clay shirky end of audience

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

IT helps theme network with each other and people can connect to each other by the internet. Additionally this can also help them in campaigning as well for human rights or other purposes.

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

Bullying and abuse is being  developed in the Internet and also things like pornography which the parents don't want their kids to watch.

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

open Technologies which are built to suit the principles of equality, social justice, and free expressions that are evident in our society. 

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

We cannot simply pull down the walls to the unimpeded flow of information and expect no consequences, so while I continue to think that the real benefits of the network will only be seen if we make it as open as possible,

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

i think i am in the middle as i believe that we should be able to get information to an extent which can help us in educational ways.

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

A profession exists to solve a hard problem, one that re- quires some sort of specialisation.This applies to traditional newspaper as it shows that adults don't need to professional in order to read it.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

This has made newspaper distribution harder and Raises the Question of how society will be informed about the news of the day.

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

Mass amateurization refers to the capabilities that new forms of media have given to non-professionals and the ways in which those non-professionals have applied those capabilities to solve problems (e.g. create and distribute content) that compete with the solutions offered by larger, professional institutions.

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

This suggests that many people can use the internet to make news and share their viewpoint which makes it harder for people to believe them.This links to fake news because people will not be able to know the truth properly by having sources by everyone.

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

he believes that we are in the chaos revolution for the internet.

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

This means that anyone can share their ideas and show stories form their side.Additionally  this is important because this has allowed everyone to share their viewpoint.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

he says that fake news has mislead misinformation to people and people are believing everything what the media is saying has changed a lot of opinions of people.

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

This is because it allows them to  provide evidence of them being in the incident and can us them to threat people.

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

i think positive because it has allowed everyone opinion to count and that everyone can share their news about themselves and can make a social change.for  example some news about Iraq will not be shown by the media but it can be shared by someone who lives their in oiraq.

learner response

Baseline assessment learner response

Create a new blog post called 'Y13 baseline assessment learner response' and complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential)

www-brilliant and clearly know range of theories.with some work with your exam technique you should be aiming a lot higher than this.

EBI-revise effect theories.
you need to apply  theories with specific evidence from the csp and aplly them propelry instead of just putting them in the sheet,

2) Focusing on the BBC Life Hacks question, write three ways it helps to fulfil the BBC's mission statement that you didn't include in your original assessment answer. Use the mark scheme for ideas.

Talks about think like mental health

Topics such a gender fluidity is discussed.

The entertainment which is the music


3) Question two asked you how useful media effects theories are in understanding the audience response to War of the Worlds. Complete the following:

• Gerbner's Cultivation theory is very useful because it helps you understand how people follow and belief the m,media blindly.
• Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle model is useful because information for the media is taken seriously and that 
• Stuart Hall's Reception theory is useful because it shows how writers view is given importance and how audience listens to the writer of a production.

4) Write a full essay plan for the 25-mark Magazines question. The mark scheme contains plenty of ideas you can use here. Your plan should include notes/bullet points addressing the following:

• Introduction: one sentence answering the original question and laying out your argument clearly.
• Paragraph 1 content:introduction
• Paragraph 2 content:media audiences-men's health and the decline in print
• Paragraph 3 content:men's health and the how the new digital media is affecting everyone.
• Paragraph 4 content:oh comely-uses and gratifications theory
• Paragraph 5 content:conclusion and my opinion

5) Finally, identify three key skills/topics you want to work on in A Level Media this year before the final exams in June.

• affects theories
• structure for third question
• exam technique

magazine index

1) Men's Health - Audience
2) Men's Health - Language and Representation
3) Men's Health - Industries and the impact of digital media
4) Oh Comely - Audience
5) Magazine front cover production task - learner response
6) Oh Comely - Language and Representation
7) End of Year 1 exam - learner response
8) Oh Comely - Industry case study

Oh comely industries

Work through the following tasks to complete your work on the Oh Comely magazine CSP. There are plenty of questions here but you will be given lesson time to start this and will find the reading gives you a brilliant insight into a vital aspect of media - the power of independent institutions.

Iceberg Press

Visit the Iceberg Press website - particularly the Who Are We page and the Why Are We Here page. Read the content and then answer the following questions:

1) Why did the people behind Iceberg Press set it up?

they set it up to show the heart of the reader.

2) What is the Iceberg Press mission statement? (It's on the Why Are We Here page and is a series of statements).

