Identities and the Media: Reading the riots

ead the Media Magazine extended feature on the media coverage of the UK riots (MM38 page 5)

Go to our Media Magazine archive, select MM38 and read the WHOLE eight-page feature. Answer the following questions on your blog with as many references to media theory and examples as possible. Refer to specific aspects of the Media Magazine article too:

• How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people?

The language- the language choice created a rather negative representation of the youth involved as the used words such as 'riots' instead of alternatives with less negative connotations 'unrest'. This placed alongside much of tabloid coverage referring to 'young people' targeted these specific demographic. 

The images further reinforced these negative perspectives of the youth of them wearing hoodies, faces covered etc. Especially the one used a few times(5 covers) to become almost an icon of the riots was a young black male, created a generalized view. This was rather ironic because at the time "Youth offending, youth detention and re-offending have declined in recent years." and recorded passes in "GCSE and A Level exams."

• Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?

"The ‘feral youth’ imagined by the politicians and the tabloid headline writers are implicitly working-class." He references there is "a new form of class contempt" meaning that the lower classes/ working class "has become an object of fear and ridicule, not just in this kind of media coverage but also in popular figures" such as characters in dramas. 

• What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?

"40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime or anti-social behaviour; and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone."

"Brunel University during 2006 found that 

television news reports of young people focused 

overwhelmingly either on celebrities such as 

footballers or (most frequently) on violent crime;"

"

the organisation Women in Journalism analysed 7,000+ stories involving teenage boys, published in online,national and regional newspapers during 2008."

"72% were negative – more than twenty times the number of positive stories (3.4%). Over 75% were about crime, drugs, or police: the great majority of these were negative (81.5%) while only a handful were positive (0.3%). Even for the minority of stories on other topics such as education, sport and entertainment, there were many more negative than positive stories (42% versus 13%). Many of the stories about teenage boys described them using disparaging words such as yobs, thugs, sick, feral, hoodies, louts, heartless, evil, frightening and scum." "model student, angel, or ‘every mother’s perfect son’ – but, without exception, these were all about boys who had met an untimely death."

• How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?

Cohen: "A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media;the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible."

• What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?

The tabloids put much of the blame on rap music, violent computer games, reality tv - provoking young people to 'start rioting'.

The Daily Mirror, for example, blamed the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs.

Also blaming the "narcissism and consumerism of the ‘Big Brother and X Factor generation’."

Blaming the media is a common aspect of moral panics making this a rather normal phenomenon.

• How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?

The skillful coordination of the rioters was said to be due to the likes of Facebook, Blackberry and Twitter. The Arab Spring revolution was also said to have sparked from social media such as Facebook. 

• The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots? 

"media’s role in promoting debate and circulating opinion." "‘framed’. By putting a frame around a particular issue, the media draw it to our attention; but while the frame includes some things, it always excludes others."

The two-step flow theory may describe this through the riot coverage through suggesting that the main blogs, channels etc. covered the story it became the framework of how the other media platforms represented the stories to create a conformity amoungst the media in the coverage. 

• Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?

Scholar "tend to celebrate these kinds of ‘participatory’ 

media; while some even see this as evidence 

of a wholesale democratisation of the 

communications system. They argue that the 

age of ‘Big Media’ – of powerful, centralised 

corporations controlling media – is now 

finished: hierarchical, top-down communications 

have been replaced by a more egalitarian 

approach."

I don't completely agree with this though. I feel that many of these 'centralized corporations' have become even larger and even more powerful. I feel that the larger, smarter and more profitable organisations noticed this move to technology much faster than others, those who were weaker lagged behind and became eliminated competition. Now it is easier for these organisations to influence the mass through their opinion leader status or the correct online marketing and PR.

Yes the platform has allowed for a lot more voices to present themselves, but they aren't necessarily heard and if the do become larger predominant voices its after a lot of time and effort and still can be bought out. 

or as the article puts it "simply providing more opportunities for ignorant people to mouth off about whatever happens to have annoyed them that day."

• What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

Max Hastings 

of the Daily Mail, headed ‘Years of liberal 

dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, 

uneducated, unparented, welfare dependent, 

brutalised youngsters’."

Taking the approach that we are "all broke in Britian/ Broken Britian" blaming the working class, benefits and disrespectable youth. Taking the view that there is a lack of discipline, schools and parents half to blame and the economy. 

