Task 2

The development of new and digital media means the audience is more powerful is terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against the view.

The media has changed in the last decade dramatically; new technology has brought audiences closer into a ‘global village’ coined Marshal McLuhan. The release of new websites such as YouTube has allowed audience to now become producers of their own content. In some way giving them more power. For example YouTube has created musical stars from artists uploading their own video. Stars such as Justin Bibier and Jessie J have come out of the YouTube. Although YouTube liberates it audience it is heavily moderated and under certain control. Music companies such as EMI and Sony pay YouTube to keep their music from being copied by its audiences and reloaded upon their site.

Sites such as Blogger and guardian blogs have also empowered the audience as they are given the free will to post up what they like upon these blogs. There is hardly any regulation upon blogs so it allows more topics to be explored with fewer restrictions. The rise of blogs has given way to UGC, which means audiences views and values can be studied by other audiences. Also the technological advancement has given leeway to ‘Citizen Journalism’ where the audience can now be journalists themselves. News channels such as BBC and Sky News has features which allow audiences to send in pictures, videos and emails about what they’ve seen.

The uprising of online video has also given way to audiences to produce their own scheduling, as software such as BBC iplayer and 4od gives audience the choice of when to view their programs. These video players liberate the audience as they don’t have to conform to the broadcaster scheduling. Similar technology has been released by sky which allows audiences to record programmes they choose to view. Once these programmes are record they can be viewed over and over again.

However it can be argued that new technology has made audiences more vulnerable and easy to be attacked. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace allows the public to create pages about themselves and share thoughts, pictures and comments. This has given way to an increase in online crimes such as identity fraud, paedophilia and propaganda’s. Also audiences have now become ‘dumb down’ as they spend more time on social networking sites and gaming sites. It has led to a decrease in productivity and is affecting the younger audiences as it has been said to effect exam grades.

To conclude I believe that audiences have been become more powerful as they now have more free will to express their views and values to large audiences. Audiences can now create and decide when footage can be seen. In some way it can be said that audiences have been dumb’d down however it has allowed them to be more liberated by giving them the freedom of expression.

Task 1 - Question 2

Both video clips can be seen as moral panics as they both portray negative representations of teenagers revolving around drugs, sex and violence.

Bully reinforces the moral panic with the use of scenes where its protagonist is shown to be aggressive and disruptive these representations follow the stereotypes of the media. Bully injects ideologies within our society that teenage boys are troublesome and that bad behaviour is acceptable as it is allowed to be explored through a video game.

Like bully skins representations of teenagers being rebellious and involved with drugs, sex and violence generates a moral panic within society as what the media is saying about teenagers is being. Showing content such as skins can influence teenagers to educate them about how they should be acting in the way the media think.

However other media texts such as ugly Betty represent teenagers more sophisticated and less rebellious. Such as Justin, as he is represented as a caring young boy looking out for his family and single parent mother.

Task 1 - Question 1

Skins Opening Credits by girlwithglasses




Both texts have different ways of representing teenagers. Bully concentrates on male teenagers where as Skins features on both male and females who are slightly older.

Just within the first few seconds of the trailer of bully, males are represented as clumsy as the medium shot of the main character slipping on a banana skin instantly connotes that male teenagers are not on the bright side. Also to add the characters costume is very scruffy with his shirt out, his top button undone and wearing trainers. This evokes that teenage boys are not well manner people and are rebellious in some way. The use of non digenetic sound of a male shouting used on the title ‘bully’ signifies aggression within teenage boys. The main character gets up to devious acts as seen as he places a ‘kick me’ sticker upon another student back and pulling the fire alarm within the corridor. Also the main character is seen running about and riding his bike through school grounds in a range of close up shots. This signifies that teenager boys are disruptive and insubordinate.

Throughout the trailer there are various scenes which connote male aggression and superiority. Scenes of where larger males bully the younger students and the use of words such as ‘you’re dead’ reveals a violent representation of the males.
However within the trailer there is an alternative representation of teenage boys as the boy shown in a green vest and wearing glasses. Dressing the character this way connotes to the viewers that although there is disruptive teenage boys there are some who are intelligent and well mannered.

Near the end of the trailer there is a small appearance from females, they are represented as sexually active, moody and flirtatious as scenes of two characters kissing and also the use of dialogue such as ‘We had a date and your 3 minutes late’ ‘I’m a nice girl I’m nice to everyone’ connote this.

Skins takes a different approach on representing teenagers, bully seems to focus on teenage boys mostly where as skins has a focus upon both genders. Within the opening sequence there are several topics that are covered such as drugs, violence and sex. This is highlighted in the scenes where images of a beer can, spliff and gun are seen. This instantly evokes that teenagers are involved with these so called activities which are not socially accepted. Likewise with bully they are represented as rebellious and free minded people. However the use of calm non digenetic sound signifies that it is accepted and there’s no real concern with the teenagers carrying out these activities.

It can be argued that Skins is trying to give the public an insight to the average day of a teenager. To show people what they go through and try giving teenagers a fairer representation.

Both texts representation of teenagers are negative, by the use of scenes of violence and clumsiness is bully and scenes of drugs and sex in Skins.

Task 4

This scene from Scarface shows a lot of violence involved with guns, knives and other weapons. The use of sound compiled with this scene connotes a tense moment. The loud bangs of gun shots and the constant view of blood provide the audience with entertainment gratifications as it being in the film they believe it is there for their entertainment.

