target audience, as they would know that a guitar represents my Genre, also my target audience hobbies are to play guitar, so my Magazine front cover represents my target audience.
The mastehead for my magazine was chosen through a pole on my blog, which were of people all around the world and in my class, the bold yet simple font was chosen by these participants. The magazine font represents my music genre which was chosen by my target audience.
The model for my front cover is the target demographic for my magazine, women ages 17 + I realised that most Indie magazines, although there are a few, use male models, to show dominance and power displaying a patriarchal based genre. I however decided to challenge this by having all women in my magazine, my front cover displays a strong independent woman, she does not use direct address however, she still looks powerful due to her posture, and photogenic.
The mastehead for my magazine was chosen through a pole on my blog, which were of people all around the world and in my class, the bold yet simple font was chosen by these participants. The magazine font represents my music genre which was chosen by my target audience.
The model for my front cover is the target demographic for my magazine, women ages 17 + I realised that most Indie magazines, although there are a few, use male models, to show dominance and power displaying a patriarchal based genre. I however decided to challenge this by having all women in my magazine, my front cover displays a strong independent woman, she does not use direct address however, she still looks powerful due to her posture, and photogenic.
continuation
The colour scheme for my font cover was inspired by Indie photography and music videos, I realised that the colours were very pastel or black and white, therefore I in cooperated the colours into my magazine. The colour scheme for my magazine represent the particular social group for my magazine.
The cover lines on my magazine and the language is formal but informative, and also uses direct address which shows that my language represents a type of social group, which are my target audience being 17+ women.
contents page
I have clearly portrayed a dominant matriarchal based genre, as my models on my contents page are all women, the first image of "Pixi Rose" is giving direct address, making her look powerful and not vulnerable like in the front cover. In the second image the posture and body language of my model is dominant fearless, giving a positive presentation of women, making my target audience who are also of the same age and genre feel appreciative and self confident.
Also all my models are from different ethnic backgrounds, showing that I am not portraying ethnicity in a typical way.
The language again on the contents page is also very informative and fun, giving personality to the magazine as well as the target audience.
Overall, my magazine shows a positive representaion of women (social group).
double page spread
The double page spread continues the same colour scheme as the contents page and front cover therefore still portraying the same idea.
The double page spread again represents a matriarchal based genre as ive used four images of a model whop is a women further displaying that women dominated magazine.
Paul Willis (1990) states, based on a postmodern return to feminism, that "pop stars are symbolic vehicles with which young women understand themselves more fully...shaping their personalities to fit the starts' alleged preferences"
demographic
- WOMEN TYPICALLY 18 AND IN THEIR LATE 20's, USUALLY STUDENTS AND GRADUATES WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANT DISPOSABLE INCOME AND TIME RICH.
- THEY'RE TYPICALLY WHITE HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME BLACK FEMALES WHO WOULD LIKE THE MAGAZINE AND THE GENRE INDIE ROCK.
- MOST LIKELY TO BE AMERICAN FROM NEW YORK OR BRITISH FROM CAMDEN TOWN.
- THEY WOULD BE WORKING CLASS AS THEY'RE STUDENTS AND WILL HAVE PART TIME JOBS AND WOULD LIVE IN FLATS WITH THEIR ROOMMATES.
- ACCORDING TO THE NRS SOCIAL GRADE, THEY WOULD BE TYPICALLY IN THE C2 SKILLED WORKING CLASS AND MANUAL WORKERS SECTION OR D WORKING CLASS SEMI AND UNSKILLED MANUAL WORKERS.
examples
WHO WOULD BE
THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?
psycho graphic
- THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR MY MAGAZINE VALUE INDEPENDENT THINKING, COUNTERCULTURE AND PROGRESSIVE POLITICS.
- THEY APPRECIATE ART AND INDIE ROCK AS WELL AS CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE. THEY'RE LIKELY TO REJECT THE CULTURAL ATTITUDES OF MAINSTREAM CONSUMERS.