• What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

This was much more of a focus on the inequality aspect in areas of poverty and deprivation where were the riots were the worst. The blamed particularly the cuts in youth services, kids didn't have anything else to do, they felt neglected (much as ill manors argued), rising youth unemployment and and the removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance.

• What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?

I feel that it was due to the combination of many factors. The initial cause i think was the shooting, it was the only way they saw they could express themselves. This is probably due to the lack of understanding from the government of the youth and lower classes and the culture they share. Soon, due to social media, it spread very fast and many started doing it for the rush of it, for fun, to show off, it was becoming a part of the 'mainstream culture' of the time. This was possible due to the poor parenting i believe and lack of discipline within schools but i feel many 'got back' at the shops and areas that were bad to them. It would be crazy to try to reduce something so big into one root cause though, many did it for different reasons. 

• How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?

"cannot be dissociated from the moral disintegration in the highest ranks of modern British society... It has become acceptable for our politicians to lie and to cheat... the sad young men and women, without hope or aspiration, who have caused such mayhem and chaos over the past few days... have this defence: they are just following the example set by senior and respected figures in society." meaning that those in power, politicians for example, are to blame as they lay the guidelines for the mass to mindlessly follow. (hypodermic needle model)

• Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?

No they weren't given much coverage, even the BBC didn't seem as impartical as they should have been. 

• In the Guardian website's investigation into the causes of the riots, they did interview rioters themselves. Read this Guardian article from their Reading the Riots academic research project - what causes are outlined by those involved in the disturbances?

Some said "opportunism", "gang cultures limited role", "BBM was used rather excessively", and "political complaints" such as economic, social/ educational. 

Much of it was anti police. Be that from the shooting of Mark Duggens or everyday experience of the police, it seemed to be one of the main causes (rather anti establishment but in a police manner)

"73% said they had been stopped and searched in the previous 12 months"

• What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?

i feel that the riots weren't the right approach to solving any issue or making a point - if they were working on making a change they should have known it would be against them not for them if they cause so much destruction. Many local businesses, stander bys were pointlessly becoming victims of these 'attacks', it wasn't only on community being affected. Those that caused mass destruction or lotted weren't making a political message - i would have understood street graffiti a lot more - they should be punished. However prison sentences may not be the react way to make a change. I feel as if change would become a better change if education was given against sheep culture, following the mainstream, the police should be trained to see better signs of when to stop and search someone, they should be a lot calmer in their approach and individuals a lot less resistant. Collectively change has to be made on both sides, the capital and mass, by educating both sides and then punishing with sentences appropriate. 

Identities and the Media: Reading the riots

ead the Media Magazine extended feature on the media coverage of the UK riots (MM38 page 5)

Go to our Media Magazine archive, select MM38 and read the WHOLE eight-page feature. Answer the following questions on your blog with as many references to media theory and examples as possible. Refer to specific aspects of the Media Magazine article too:

• How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people?

The language- the language choice created a rather negative representation of the youth involved as the used words such as 'riots' instead of alternatives with less negative connotations 'unrest'. This placed alongside much of tabloid coverage referring to 'young people' targeted these specific demographic. 

The images further reinforced these negative perspectives of the youth of them wearing hoodies, faces covered etc. Especially the one used a few times(5 covers) to become almost an icon of the riots was a young black male, created a generalized view. This was rather ironic because at the time "Youth offending, youth detention and re-offending have declined in recent years." and recorded passes in "GCSE and A Level exams."

• Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?

"The ‘feral youth’ imagined by the politicians and the tabloid headline writers are implicitly working-class." He references there is "a new form of class contempt" meaning that the lower classes/ working class "has become an object of fear and ridicule, not just in this kind of media coverage but also in popular figures" such as characters in dramas. 

• What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?

"40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime or anti-social behaviour; and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone."

"Brunel University during 2006 found that 

television news reports of young people focused 

overwhelmingly either on celebrities such as 

footballers or (most frequently) on violent crime;"

"

the organisation Women in Journalism analysed 7,000+ stories involving teenage boys, published in online,national and regional newspapers during 2008."

