This is all about why people choose to consume a media product. In other words, what do people get out of reading stories about Louis Tomlinson, Lauren Pope or Cheryl?
At the same time we also consider the visual clues and conventions contained in a media product that indicate the pleasure they are likely to receive.
What are the visual conventions in these two examples?
There are visual lures to hook in consumers, for example in the horror genre all the DVD cases are black and feature horrific imagery. In the women’s magazines, there are pictures of idealised slim women exemplifying the lifestyle readers might aim for. These images help consumers decide whether the product is for them or not
Content on the cover of books, DVDs and magazines leads to more in the contents. Stories in newspapers follow the convention associated with a particular pleasure:
Consider this bad boy story….
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4284304/Astonishing-footage-shows-Louis-Tomlinson-arrest.html
How is this a conventional Daily Mail story? Why do you think the newspaper chose to report this ‘news’?
This story is for people who are interested in celebrity news and gossip. It serves as a distraction from everyday boring lives.The story is extra juicy as it features an A-list celebrity who has got into trouble.
Consider this story about ex-TOWIE reality TV star, Lauren Pope:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4284144/Ex-TOWIE-star-Lauren-Pope-shares-sexy-swimsuit-selfie.html
How is this a conventional Daily Mail story? Why is this news?
This story is for people who are interested in celebrity news and gossip. It serves as a distraction from everyday boring lives.The story is extra juicy as it features an A-list celebrity who has got into trouble. Which is then used to outline the life and getting personal with celebrities to see what it’s going on with them and in this case is with Lauren Pope who is an ex towie star. It also provides sexual pleasure with her posing in a bikini as she serves as a fantasy for male viewers. And also a potential role model for female viewers.
What about this one?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4284736/Pregnant-Cheryl-baffles-fans-new-campaign-images.html
Some people gain pleasure by reading the lives of other people this is a distraction from our everyday boredom. And gaining entertainment by seeing what is affecting celebrities who are in the same positions as them making their stories relatable
In order to work effectively, media products must follow certain conventions with respect to design and content in order to hook the pleasure the consumer is seeking. For example a person interested in soft, humourous news and a level of sexual pleasure derived from bikini models would choose a newspaper such as The Sun or The Star. These messages are shouted out from the front page.
Equally, a consumer seeking the pleasure coming from fantasy violence and apocalyptic scenes would derive pleasure from posters and promotional content for World War Z (as well as the film itself).
So, by being clear about genre, consumers get a clear idea about what to expect (and the kind of stimulus they will receive from the product).
Katz, amongst others, said that audiences put media products to different uses and for different pleasures:
- Entertainment
- Relationships
- Information
- Identity
Maslow suggested people have a variety of needs, as shown in the diagram below. Newspapers can help meet these needs:
Newspapers can help meet some of these needs, for example discussing a story with someone else helps a sense of belongingness. Some stories can make you feel better than other people and give you a sense of prestige.
How do the stories on the first page provide some sort of gratification for the reader?
What sort of gratification might a reader get from a serious news story such as this?people enjoy serious news because they get pleasure from knowing what is going on in the world. They might be concerned about the way events in the news might affect them and their security
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/06/fbi-director-challenges-trump-over-obama-wiretap-claims-reports
What sort of gratification might someone get from watching the Jeremy Kyle Show?schadenfreude
Identify – people like me, or look down on people not like me
What sort of gratification might someone get from watching Top Gear?
Fantasy lifestyle – escapism
Relationships – blokeish humour and banter
Ahren Hart Yr 12 Media 