Also the constant view of blood, gore and guns hypodermically injects values of violence into the films viewers, as injecting these views in films it connotes to the viewers that it is accepted within society and gives them ideas. Alongside this also leads to the cultivation theory as the constant exposure to this content generates certain values about violence to its viewers.
Scarface being a film made in the 80’s this kind of content was seen to be explicit, however the more and more violence we’ve seen over the years it has desensitised the audience and has shaped them to accept more violence then they would have when Scarface was made.

Showing this kind of content within films such as Scarface it can lead to its audience following in the actors footsteps and taking the role of tony Montana in society, giving way to the copycat theory.

Task 5

Love Is a Many Strangled Thing

Dominant reading
The episode was very entertaining and brought laughter from small witty gags. Covering contemporary issues.

Negotiated reading
The episode was entertaining but it really doesn’t seem as funny as the classic episodes.

Oppositional reading
The Simpsons is just one big joke out of society views, values and beliefs. They twist realities issues.

Section A

Compare and contrast the two texts, with particular reference to the representation of teenagers. Both texts have represented teenagers in contrasting ways, the discussion both focus around their negative representations however one argues to defend the group. The metro revolves around a story of how teenagers are using Youtube as a weapon to gather members of gangs together. Whereas the article on the Daily Mail website tells its readers of how teenagers are offended by being called a ‘Gang’ where they should be called a group. The Daily mail challenges the stereotypes of teenagers being violent and involved with gang related crimes. A controversial topic is depicted between the two texts as the Metro newspaper article has a image of a black male holding a gun. Whereas the Daily Mail article uses an image of a group of white kid’s, this arises the topic of race. The Metros article being about violence and gangs online it signifies that black males are the reason of these gangs and that they are the reason of teenage violence. In comparison to the Daily Mail article the article talks about how the teenagers have been offended by being called a ‘gang’. The use of a group of white kids insinuates that the white race is being targeted wrong and that they have been represented incorrectly. The use of a revolver upon the cover of Metro newspaper suggests to its readers that teenagers are using weapons such as the revolver within their online gangs. The use of the quote ‘threat: a revolver favoured by London gangs’ directly involves the teenagers as the article talks about how teenagers are forming gangs online. The article uses the word ‘violent’ which connotes and brings evidence to the stereotypes of teenagers being aggressive. The Daily mail concentrates on how the teenagers have been targeted, and go against their stereotype of being the people that are causing harm or being frustrating. However this the stereotype is reinforced further down the article as it mentions of ‘gang rape’ which is supposedly carried out by teenagers, although it argues it should be ‘group rape’ which really doesn’t change the tone they are represented in, as rape is always to be considered a sickening crime. Consider the view that the current press treatment of teenagers is simply another moral panic.. The concern with teenagers has always been around, with many stories around that involve teenagers. The press has negatively represented teenagers within the media and has led to some form of Desensitization by its readers as it has become a common thing to see teenagers negatively. The moral panic created by the Metro’s article suggests that teenagers have now become an online gang and becoming more of a threat. However it can be argued that this isn’t just another moral panic as in the recent years more online activity involving gangs has been occurring such as happy slapping, which were carried out by teenagers who were in gangs and were filmed and placed online. The Metro article has given rise to a moral panic which seems to be becoming worse as teenagers are now going out and harming the older public. The Daily mail article suggests against a moral panic as it says the teenagers have been represented wrongly as instead of gangs they as just a group. These challenges the moral panic created by the article in the Metro as it tells us that teenagers aren’t all gang members and that there are teenagers who just hang around without any disturbance caused.
In the past year students have been placed with another moral panic as when the government changed the amount to pay for univeristy course, it gave way to student protests. These protests were full of young teenagers fighting for their right to go to university, as now fees were higher it meant that it was unlikely for many to still go. The protests gave way to violence and distribution within the capital. The media used this opportunity to represent teenagers as negative as they could. It can be said that the press have always been creating moral panics and they don’t seem to be changing, they all focus on the way teenagers are aggressive and violent. There are always concerns about new technology. In your view, what are the possible benefits and Problems attached to social networking, particularly on the Internet? New technology has always been arsing over the years, people have always had problems with new technology as they are afraid of what effects it may cause upon them and society. However it can be argued that new technology has brought many advantages. New technology such as YouTube has given rise to the ‘bedroom producer’ which allows young teenagers to promote themselves and their music online to a wider audience to gain some sort of benefit from. It has given teenagers a way to stay off the streets and to give them a way to in source some money. However it has also given rise to these gangs to recruit members upon giving teenagers a negative representation. Social networking sites play a big part in our society, not within just the younger years but people over 50 have started to use websites such as facebook, bebo, MySpace etc. These sites have given rise to many benefits for people such as it allows people to keep in touch even if they live in different countries or areas. Also being free it allows people to communicate without the extra costs like a mobile would. However there is a growing concern with social networking as people may not be who they seem to be. It has given rise to paedophilia and also stalkers. Recently there has been in an increase of the amount crimes committed online such as identity theft and has also led to rape as older men target young children upon these sites. There are many downside to the internet and social networking, however it has allowed people to have more freedom of speech and given people a way to express their thoughts and feeling without the regulation you would have within a magazine or broadcasted on TV. Social network sites such as Twitter, within Web 2.0 have allowed the general public to interact with famous star and celebrities. This allows us to create general discussion and also to follow up on their day to day business. New technology such as Skype has allowed the public to have face to face chat via the internet globally. Skype allows its users to carry out chat from different towns, cities to counties. It has brought us together within a ‘global village’ as Marshall McLuhan said. The interconnectivity within different counties has allowed the public to become more global and allows us to carry out general talks with family to business meetings with partners on the other side of the world. To conclude new technology has brought us many benefits and has helped us evolve further in life by bring people closer and also giving us more freedom to what we want to see. There are downsides to new technology however they are being handled and tried to be erased.