- USUALLY WEAR VINTAGE CLOTHING FROM THIRFTED STORES WITH TIGHT FITTED JEANS AND WHITE CONVERSES OR BOOTS (DOC MARTINS) MAJORITY WEAR THICK RIMMED FAKE GLASSES.
- THE URBAN BOHEMIAN LOOK THEY HAVE IS DEMONSTRATED IN URBAN OUTFITTERS AND AMERICAN APPAREL, GOING TOWARDS THE HIPSTER TYPE DEMOGRAPHIC
- THE TARGET AUDIENCE TEND TO BE WELL EDUCATED AND OFTEN HAVE LIBERAL ARTS DEGREES, OR DEGREES IN MATHS AND SCIENCES, WHICH ALSO REQUIRE CREATIVE ANALYTICAL THINKING ABILITIES. THEY TEND TO HAVE JOBS IN THE MUSIC, ART, AND FASHION INDUSTRIES.
-
SOME LIVE OFF THEIR PARENT'S MONEY, OTHERS MAY WORK.
continuation
THEY AVOID MAINSTREAM SOCIAL CONVENTIONS ON TRADITIONAL RULES OF ATTRACTION AND DATING.
THEY'RE NOT TO BE INFLUENCED BY MAINSTREAM ADVERTISING AND MEDIA, WHICH ONLY PROMOTES ETHNOCENTRIC IDEALS OF BEAUTY.
- RACIALLY UNBIASED ,THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTERRACIAL COUPLES IN ANY URBAN ENVIRONMENT ARE FOUND WITHIN THE HIPSTER SUBCULTURE.
- ALTHOUGH THEY ARE CONFORMISTS IN THEIR OWN SUBCULTURE, IN COMPARED TO LARGER MAINSTREAM MASS, THEY’RE LEADERS OF THE LATEST CULTURAL TRENDS.
- ACCORDING TO ABRAHAM MASLOW WHO CREATED THE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS, AND CONCLUDED THERE 7 TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, MY TARGET AUDIENCE WOULD COME UNDERNEATH THE ASPIRER WHOSE MATERIALISTIC AND IS MOSTLY ABOUT FASHION AND APPEARANCE.
-
FOR E.G. THE JEANS MADE TO LOOK OLD AND WORN NOW FOUND IN SHOPS SUCH AS THE GAP, AMERICAN EAGLE, HOLLISTER, WHERE
ORIGINALLY MY TARGET AUDIENCE WHO SHOPPED IN THRIFT STORES YEARS
BEFORE SUCH CLOTHING ITEMS WERE MASS PRODUCED AND SOLD TO THE MAINSTREAM
CONSUME.
-
APPLIES TO MUSIC AS WELL, AS MANY BANDS
HAVE BECOME SUCCESSFUL AND KNOWN TO MAINSTREAM AUDIENCES ONLY BECAUSE MY
‘HIPSTER’ AUDIENCE FIRST FOUND AND LISTENED TO THEM AS EARLY ADOPTERS OF NEW
CULTURE.
- MY TARGET AUDIENCE USE MANY OF THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, TUMBLR ETC, THEY POST PICTURES OF OUTFITS, OR LOCATIONS AND OBJECTS. THEY USE MANY EDITING APPS, SUCH AS AFTERLIGHT, RETRICA, THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME SORT OF PICTURES POSTED.
Originally I had planned for my magazine to be for both male and females however I noticed that most magazines that are dominating in the marketplace are very sexist towards women and women are underrepresented. Therefore as I was doing the production of my magazine I changed my plan and decided to go for a all women based magazine, which is shown with all my images which I took.This worked to my advantage as it has a positive affect on my target audience, as women were not objectified.
Laura Mulvey (1975) argues that the dominant point of view is masculine. The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure for the make (vouyerism). Women are therefore objectified by the camera lens and whatever gender the audience is positioned to accept the masculine point of view.
However this will not stop men from reading my magazine, those that are interested may pick up my magazine.
MEDIA
By safwanarashid
