Representation in Magazines

Task: Read this MOJO media pack and answer the following questions (in full sentences) in your book.

1. How long has MOJO magazine been around?
2. What is 'at the heart' of MOJO magazine?
3. Why do legendary artists agree to work with MOJO magazine?
4. What is MOJO's mission?
5. Complete the quote 'If you're featured in MOJO magazine _________________'
6. What kind of genres of music does MOJO magazine celebrate?
7. What is the demographic, the mean age, and ABC1 profile of MOJO magazine?
8. What bands does the average reader (Dave) listen to?
9. What type of technology does the reader think is the most authentic?
10. What percentage of MOJO readers have been to a gig in the past year?
11. What three ways can MOJO magazine be  accessed?
12. The digital version of the magazine has what percentage of the music magazine audience share?
13. What is Paul Weller's favourite magazine?

Task 2: Find your own magazine front cover or use the We Love Pop front cover here and complete the table below. You can work in pairs for this task so you can discuss your ideas before writing detailed notes on the handout.

Representation in Magazines by Mrs Downie on Scribd

Representation in Music Magazines

Task: You need to research the musicians referenced in the cover lines on your copy of MOJO magazine. Create a research page outlining the different artists. Print this out and tag into your exercise book.

Task: Answer the questions below.

1. Consider what the choice of artists mentioned in the cover lines tells you about the magazine and its readership. How is the magazine using the artists and their fame to sell the magazine to their target audience? How do the artists help to drive the appeal of the MOJO product?

2. How is representation being used to sell the MOJO magazine product? Read the notes below to help you write your own answer.

In the exam you need to understand how the producers have chosen to construct a version of reality that represents events, social groups and ideas to fit their purposes:

• MOJO wishes to attract a target audience that shares its reverence for ‘classic rock’ so constructs a version of reality that represents musicians as authentic heroes, striving for excellence, e.g. in the photo of Bob Dylan looking towards the distance.
• In contrast, We Love Pop wishes to attract a target audience of young female teenagers so constructs a version of reality centred on social media, appearance and romance.
  
  Question: How and why have stereotypes have been used, including anti-stereotyping/counter-stereotyping:
  

• MOJO’s selection of a cover photograph of a young, white male may be to fit the stereotype of rock musicians – this will enable instant recognition by audiences
• MOJO’s anti-stereotypical positive representation of older people as popular musicians, e.g. the artist from CSNY on the front cover. This may reflect the anti-ageism of an older audience
• In contrast, We Love Pop’s front cover addresses stereotypical female teenagers as loving pink and concerned with (heterosexual) relationships, fashion and gossip.
  
  
  
  Question: Which social groups are under-represented or misrepresented:

      • MOJO’s front cover only represents white male musicians in photographs under-representing female musicians and black musicians - why might this be the case when you consider the magazine's target audience?
• In contrast, We Love Pop’s front cover only represents young adults and appears to exclude older 

people.

Media Representations: how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups.

When approaching representation in Cuffs and The Avengers, you need to be able to identify how different events, issues, individuals and social groups are being shown to the audience. This is known as the context.

You already do this in English Literature. For example, you have studied An Inspector Calls where you need to understand about the perspective of the writer and audience as well as something about the history of 1912 (when the play is set) and 1945 (when the play was written).

Cuffs is a modern TV Crime Drama and as such it represents ideas about current events, modern issues and up-to-date social groups and individuals. It is relevant to a viewer who knows what it is like living in Britain in 2018.

The Avengers is an old fashioned TV Crime Drama representing the ideas in 1960s Britain, the issues and events that were happening at that time and the people and social groups who lived then. 

Copy these definitions of different contexts on to a Word document.

1. Social Context – how media products reflect the society in which they are produced and that of their target audience.
2. Cultural Context – how media products reflect the arts and culture, including popular culture, of their time.
3. Historical Context – how media products reflect historical events and social changes.
4. Political Context – how media products reflect political viewpoints, messages, values and beliefs.

Task: With reference to episode 1 of Cuffs you need to make notes on all the following:

• Events that take place in the episode (what are they?)
• Issues that the episode deals with (first decide what they are)
• How individuals are represented (first identify what individuals are represented)
• How social groups are represented (again, first identify what social groups the episode identifies)

EXT Task: Answer this question, using your notes from today's lesson.

How do you think Cuffs represents Britain in 2018? Refer to the four different contexts you have looked at in today's lesson.