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2009-10-19

Media Representation: Social Choice and Individual Choice

1. Media mediate truth to the society. What we are presented is a representation of truth.


Many people think what we have seen in the media is what they are in the real world; they believe these news or events truly happened. However, various people postulate the media as a powerful medium of influencing and molding our beliefs and attitudes.

What we have seen in the media is just a representation of truth, it is not the wholly truth. The representation is, according to Rayner P. and Wall P., “the process by which the media can be said to interpret the world, or external reality.” To make it clear, media already makes decision of what series of information and images are going to be gathered. Then, those news and images will be selected by the media crews, and simplifying them to the audience. Thus, what we have seen on the screen listened to the radio, or even read the newspaper are digested and prepared. Therefore, we can say that media is a mediator to convince people in the society. This “Mediation” function of media is called as the process of portraying an opinion, issue or event from the world outside by encoding them into a combination of symbolic, iconic, and individual signs to the audience.

Furthermore, the media function is compared to be a watchdog guarding against danger and threat for the audience, a window on the world, and a mirror reflecting the world outside. What we have seen in the television, for example, is a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional world outside. Hence, everything that media present is just selected and distorted. In addition, the information is fabricated and distributed to us.

2. Representation is by nature illusory and distorted. Why must representation be that way? Why can it not be objective and truthful?

Three reasons why representation is illusory and distorted and it can not be objective and truthful are to attract most audience as they could, to maintain its popularity in the society, and the media are controlled by the powerful institution.


a. Media want to attract most audience as much as it could. As we know, media cannot live without the investments of advertising products. Consequently, they have to gain numerous audiences’ attentions as mush as possible in order to convey the advertising messages in order to be attractive for the products or services to pay for the media space and time. Hence, it can be stated that media can not live if the audience does not pay attention to.

As aforementioned, the representation of media is pre-selected as what general audiences want to know, to see, or to hear. Actually, we, as the audiences, do not like what we have decoded, but what we have seen in each medium is what we satisfy and need to see or to hear. This can be an explanation why some people love to watch TV or read news online.

Sensationalism, the highlighting of conflicts, can attract the audience. If representation does not distort, exaggerate, or sensationalize the information, the audience will pay less attention to that medium and it will acquire less circulation.

Thai sport news is one example of sensationalism that newspaper use. In order to gain attention from the audience, Thai sport news will choose to present the conflict or the aggressive manner between Thai football players in a game which is rather interested than an ordinary football score reporting. This sensational news will make the audiences remember and lure them to follow the news series. It also reduces the zapping, switching channel, rate in the television program.

b. Media try to maintain its popularity in the social. Just like the proverb ‘When in Rome, do as the Roman do’. If the media want to be popular and live longer in the society, they should satisfy the members of the society. It might seem ridiculous but if media want to live happily without being banned by the government, they should get into the right side. An example of doing as Roman do is in Thai newspaper ‘Thairath’. Thairath always gets along with the government, no matter what government party will be at that period. If that government party comes to an end, Thairath will forthwith change part.

c. Media are controlled by the powerful institution. Media can not be objective and truthful owing to the controlling of the government. Some media like TV5; for example, always present the news according to the government preference.

3. The factors affecting media practitioner’s choice of representation (social and individual factors).

Both social factor and individual factor affect media practitioner’s choice of representation as we can see through the stereotyping representation that media usually apply. Stereotype is the representation of groups of people, which categorize whole groups by assigning qualities that may be persisted in only one or two particular persons.

Social, political, economic, or even cultural issues etc, affect the choice of representation. The presence of minority groups in the media in recent years has been changed. In an old period of media, those minority groups such as gay community and disability were negatively presented. However, now a day, an acceptance with our culture of diversity increases, those representations are more submissive to change. The style and appearance of some celebrities like David Beckham; for example, shows a homophobic representation which media tend to focus on homo-erotic images and it seems to be a more positive representation.

Individual factor or personal identity is shaped, in somehow, by social factors once again. Our identities, values, and beliefs that we hold are influenced by the society we lived in, family, culture, religion, communities, etc. Moreover, individuals tend to have more than one identity; for example, the glamorous model, Jordan. Jordan applies two identities which seem to oppose with each other. Her first identity is a glamorous model with surgically enhanced chests, Jordan with her real identity ‘Kate Price’ a mother with a disability child, and a wife of Peter Andre. In addition, there are online communications that empower people to create their new identities, change their gender and sexual orientation such as ‘Second Life’. Second Life is a 3D online virtual world where teens can create, meet and socialize with new friends using imagination to create their identities.