"72% were negative – more than twenty times the number of positive stories (3.4%). Over 75% were about crime, drugs, or police: the great majority of these were negative (81.5%) while only a handful were positive (0.3%). Even for the minority of stories on other topics such as education, sport and entertainment, there were many more negative than positive stories (42% versus 13%). Many of the stories about teenage boys described them using disparaging words such as yobs, thugs, sick, feral, hoodies, louts, heartless, evil, frightening and scum." "model student, angel, or ‘every mother’s perfect son’ – but, without exception, these were all about boys who had met an untimely death."

• How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?

Cohen: "A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media;the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible."

• What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?

The tabloids put much of the blame on rap music, violent computer games, reality tv - provoking young people to 'start rioting'.

The Daily Mirror, for example, blamed the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs.

Also blaming the "narcissism and consumerism of the ‘Big Brother and X Factor generation’."

Blaming the media is a common aspect of moral panics making this a rather normal phenomenon.

• How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?

The skillful coordination of the rioters was said to be due to the likes of Facebook, Blackberry and Twitter. The Arab Spring revolution was also said to have sparked from social media such as Facebook. 

• The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots? 

"media’s role in promoting debate and circulating opinion." "‘framed’. By putting a frame around a particular issue, the media draw it to our attention; but while the frame includes some things, it always excludes others."

The two-step flow theory may describe this through the riot coverage through suggesting that the main blogs, channels etc. covered the story it became the framework of how the other media platforms represented the stories to create a conformity amoungst the media in the coverage. 

• Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?

Scholar "tend to celebrate these kinds of ‘participatory’ 

media; while some even see this as evidence 

of a wholesale democratisation of the 

communications system. They argue that the 

age of ‘Big Media’ – of powerful, centralised 

corporations controlling media – is now 

finished: hierarchical, top-down communications 

have been replaced by a more egalitarian 

approach."

I don't completely agree with this though. I feel that many of these 'centralized corporations' have become even larger and even more powerful. I feel that the larger, smarter and more profitable organisations noticed this move to technology much faster than others, those who were weaker lagged behind and became eliminated competition. Now it is easier for these organisations to influence the mass through their opinion leader status or the correct online marketing and PR.

Yes the platform has allowed for a lot more voices to present themselves, but they aren't necessarily heard and if the do become larger predominant voices its after a lot of time and effort and still can be bought out. 

or as the article puts it "simply providing more opportunities for ignorant people to mouth off about whatever happens to have annoyed them that day."

• What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

Max Hastings 

of the Daily Mail, headed ‘Years of liberal 

dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, 

uneducated, unparented, welfare dependent, 

brutalised youngsters’."

Taking the approach that we are "all broke in Britian/ Broken Britian" blaming the working class, benefits and disrespectable youth. Taking the view that there is a lack of discipline, schools and parents half to blame and the economy. 

• What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

This was much more of a focus on the inequality aspect in areas of poverty and deprivation where were the riots were the worst. The blamed particularly the cuts in youth services, kids didn't have anything else to do, they felt neglected (much as ill manors argued), rising youth unemployment and and the removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance.

• What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?

I feel that it was due to the combination of many factors. The initial cause i think was the shooting, it was the only way they saw they could express themselves. This is probably due to the lack of understanding from the government of the youth and lower classes and the culture they share. Soon, due to social media, it spread very fast and many started doing it for the rush of it, for fun, to show off, it was becoming a part of the 'mainstream culture' of the time. This was possible due to the poor parenting i believe and lack of discipline within schools but i feel many 'got back' at the shops and areas that were bad to them. It would be crazy to try to reduce something so big into one root cause though, many did it for different reasons. 

• How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?

"cannot be dissociated from the moral disintegration in the highest ranks of modern British society... It has become acceptable for our politicians to lie and to cheat... the sad young men and women, without hope or aspiration, who have caused such mayhem and chaos over the past few days... have this defence: they are just following the example set by senior and respected figures in society." meaning that those in power, politicians for example, are to blame as they lay the guidelines for the mass to mindlessly follow. (hypodermic needle model)

• Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?

No they weren't given much coverage, even the BBC didn't seem as impartical as they should have been. 

• In the Guardian website's investigation into the causes of the riots, they did interview rioters themselves. Read this Guardian article from their Reading the Riots academic research project - what causes are outlined by those involved in the disturbances?