1. It's all about the audience
2. Chase the work, not the money
3. Compromise isn't our friend
4. We will always make time for ideas 
5. We are stronger when we work with other

3) What are the two magazines that Iceberg Press publishes?

oh comley and the simple things

4) What similarities do you notice between The Simple Things magazine and Oh Comely?

they both don't have many images and they both show how women are independent.
 5) What differences can you find between Hearst UK, publisher of Men's Health, and Iceberg Press?

oh comley publishes only two magzines but hearst uk does about 23 magzines.

Writer's Edit journal article

Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industryand answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?

when the print is not done by a large company and is done by company who is not looking for profit.

2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?

he suggest that large companies are dieing and smal comapnies are doing well in media.

 3) What is the aim of Kinfolk magazine and what similarities can you draw with Oh Comely?

kindflok aim is to help reader live a simple live but oh comlety talks about how women are living a simple life.4) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?

This is because niche magazines have niche audience and they have specific content which interests the reader.

5) How do independent magazines launch? Look at the example of Alphabet Family Journal.

They launch by crowdfunding as the mazgine doesn't have enough money to to do their distrubition.

6) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?

It suggest that internet has allowed them to leave a mark and presence to themselves.

7) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?

This is because their ideas are not shared and will allow them to have the full credit for their production.

8) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?

The benefits are that it allows niche concepts to be big and reach the audience.

9) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?

this si because there si a nostalgia of turning pages and reading which is being done traditionally.

10) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?

The challenges are that it may require a lot of time  to do their distribution and contributors will not gain enough profit.
Irish Times feature

Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:

1) Why are independent magazines so popular?

This is because they focus on one genre and electorate on it which helps them to reach their audience.

2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?

This si because large companies are doing more circulation than them.

3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?

It suggest that the subject needs to correct to get the right audience and make them inetrested in reading the magzine.

4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?

The challenges are that magazine is expensive for shipping.

5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?

for example doing events which link with the magazine.
TCO interview with Ruth Jamieson

Finally, read this excellent interview on the TCO London website with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector. Answer the following questions:

1) Why does Ruth Jamieson suggest there's a renaissance in independent publishing?

This is because independent magazine are popular and are easy to make as they find their target audience quciker
.2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?

The common themes are 

• art house
• unique
• graphic design

3) How many of these aspects can you find in Oh Comely? Make specific reference to the CSP pages where possible.

oh comely is very unique as they use no pictures and are have a high quality writing in their magazine.

4) How does Jamieson see the future for the magazine industry?

he believes that large companies will start making niche magazines as niche magazines are popular and engage a particular audience.

5) How might this future impact Oh Comely? Do you think Oh Comely will survive the next five years - and why?

This future might impact  comely because they are a small company and if large companies start making the same content as them then they will be out of business as large companies will have a big circulation and then get more readership.

Oh Comely Language and Representation

Language: close-textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your close-textual analysis of the Oh Comely CSP pages:

Front cover

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

type face is"oh comely" and the font suggests that the magazine is less conventional.

2) The words under the title introduce the content and topics addressed. What do these suggest about the potential audience of Oh Comely?

This suggest that oh comely has music, fashion and movies everything included in the whole magazine.

3) How do the cover lines use narrative to create enigma? What do the cover lines suggest about the magazine's content and audience?

The cover lines enigma codes as  the cover line doesn't give  any other details in the cover line which makes the potential dial readers to read it.

4) Write an analysis of the central image.

The us elf central image is women who has minimum makeup and is wearing normal clothes and is not being objectified.

5) What representation of gender can be found on this front cover?

This is representation of gender fluidity and how genders are changing over time.
Feature: Speaking Out

1) What does the headline and standfirst suggest about Oh Comely's feminist perspective?

The headlines suggest there is more for women that people need to find out about how they live another lifestyle.

2) What do the interviewees in this feature suggest about the values and ideologies that underpin this magazine?

The interviewes are all from different ethcnity and background which shows that the magazine can make all females to relate to it.

3) How conventional is the page design in this feature? Why?

The magazine is very unconventional as they  are full of text and don't have any images which suggests how simple the magazine is.

5) How does the photography offer a fresh or unusual perspective on women?

The photography is all natural and real and has no photoshopped use on it  which shows that women can live without makeup and how they look good without it.