Hence, the choice of representation of a particular media practitioner is counterfeited by both social or cultural factor and individual factor like identity.

4. Given different gender of the media practitioner, do you think the choice of representation would be different?

The different gender of media practitioner makes the different choice of representation. The reason is that each individual has distinguished identities. Media representation is the selection of events or news to present through each medium from different attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives of the media practitioners. Furthermore, gender also influence particular media practitioner’s perspectives which results in the choice of representation.

A recent movie, The Ugly Truth, can be a good example of different representation choice from different genders. Abby, a female news producer makes her lifestyle according to her rules or the procedure. She always chooses to protect the TV station’s image. She never allows any rude manner or vulgar language leak out to the audience. Abby prefers to orderly moderate the programs, not breaking out the concept. On the other hand, Mike, a famous MC, selects to present the same news issue in a different perspective. He prefers to use impudent, double meaning words that sometimes rude, and exaggerate to challenge the audience. Although it seems to be improper, it increases the rating of the program.

To conclude, it’s not only the gender factor that influence the different choice of representation but also the individual identities including attitudes and beliefs that affect the practitioners’ selection of the information to be presented to the receivers.

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‘Television doesn’t make programmes, it creates audience’


1. Why do media create audience? How important is audience to the media institution?


Everyone in the world performs his or her task as the audience; we are all exposed to the media in daily life. Moreover we are part of different media audiences. Sometimes, we woke up in the morning watching TV program or reading daily newspaper before going to school or to work. While searching Google or surfing the web, we might listen to the radio. Most of the time while we are having lunch, we usually unnoticed the radio in the background; for example, KFC or McDonalds that have their own radio stations. Thus, we are consciously and unconsciously consume the media all the time, not to mention about the advertising hoardings around us.


One might ask why media create audience, there are many reasons to answer this but the most significance purpose is to attract and pull the advertisers to invest in their channels. The audience does not directly pay the money to watch the media, especially in free channels like TV3, TV5, TV7, TV9 or TPBS. These free channels get the income from the advertisers. Some people may ask how media create the audience, then. Media simply produce programs to satisfy our needs; for example, producing soap operas for female audiences. So the target audiences could discuss with their friends in order to satisfy their need to belong to the social group. Furthermore, when the channel make more attractive and interesting programs to gain larger number of circulation, the advertisers will pay more attention to that channel and buy their advertising time. In brief, media produce the audience in order to sell them to the advertisers.


Nevertheless, the media in present could not use a Hypodermic Needle Theory, the process of look down on the potential of audiences, to inject every information or media texts to stuff and congestive receivers. It is because the audience nowadays can select which media to consume due to these three dimensions of changes. First, changing in technology diverts the ‘broadcasting’ to be ‘narrowcasting’. Second, changing in the way we spend our lives gives us a convenience to watch a television everywhere in the world. The last one is individual changing; for example, when were child we love to watch kid movies, but when we grow up, we rather enjoy the film making in a children plot such as Fanchan (2003), Rak Haeng Siam (2007).


For media institution, the audience is greatly significant in five dimensions:


1. Media text is crested in order to communicate with the audience and it is a part of communication; the sender, the text (message), and the receiver (audience). In having no audience, the media text is produced for what reason, then.

2. Audience size and reaction could say the success of the media; for instance, Sun newspaper selling over 3 million copies a day and having approximately 12 million readers.

3. Media companies that produce the audience will get income from their audience who buying media texts or the products. Considering the case of a newspaper as an example, we, the audience, only pay for 15 to 20 percent of its cost but some of the less, we already pay by buying the media products. Although, the advertisers have subsidized the price and make them cheaper for us to buy.

4. Advertisers use the audience to determine the ads. They want to know what types of audience and how many of them are seeing their advertisements.

5. Some people or researchers what to scrutinize the elements of media studies. They want to know how audiences consume media, what do we conceived from what we have exposed to, and what the media effects in our lives are.


Creating media audience gives advantages to the media several ways as aforementioned above. The media, therefore, spend a lot of time and money to looking at the circulation and rating of their products to sustain and at the same time to extend the circulation of the audience.



