Academic Ideas and Arguments

Exam question
The exam question will mainly consist of an exam question, and it will give you 2 options to choose from


Guardian- articles about knife crime and the Coronavirus


26th February 2020
https://www.theguardian.com/uk- Coronavirus


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/18/chinese-people-uk-targeted-racist-abuse-over-coronavirus-southampton - Chinese people are targeted with abuse


UK- plans to shut schools and curb travel if virus spurs
China- Child stranded with dead grandfather during lockdown
First suspected infection is recorded in Latin America


Moral Panic and the Folkdevils- Cohen
Different people are seen as deviant


Racism has emerged from this- The Guardian is sympathetic


The Guardian newspaper is more informative rather than trying to reinforce a panic about the Coronavirus issue.

This poster has been made by Chinese Students from the University of Southampton, after Chinese students from the Univerisyt have been abused.



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/22/youth-centre-battling-back-shock-stabbing-glendon-spence-london - Knife Crime


On 21 February 2019, two young men ran into the Marcus Lipton youth centre in south London on a busy Thursday and stabbed 23-year-old Glendon Spence to death. The tragedy sent shockwaves across my community in Loughborough Junction.


The Daily Mail
Moral Panic- Gerbner


Whereas, The Daily Mail is more detailed therefore it acts as a device of spreading moral panic around the issue with the Coronavirus.



Summary



The main difference between the views of The Guardian and The Mail is that The Mail is more influencive with its articles and therefore it acts as a device of spreading a moral panic around the issue with the Coronavirus whereas The Guardian is more informative about the issue and is spreading difference views that have arrised from the issue of the Coronavirus. For example, The Guardian holds many articles about the racism against the Chinese people in specific as well as Asian people, and therefore shares cases of the abuse and racism practiced upon the Chinese people. Whereas, The Mail i more specicif and detailed with the information they post about the Coronavirus as they mention numbers of the death toll and people effected which creates this moral panic, rather than having their articles being only informative. Gerbner`s cultivation theory can be linked to this, as the information that both of the newspapers spread can change the views of the people reading the newspapers. For example, a poster has been made by students from the Univeristy of Southampton after a number of Chinese students from the Univerisity have been abused. Therefore, the racist cases and abuses against the Chinese people that are portrayed in the articles of The Guardian, act as warning devices which spreads sympathy and therefore can change the attitudes of the people, reading the Guardian`s articles as they may start feelin sympathetic towards the Chinese people being abused just because the Coronavirus has started from their country.

Theories- SHIRKY`S THEORY


 
Shirky- there is no more something like a `passive audience`, they no longer exist
- Audiences now are very active and engage by reacting to content
- There is a level of interaction with products
- Poeple prefer beinmg able to interact as they are more active, they prefer the digital verisons as they have interactive options attached to them eg by sharing on facebook or social media and making comments- expressing views
- There is more equality of power. there is less hierarchy where the producers were more powerful than the audience. The audience and the producers and authors are more equal as the audiences nowadays are able to interact and respond to the news and the specific articles by being allowed to expres their views among others via the social media such as twitter, instagram, facebook and other social media platforms. This has been enabled by the digital versions of the newspapers. Therefore due to this, there has been a decline in the print versions of the newspapers, as people prefer being engaged with the news.
This can be seen as having reinforced the cultivation theory of Gerbner as more people are able to express their views on the content of the newspapers, which can therefore influence the views of people pon certai  issues and things.





As audiences nowadays are more interactive by being bale to express their views and opinions, they can influence eachothers views and ideas they hold about certain thigns and issues. People can cultivate ideas in other people`s heads and therefor influece the way they see different things and react towards them.










Theories- Female Identity
Liesbet van Zoonen and bell hooks

Theories- Hnery Jenkins


- Audiences are very important parts of the production, circulation and distribution of newspapers, or music videos or films
- The fans play a big role in the media
- The fans are distrivuting the product themselves by sharing it or talking about it, making it more known
- Textual poaching- this involves audiences taking a media product and reworking it to create their own meaning eg memes.
- Fan made products are becoming increasingly common


The textual poaching that Jenkins identifies, is seen to be increasing over time as people and audiences become fans of thing they see and like or agree about therefore, they turn these products into ther own interpretation to create their own meaning by using the original produc. This can however be manipulative.


Continuum of Fandom- By Jenkins
1. Consumer
2. Enthusiast
3. Fan
4. Producer




Harvey Weinstein- A film producer
Acussed of pedophelia



The Fandom in The House of Cards- explain


Gerbner`s Cultivation theory- Brainwashing people into believing something
Explains thelong-term effects of media on viewers` ideas and perceptions, especially through the television medium.


https://www.worshipthefandom.com/content/the-house-of-cards-fandom-is-killing-it







The Guardian- Knife crime articles


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/04/knife-victims-10-teenagers-killed-in-2019


Informing people of how serious knife crime is and that it is a serious issue happening a lot in contemporary society.
It explain the cases of 10 teenagers that have died by a stabbing.




https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/16/drill-rapper-unknown-t-charged-with


A drill rapper charged with the murder of an engineering 2- year old student in University of Hertfordshire. However, the charges againts him have been cleared.
The rapper Unknown T- Daniel Lena is a black rapper that has been charged for knife crime, in 2018 that enden up with the death of the victim Steven Narvaex- Jara.
The cultivation theory by Gerbner can be applied t0 this, as there is already a stereotype that the people knife crimes are mostly from a black bacgkround. The newspaper article about the black rapper being charged can lead to even more stereotypes arising and therefore making people believe that this is not justa  stereotype and therefore brainwash the audience into accepting that this is a fact not just stereotpe which will consequently lead to more negative stereotypes held upon the black people, more targetted stop and search and eventually lead to increased levels of racism evident.
This can then ve linked to the Reception theory of Steven Hall and tdifferent types of readings. The black community will develop and respond with an oppostiitonal meaning as they will be frustrated due to the racism exercised upon them and the targetted stop and searhc that they have to experience on a daily basis. Showing how they will develop an oppositional reading for the stop and search way of decreasing knife crime.