Some said "opportunism", "gang cultures limited role", "BBM was used rather excessively", and "political complaints" such as economic, social/ educational. 

Much of it was anti police. Be that from the shooting of Mark Duggens or everyday experience of the police, it seemed to be one of the main causes (rather anti establishment but in a police manner)

"73% said they had been stopped and searched in the previous 12 months"

• What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?

i feel that the riots weren't the right approach to solving any issue or making a point - if they were working on making a change they should have known it would be against them not for them if they cause so much destruction. Many local businesses, stander bys were pointlessly becoming victims of these 'attacks', it wasn't only on community being affected. Those that caused mass destruction or lotted weren't making a political message - i would have understood street graffiti a lot more - they should be punished. However prison sentences may not be the react way to make a change. I feel as if change would become a better change if education was given against sheep culture, following the mainstream, the police should be trained to see better signs of when to stop and search someone, they should be a lot calmer in their approach and individuals a lot less resistant. Collectively change has to be made on both sides, the capital and mass, by educating both sides and then punishing with sentences appropriate. 

MEST1 Mock exam: learner reponse

1) Type up any feedback or comments from your paper in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

Question 2 lacks relevance at times and there is repetition that takes place which isn't needed.
Question 4 there is a lot of repetition also.
Section A written English / question focus / repetition keeps you from top levels.
Section B: Question 6 give the studio if possible, needs more question focus, does it link to enjoyment? more specific. 
Overall section b loses question focus near the end, spelling and you missed important narrative theory. 


2) Did you succeed in meeting or exceeding your target grade in AS Media? If not, how many additional marks do you need across Section A and Section B to achieve your target grade?
I met my media target grade.

3) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to pages 5-8 that has anticipated content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions?
question 1: i mentioned 2/6 of the points in the mark scheme. I do feel i successfully answered the question because in these points i used various types within that section.
question 2: i mentioned 2/9 points. I don't feel that i answered the question properly because of the depth my answers lacked and not enough reference to the different brands referred to in the clip. 
question 3: i mentioned 2/9 points. i do feel i answered the question successfully because of the alternative yet valid points i made as well as going into depth. 
question 4: i mentioned 2/6 points. i do feel i answered the question well because of the alternative in depth points i made however i could have made further points to get higher marks in the question.

4) Which was your strongest question in Section A? Why did you do better in that particular question?
my strongest question in section a was question 3. This is because not only did i agree with the statement on a personal level but also because it was the question i was able to go into more depth with.


5) Which was your weakest question in Section A? Again, try and identify why this happened. Did you misinterpret the question? Did you run out of time?
my weakest question was question 2. This is because i struggled to realise many references to other brands and despite identifying a few i did lose confidence in the question preventing me from allocating efficient time to the question due to thinking about it too much and not being able to elaborate on the few points i was making. 

6) Rewrite your answer for your weakest question in Section A. This should now be a detailed, three-paragraph 12-mark response.

Question 2 Media Institutions (12 marks)

How are links with other brands and media products used in the trailer to promote ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’?

In terms of institution many links are made to various other brands and media products helping to promote 'Call Of Duty' through appealing to various similar target audiences and helping to create positive associations with the brand. To start with, the brand uses a lot of star power to promote the brand. Using starts such as the cameo appearance of Megan Fox, in the building sequence of the clip, helps to create connotations which are preferably positive with the brand. Megan Fox is presented in the context of the trailer, e.g the way she shoots down the drone behind one of the protagonists, which allows synergy to be created with the Megan Fox 'institution' and the Call of duty brand. This would not only encourage the male audience to prefer the brand through the appeal of women (Mulvey: male gaze) but also would encourage pre-existing Megan Fox fans who have already developed a personal relationship(uses and gratifications theory: Blumler and Katz) with Megan Fox through being loyal fans and following her to play call of duty due to the associations being made. This is therefore a way that Megan Fox as a 'brand' helps to promote call of duty:ghosts through her cameo appearance in the trailer. 