2. Imagine your group of target audience and assign seven Hartley’s subjectivities + four Fiske’s to it.


Seven Hartley’s subjectivities

- Self-image: modern, fashionable, glamorous,

and socialize women

- Gender: female

- Age group: 30 up

- Family: not specific

- Class: middle to upper class

- Nation: Thai

- Ethnicity: not specific

Four subjectivities from Fiske

- Education: at least bachelor degree

- Religion: not specific

- Politics: not specific

- Location: living in Thailand


According to the seven Hartley’s subjectivities and the additional four from Fiske, the core group of target audience will be females age 30 and above. They are both single and married women with their nationalities are Thai but the ethnicity is not specified. They belong to the middle to upper class. In addition, their income should be at least 30,000 baht a month with least level of bachelor degree in their education. This group of females should live in Thailand. Nevertheless, their politics attitudes and religion is not concerned.


The self-images and lifestyles of this female group are modern and fashionable. They love to be in trend and they are glamorous women. Moreover, they like to chit-chatting and eating outside.



3. Create a one-day television programme chart to cater for this particular group. Explain why the combination of these programmes would attract this group. Select advertisements (publicity) that has the potential to turn this group into their customers. Explain why (with reference to p. 139-144).


TV Programme chart on week-end

Target Audience: female aged 30 and above

05:30 Dharma and Practice

06:00 News of the Week

07:00 Morning Talk-Woman Talk (home decoration, cooking, etc.)

08:05 Global News in Fashion

09:00 Thai Catwalk Fashion Week (fashion show)

10:00 Music Intrend (introducing hot single in Billboard chart,

UK chart, also in Thai charts)

10:45 Japanese Game show

11:30 Horoscope

12:00 Sale Promotion Schedule

12:15 Lunch-break News

12:45 Thai and Hollywood Gossips

13:30 Glamor O’Us

15:00 Series: Gossip Girl Season 1

16:00 Girls Gone Wild (introducing cosmetic products,

Make-up tips, Dining out places, etc.)

17:00 News (local and national news)

18:00 Series: Heroes Season 1

19:00 Asian series: Cinderella Man (Korean series)

20:00 Loyal News/ Entertainment News

20:30 Thai soap opera

22:00 Series: Sex and the City

23:00 Breaking Entertainment News (Movie update)

24:00 Hollywood Fashion

01:00 Music Station around the world

02:00 --close station--


Selected Advertisements to publish


The advertisements that will be selected to publish are according to ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ in Maslow Theory with the reference of the effects of advertising.


An effective way of the advertising is to inform us, the audience, about the new products like news fashion trend. The advertising could also stimulate the product consumption; for example, daily products and cosmetic products regarding to this target audience. In addition, the ads also lead to domestic economic growth; for instance, Thai fashion brandname. Moreover, it can be a way for the government to promote, for example Drink Don’t Drive campaign, etc. The sponsorship can be a significant source of funding for fashion events such as Ell Fashion Week too.


According to the four levels of five hierarchies of needs from Maslow, the first stage is physiological needs or the need for food and shelter for survival. The advertisements concerning in the food products, especially healthy products, such as cereal bar, Nesvita, Ovaltine White Malt, etc., will be interested to publish their ads in this channel. Since the channel has middle aged female and above as the specific target audience. Moreover, as I already stated that the audiences are the modern, fashionable and glamorous women, they could be suitable with the target scope of the advertisements concerning about the place of living. Exclusive luxury real estate such as Le Raffine and Le Champs, etc. are the examples of this field.


Insurance and bank ads will answer the need for personal security or safety needs for this group of audience. The insurance advertising for women could be a good example such as breast cancer insurance from Bangkok Insurance. The main target for this type of insurance is absolutely women. Our target audiences are women aged 30 years old and upper with middle to high income would attract these insurance advertisers.


Third, social need, the need to belong into the groups, fashion advertisements including clothes, cosmetics and entertainment ads including music industries and movie promoters; for example, CPS, Disaya, Topshop, CD, Shiseido, KATE, EMI, Universal Music, etc could turn our audiences into their market targets. Since this target group is glamorous and socialized female, they will absolutely love to be part of the groups. In other word, they want to be accepted, thus, these fashion and entertainment products will satisfy their need. This kind of advertisements will create the expectations and a ‘must-have’ society for them. So in order to be part of the groups, they will try to get the products with unconditionally.