Feature: More than gender

1) How does this feature offer a fresh perspective on gender and identity?

The feature offers a fresh perspective on gender and identity as they show gender fluidity form their front cover by showing a women who is not being objectified.

2) What is the significance of the writer and photographer? How does this fit with the Oh Comelybrand?

it is one by the sea person which shows how creative and unique they are.

3) What style of photography is used in this feature?

They have used a photo into a phot which shows they are trine create it like a memory.

4) What representations of the transgender lifestyle can be found in this feature?

it shows how difficult its for someone to open up and how many challenge they have to through to overcome it.

5) Why is the biographical information at the end of the article significant? (Clue: the writer is also an editor of a niche, creative magazine called Entitle).

This is important to show which people are interested in the magazine.

Representation and identity

Work through the following questions on representation and Oh Comely:

1) How do representations in Oh Comely challenge stereotypes? 

They challenge stereotypes by showing a women in a normal way as normally they show a women to be objectified.

2) What representations of race, ethnicity and nationality can be found in the 'Speaking Out' feature?

They is a wide range of audience including black, white and brown people.

3) What representation of women and femininity can be found in Oh Comely?

The representation of women is shown in a positive way by showing how women can look good without makeup and they don't need to objectified as sex toys all the time.

4) Why might Oh Comely deliberately under-represent men? (The absence of men in the magazine appears to be a largely deliberate move by the editors).

This is because they don't have men anywhere I their magazine.

5) Does Oh Comely fit into the possible fourth wave of feminism? Or is it evidence of post-feminism - that feminism is no longer needed?

Yes it does because they are showing gender fluidity and how women are living indpenedtely and don't need to rely on men. for anything.

6) How does the 'More than gender' feature challenge Levi-Strauss's structuralist theory of binary opposition?

This is because it doesn't show the two opposite gender.

7) Judith Butler argues gender is a performance. How does Oh Comely challenge traditional gender roles? You should refer to both the cover and the selected CSP features. 

This magazine doesn't reflect that because they have shown the women to be independent and how they can live their own life there way and that tarditional. gender roles are of women to be housewife and being objectified but this magazine doesn't;t show that.

8) Angela McRobbie explored the empowering nature of women's lifestyle magazines in the 1990s. Oh Comely seeks female empowerment in a different way. What differences can you find between Oh Comely and more traditional women's lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan or Glamour? 

oh comely is showing gender fluidity and how women live independtly  and normal people but glamour is more showing the traditional view of women by showing celebrities and famous people .

9) David Gauntlett argues that identity is becoming more fluid, media representations change over time and that there are generational differences. Does Oh Comely support this viewpoint?

yes this is because if this magazine was created before 2000 than there was gonna be big scandal about it as the olde genedretayion will see it in a different way but the younger generation. is more open minded and respects. everyone.

10) It has been argued that Oh Comely is a far more open text (Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding/reception theory) with more room for negotiation in interpretation. Do you agree with this view? Why?

Yes this is because. the other magazine use picture.cover lines Andes everythibng else and oh comley Is more simple and realist in the way they show it.

oh comely audience

Read the Oh Comely website page on advertising and audience to get a good idea of the demographics and psychographics for the Oh Comely target audience then answer the following questions:

1) How does Oh Comely introduce itself?

It introduces itself to be t
2) How do the print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely compare to Men's Health?

They are quite low compared women's. health.

3) How is Oh Comely distributed to the audience?

It is distributed by traditional stores like WH Smith.

4) What do you think the target audience demographics for Oh Comely might be? Some details are provided by the magazine (e.g. average age 27) but make an educated guess on further demographic details.


The target audience is people in the upper class from  the age of 27-35 and is mostly educated people who are working in big companies and are earning lots of money.

5) What psychographic groups might be attracted to Oh Comely?

reformers-people who want to change the society as we can see from the front cover that it is about bisexual people.

6) What social class classification would you expect most Oh Comely readers to be? Why?

It will most likely be upper class as people who are not educated will not want to read the magazine as it will not interest them.

7) What level of education would you expect for most Oh Comely readers? Why?

I would think they are in uni getting there degree because they are more likely to understand this better with their reading ability.

8) What audience pleasures are offered by Oh Comely?

it helps audiences to gain knowledge by t which is surveillance and helps them to connect with it which can be personal identity.