Tabloid

•Tabloids are considered ‘popular press’

•Tabloids are aimed at lower social groupings (C2,D & E)

•Tabloids have a bold layout (there is colour on the masthead, they use a bold typeface and it is easy to read. Usually with large and dramatic typeface and large images)

•Shorter Articles

•Less in depth reporting

•The headline usually includes a pun or a joke

•Focus more on gossip stories to do with celebrities (‘stories of human interest’)

Broadsheets

•Broadsheets are considered ‘serious’ or ‘ ‘quality’ pres

•Broadsheets are aimed at higher social groupings (A,B,C1)

•Plainer layout (Masthead: usually no colour or limited small and subtle images).

•Longer articles.

•More detailed and lengthy reports

•The headlines are more serious and focus on ‘shocking’ rather than making jokes.

•Focuses more on international news as well as politics

The main paragaraph has to be about the Stand first of the structure of the magazine. When analysing a newspaper you have to look at its structure
- main headline
- stand first
- soical media





The Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7926243/Killer-coronavirus-SPREAD-eyes.html
look at the commnets of this article


























The Guardian
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+guardian+jacob+reees+mogg+sit+up&form=HDRSC2&first=1&cw=1117&ch=907


Jenkins theory is visible in this article as memes have been created of Javob Rees Mogg




Apply van Zoonen and bel hooks and Gilroy to the analysis of the newspaper article.

The image in the newspaper is of a female called `Freida Pinto` who looks like she is from a mixed background. The girl is well dressed and looks very presentable with her body being covered very well by the clothing that she is wearing. Therefore, her representation in the newspaper shows that she has not been objectified at all thereofore going against the theory of Van Zoonen.

Another aspect is that she is mixed raced from an Indian background therefore linking this to Van Zoonen point of gender being constructed through discourse and that its meaning varues according to cultural context. The fact that she is India can sow that she has not been sexualised as a result of the gender identities and norms for her culture.

According to bell hooks, the media is controlled by men therefore the headline  that states she has been forced to whiten her picture can suggest how she is opressed by men in the patriarchal system where she is forced to do what he says in order to fit in with the stereotypical views of how a female should look like.

Gilroy`s post colonial theory can be linked to the fact that she looks almost white therefore as his theory suggests how the white skin colour is dominant compared to others skin colours such as being black.


Theory- Gilroy


Post colonial theory of how the western culture is dominant. People from white background are dominant over the people from black background which are viewed as inferior and opressed by the power of people from white background.

28th/02/2020

Theories of regulation- Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

There is an underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from the harmful or offensive material), and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition).


The increasing power of global media corporations, together with the rise of convergent media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk.

Their theory suggests how the media can portray very different representations of different  stories, and so the audience will consume these news believing what has been mentioned there which can potantially lead to Gerbner`s cultivation theory of how in this way the news can influence the ideas and views of the individuals. The audience will neverknow whether the media has portrayed te correct news of teh actual case meaning that audiences are more likely to consume invalid and unrealiable news. (fake news)

Media reegulation is hard. Regulators have tp try and balance in protecting the audi3ence but at the same time giving them choice to consume media. Technology has led to the being very hard to regulate media, as you can now watch or stream movies ieven if you are under the specified age in order to watch the movie. The nature of the internet makes ir impossible to contorl making the media regulation very difficult to be controlled.
Powerful companies can also avoid regulations such as global conglomerates. Money gives power over the control. Money and power also allows such boig and global companies in order to get away form the concequences they should face.

Theory- Bandura

Social Learning Theory, theorized by Albert Bandura, posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation.

Bobo doll experiment.

The idea that the younger will copy the behaviour of the adults. Watching violent stuff on media will encourage the audience to become violent. In terms of media, the audience may be influenced and therefore be encouraged to use the language used in the film, or act the same way that people in the news have been showed to act. For example if someone in the media is portrayed as acting in a specific way the audience may adopt their beavious syle and begin acting the same.


Theory- Baudrillard

Theory- Judith Butler


A contemporary approach to gender representation was introduced by Judith Butler (1990) who suggests that gender is not the result of nature but is socially constructed. That is to say, male and female behaviour and roles are not  the result of biology but are constructed and reinforced through media and culture

Butler argues that there are a number of exaggerated, disruptive ‘tongue-in-cheek’ representations of masculinity and femininity, which draw attention to the idea that gender is socially constructed and cause what she refers to as ‘gender trouble’.

Gender is socially constructed as a person defines themselves as being female or male. Performing specific activities that help you define yourself as being more feminine or masculine therefore defining what gender you are exacty.

Queer theory challenges the traditionally held assumptions that there is a binary divide between gay and heterosexual, and suggests that sexual identity is more fluid.  An example of the fluidity of gender/sexuality can be seen in the character of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. In this film the character uses an ironic and ‘over-the-top’ performance of a pirate, which includes wearing an over-elaborate costume and eye make-up, using feminine and camp gestures and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as machismo.

Examples:
Eddie Izzard
RuPaul`s Drag Race
David Beckham

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7340239/Horrifying-moment-heroic-policeman-attacked-machete.html

Discuss the effects of this article using Gerbner`s cultuvation theory.

The article above tells the story of how a 28th year old policeman has been attacked by a 56 year old man trying to scalp him with a machete. However, the policeman manages to pull his taser and fir e it into the knifeman who he pins down and arrests despite his own severe injuries.
The attacker comes from a dark s