Finally, esteem need; these modernized women also want to gain the respect and admiration of others which might be appeared through the display of status symbol like consuming expensive goods. This channel creates trends to these females audience, so it also motivates their need to be accepted and some women might buy the product they cannot afford to show their wealth also. Furthermore, they will be the products because they think that they are less than perfect if they do not own a particular products or brandnames that we have promoted. Examples of the advertisements are Mini Cooper, Autostella car, perfumes, Panerai watch and hi-end brandname fashion; LV, Channel, Balenciaga.


To conclude, the product advertisements for this age group are mostly concerned with the luxury, modern and fashionable style associated with the subjectivities of this target audience. Hence, this group of audience has a potential to be their customers. Moreover, this TV channel and these products will support each other in order to be an effective way of targeting their desired group.



4. Give a detail of one programme: format, content, topic etc. that you think would satisfy this group of audience. Explain why this group with such subjectivities would appreciate this programme.


Program: Glamor O’Us

Format

Program Type: fashion talk show

Time: 13:30-15:00 Period: 1:30 hours

MC: Chompoo-Araya A. Hargett, Paula Taylor and Marisa Anita

Content and Topics

1st period: Hollywood trend (15 mins) Mc: Paula Taylor

2nd period: Thai fashion (15 mins) Mc: Chompoo-Araya

3rd period: Fashion Talk show (30 mins) Mc: all of them

4th period: Fashion Mix & Match (15 mins) Mc: all of them

5th period: D.I.Y. Fashion shoot & activities (15 mins) Mc: Marisa Anita


Format of the Program


The name Glamor O’Us comes from the word ‘glamorous’. Glamorous means ‘especially attractive and exciting, and different from ordinary things or people’. I intend to use “O’”, an abbreviation of ‘of’, to represent an informal way of saying ‘of’ and ‘Us’ to create a relationship between the program and its audience. So ‘Glamor O’Us’ does not mean only the word ‘glamorous’ but also refer to the phrase ‘glamour of us’.


This program will be on aired in the afternoon to bring the target audience’s attention back to the channel. Since the afternoon period is the boring time of the day, thus, I decide to use their self-images of modern, fashionable, and glamorous and their lifestyles to attract their attention. Glamor O’Us will be presented one hour and a half and will use valuable awards to make them feel that it is worth the expense to watch this program.


Famous celebrities and models are chosen to be M.C. in this program. For the first celebrity, Chompoo-Araya A. Hargett, she can be called as the representation of Thai fashion brand. Chompoo is one of the celebrities who make Thai fashion becomes more famous because of her mix and match. She always wears the clothes from Heidi’s Secret and Disaya. Furthermore, she is a front line celebrity who wears Thai brand fashion.


Paula Taylor, half Thai and half English celebrity, is famous in the numerous commercials and print ads. Now she is a VJ in Channel V Thailand, music channel. Paula now has graced almost all of Thailand’s top fashion magazines.


Our last M.C., Marisa Anita, she is a sexy Thai-Dutch model. Marisa is one of the top Thai sexy models and she used to be in the cover of FHM. With her model profession, she could give advices in mix and match tips and fashion shooting.


Contents and Topics


The contents and topics in this program will be divided into 5 periods, respectively:

* In the 1st period; the M.C. Paula Taylor, will introduce a Hollywood trend and some fashion show in 2009 such as Valentino, Boudoir, Gateau Lingerie and Victoria’s Secret. Hollywood celebrities’ hot trend will be presented; for example, skinny jeans from Tsubi or Sass and Bibe.

* The 2nd period, Chompoo-Araya will mention Thai fashion trend from Disaya, Kloset Red Carpet, Sretsis etc. She will also talk about fashion news and activities; for instance, Elle Fashion Week 2009: Autumn/Winter and BIFW: Bangkok International Fashion Week 2009.

* 3rd period, we will invite famous top designers in Thailand to discuss about the fashion theme in their brand collection; for example, Mr. Adisak Rojsiriphan, the Zenithorial’s designer.

* Fashion Mix and Match will be suggested in the forth period. The MCs will introduce the style of this season fashion, how to mix and match your clothes, or places for shopping.

* Last section of this program, D.I.Y fashion shoot, will provide the audience several tips to create your own fashion shoot and the activities will be offered for the audience; for instance, Rocky Rose shooting competition by Kloset. The audience will be encouraged to send their photo shooting with at least on fashion item mentioned in that competition, for this example is the Rocky Rose set from Kloset. Rewards will be gift vouchers, products like clothes or accessories from that cooperative brands or sponsors.


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