Another brand that the trailer links to is the space genre in general helping to promote call of duty ghosts. This is mainly done though the potential reference to 'Gravity' the movie. This is done through the astronaut scene which is almost identical to the scenes in the Gravity trailers. This not only provides the audience with the pleasure of noticing the movie reference but also helps to indirectly promote gravity or use gravity to promote the game. Moreover the connotations of Gravity as a brand is that of being unique, powerful, world changing and is also known for its amazing graphics and real life experience, these are all qualities the Call of Duty aims to convey through the connection of both the brands being associated together in the trailer.This would therefore be done through a preferred reading (Levi Strauss: representations theory) creating the connotations with the positive stereotypes of the movie (Perkins) rather than the negative. This is therefore a way that the link to the brand of space genre movies that are popular among males (their primary target audience) especially Gravity helps to promote the Call of duty brand through the trailer. 

Another brand link made within the call of duty trailer is that to Buddy Movies especially The Hangover. This is done through the representation of the male protagonists. In various scenes we see them messing around like typical male friends eg. teasing about Megan Fox, nudging each other and laughing at the things they all do. This would therefore broaden the identification appeal (uses and gratifications theory: Blumblr and Katz) as a wide male audience would see themselves being presented in a rather accurate way due to the stereotypical behavior (Perkins). This therefore helps to link the male friendship brand connotation of 'buddy movies' and helps it appeal to the call of duty primary male audience and further the appeal of the game. Another 'buddy movie' reference especially to The hangover is the LA setting which is typically connotated with drug, sex, and having a good time in casinos etc. which are values the call of duty brand would like to associate itself due to the overlapping primary target audiences. This therefore is a way buddy movies such as the hang over are referenced in the call of duty trailer to help establish a positive and effective link between the two brands helping to promote the game. 

7) Now look at the mark scheme for Section B. Did you cover all three media platforms? Did you write about three different films in your essay?
Yes

8) Question focus is the most important factor for a top-level response. Did you use the key words in the question in every paragraph?
Yes i did however despite this i started to drift of topic as i progressed through the essay.

9) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question in Section A, look at whether you included the things the Chief Examiner refers to in the stronger responses. Did any of the problems identified with some answers apply to you? Be specific. Now look at the Examiner's Report for your chosen question in Section B. Did your response fit the stronger or weaker examples highlighted by the Chief Examiner?  

Section A

• Q1- focus on the specific aspect
• how excitement was replicated through the various camera shots
• spectator feeling presented due to the P.O.V shots
• On reflection of this section i feel that i did make reference to things such as sound and editing which the report suggests to show a lack of confidence in the camera work element of the media forms.
• Q2- brands identified but unable to link them to the positive associations created caused this question to be deemed as fairly hard for students
• genre conventions could have been referenced
• could link Megan Fox to the transformers brand and then back to the game
• reference to the singer and their loyal fan base didn't seem fit
• In reflection i feel that i was unable to link the listed brands to the positive associations that would have appealed to the target audience which meant i hadn't correctly identified and answered the question which is why it was my weakest answer.
• Q3- referencing to the construction of masculinity and stereotypes of this
• direct address, identification and camerawork were the stronger aspects to mention
• phallic symbols
• i feel that i had a fairly good response to this question in regards to the report. 
• Q4- debates around the representation of gun violence 
• gap between reality of gun violence and its representation 
• comic and fantastic imagery audience was aware of the fantasy
• stray bullet hitting jackpot in the casino 
• evidence from the trailer was important 
• In reflection i feel that the weaker aspect of my answer was that i failed to respond enough in the potential debates around gun violence and didn't identify the potential idea of it being understood as fantasy.

Section B 

• contemporary media debates
• focus on case studies
• need to have enough case study depth to provide balanced answers
• range is extremely important
• important to remain on the question set!
• prevent repetition from taking place
• (focus on Q6)
• narrative enigmas in posters
• trailers lead to fulfillment i narrative pleasures
• important to link to audience enjoyment too 
• Overall i feel that my response fit, just about, the stronger answers due to the range of ideas i offered and made sure i was answering the question rather than just inputting the range of platforms and films. However i did need further question focus and more confidence in writing in quality rather than quantity as i did repeat myself a lot and also feel that the range wasn't as vast as the examiner would have liked.

10) Finally, identify three things you will do differently in the real exam in two weeks. These can refer to preparation, notetaking, Section A or Section B - it is up to you.
Firstly, i will make sure to do more practice papers in preparation. 
I will also learn to not repeat myself when making points by making better plans.
Moreover i will make sure i learn my movie case studies in much more depth.