+*-EXAM PAPER 1 SECTION B-*+:
PAPER 1 Section B 45 marks ( 45 minutes writing time) Complete all of the following questions and publish on your blog. You can plan and research your answers.
3a What is a media conglomerate? ( 2 )
A media conglomerate is a large company that owns other subsidiary media companies. An example of this is the media conglomerate, Disney.
3b How does ownership shape the content of newspapers? Refer to the Mirror and The Times (8)
Ownership shapes magazines in many ways. For example, the political alignment of the newspaper ownership may influence the viewpoint they share in articles. The Mirror tends to align with left-wing, labour-centred viewpoint; this means that they may share anti-conservative views on current affairs. Similarly, The Times tend to share right-wing viewpoints which may influence the content they produce as they might be politically biased when discussing particular topics such as politics, the economy or education.
Another way in which ownership shapes the content of newspapers is through media concentration. This is the idea that the more people the content is passed through, the less opinionated it becomes. An example of this can be seen in large scale magazines and newspapers that are owned by large companies. The Times is owned by News UK, a huge media conglomerate which means that content produced is run through a far greater amount of people which makes viewpoints more concentrated when finally published.
3c What has been the impact of recent technologies on all elements of the newspaper industry and how has it responded to these challenges? Refer to The Mirror and The Times ( 12)
Since mobile technology has been created, there has been a decline in people's purchases of print newspapers. This is because more people find that news is a lot more accessible via social media instead of the traditional newspaper formats. Responding to these challenges, this has meant that the newspaper industry has had to diversify to protect their readership. The creation of social media and the rise of mobile phones and devices has meant that more individuals can access newspapers on the go, increasing the number of people accessing the content. Furthermore, since mobile devices are easily transportable and easy to access, it means that a larger group of people can access the content during any time of the day which is extremely beneficial to newspaper companies. An example of this can be found in The Times which has converged with different types of media including traditional print and The Times mobile app, allowing individuals to access content on their phones.
Another impact of the media industry is the pliability of individuals in distribution. Social media has become one of the biggest forms of communication in the last decade, meaning that creating awareness of different subjects has become increasingly more easy to do. To keep up with the demand of the social media industry, the newspaper industries have used social media to create brand notability amongst new audiences. The Mirror uses media convergence to use social media users as a cheaper form of distribution. This includes social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Accessing these forms of technology has meant that they can create a conversation amongst their audience which helps to distribute their content.
4a What is the importance of fandom in media products? Refer to the Assassins Creed franchise to support your points ( 8 )
Fandoms have a huge importance in media products. Fandoms create hype surrounding a brand and create a conversation which creates brand notability and influences others to invest their time and money into it. This can be done through posting comments and opinions, creating and sharing fan art, using hashtags etc. An example of this can be made evident in the Assassins Creed Franchise. The Assassins Creed franchise has a well-developed fanbase coming from their multiple game instalments in their franchise. This has meant that past players and fans of the games have been able to distribute the game and build a larger user group.
Another reason that fandoms are important in media products is that they have a huge impact on how a media product is viewed and seen. If fandoms promote a media product positively, they are providing notability to the brand, making it seem for genuine and legitimate. Since creating a genuine fanbase is difficult to commercialise, when a brand can access this group of people, they can tap into a different wider audience, including the people who access reviews and comments of individuals from their fan base and people who view social media posts etc, which helps to make a different community of loyal buyers and supporters.
4b How is the gaming industry regulated or what are the challenges in this particular industry? (8)
The gaming industry is regulated through PEGI which stands for Pan European Gaming Information. There are 5 ratings to describe the maturity of the game: 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 (with 3 being light themes, lack of graphic violence, more innocent language and 18 being the opposite) Any games 12 or above are not allowed to be rented to anyone below the respective age in order as mandated through UK law.
Some challenges of this particular industry include a difference in opinions on the ratings. Whilst PEGI might rate games such as mobile games higher ratings, the app stores they are sold on including Google Play might rate them differently making it harder to regulate the games within this industry. Another challenge might be the impact on younger users. Children and teens are among the majority of users in the gaming industry therefore, some parents may choose to allow their child to play a particular game whilst others may disagree with the rating of a regulator.
5 How important is a historical context to media products? Refer to your Tide advertising case study. (7)
Historical context has a huge impact on media products. The context surrounding media products is significant as it helps to reach the target audience. An example of this can be seen in the Tide case study. The context surrounding the advert was the role of women in 1960s society. In the 1960s women were seen as homemakers due to the patriarchal society and since their job was seen as doing household duties, Tide's campaign centred around cleaning supplies for that reason. When the context surrounding a product is aimed at a specific group or audience, it usually personalises the product and makes individuals want to purchase the product. Similarly, some historical contexts can provide nostalgia for buyers. The individuals who wish to purchase the product may see an element of remembrance from their childhood and wish to relive these memories which increases product purchases.