9) It has been suggested Oh Comely is a “magazine about people, their quirks and creativity rather than money and what it can buy”. How does the design and advertising content of Oh Comely support this view?

This is. shown because the design the magazine is something which is very different and has a image of a women to be in the margin front cover without being objectified.Additionally they have not done any big advertisement for this magazine which shows that they are targeting which audience.

10) Why do you think Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers in the eight years since it launched? Think about audience demand, rival magazines and the overall media landscape in the digital age.

This is because they have targeted a niche audience and show things inter perspective which allowed them to build loyal customers for 8 years and allowed them to be in the digital age.

end of year 12 learning response

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

www-There are some positive aspects on here-you've clearly revised for the test and know your theories.i can see you moving up to higher grades.

Ebi-question focus in the essay questions is the main EBI.in question 4 don't really discuss postmodernism:question8 industry.apple theories properly by explaining them

2) Read the mark scheme for this exam carefully, paying particular attention to the 'indicative content' for each question. This is some of the best learning you can do all year as it gives you an idea of what the exam board is expecting. For your LR blogpost, identify ONE point you could have added for the first three questions in Section A:

Q1 additional point/theory: Binary opposition: cover image creates classic binary opposition of good and evil, hero and
villain etc.

Q2 additional point/theory/CSP reference: Evidence of the male gaze (Mulvey) with passive blonde female wearing revealing top
reflects male dominance of the time period. Media products typically represented men in a
hypermasculine way.

Q3 additional point/theory/CSP reference: Jean Kilbourne’s work on the representation of women in advertising can be found in the
Score hair cream advert. This presents women as objects and reinforces many of the
negative, reductive stereotypes seen with regards to women in advertising from the 1950s
until at least the 1990s (and arguably to this day).

Q4:Michael Jackson: Billie Jean
• The postmodern idea of ‘copying copies’ (that nothing is truly original) and therefore finding
originality in old ideas is a strong theme of Billie Jean.
Common: Letter to the Free
• In many ways, Letter to the Free is not conventionally postmodern – but it does subvert
some aspects of Goodwin’s theory of music video conventions. It is black and white, lacks
close-ups and offers a very slow pace in both editing and camera movement. However, it
also offers a performance element and has visuals that match the lyrics in places which is
more conventional of a music video.

Question 7:Chicken was promoted using some traditional marketing methods that helped secure a
distribution deal. The trailer, film poster with review quotes, interviews with director and
cast and reviews such as Mark Kermode’s review on the BBC all helped to generate a buzz
about the film which then attracted arthouse cinemas, Film4, MUBI and later Amazon Prime
to distribute the film.

question 8:• Capital production company Kudos have sold many of their shows to international markets
(including Capital). Capital was distributed by Fremantle Media, an international distributer
that is part of the RTL group conglomerate (Bertelsmann).

3) The final question in Section A was a 20-mark essay that required an extended response containing a coherent argument. Using the suggested content in the mark scheme, write an essay plan containing five paragraphs/points that answer the music video and postmodernism question.

1.)Intro-postmodernism and two csp's

2.)common and link it back to [postmodernism

3.)Billie jeans and Michael Jackson

4.)how other elements are important for  the music videos 

5.)convulsion-bring all my ideas together and give my opinion. c
4) Section B began with two questions testing your knowledge of industry terminology. Make sure you know the answers to these (get the answers from the mark scheme if you have to):

Two benefits of vertical integration:

• Greater control of the production process 

     • Lower costs and higher profits


Definition of diversification:Diversification is when a media company branches out into a different area of the media industries.

For example, many media companies have had to diversify to internet-driven distribution (e.g.
streaming) as a result of new and digital media.

5) Question 8 (TV industry) was arguably the hardest question on the exam. Write a new paragraph that answers the question referring to either Capital or Deutschland 83 and the global TV industry. Use the indicative content in the mark scheme to help you.

My two csp's capital and Deutschland 83 both reflect the  global nature of the television industry by using the latest technology for streaming services and using all the elements that a global television might have for example foreign TV language drama Deutschland 83 is in German and people have to read the subtitles to understand it and is. streaming in all digital platforms link Netflix and amazon prime which can suggest how digital platforms are important and people are using internet to watch everything.furthermore capital which is the state of the nation drama can also reflect that by being on all digital platforms like Netflix and amazon prime.