Ownership and control

1) Why did Facebook buy Instagram for $1bn in 2012?

To remove competition and make money

2) What are the benefits for media companies of vertical integration?

Gives them complete ownership

3) What are the benefits for media companies of horizontal integration?

Allows companies to widen their audience and find other ways to make money.

4) What is a subsidiary?

A company that is owned by a parent company

5) Give three examples of media companies that have used synergy to maximise the profit from a brand.

Disney

Pixar

Lego

6) List 10 companies that are part of the Disney media empire.

Marvel

Lucasfilm

Dreamworks

ABC

Hulu

Pixar

ESPN

Vice

The Muppets Studio

A+E Cable

7) Why did Disney buy Fox - what are the benefits?

Disney's acquisition of Fox will enhance its portfolio with popular franchises and branded content. The addition of Fox will give Disney access to hit movie franchises such as X-Men, Avatar, and Planet of the Apes. Disney will further be able to expand its international revenue mix and exposure.

Industry and audience power essay

"The internet has given audiences much more power than ever before.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

I strongly agree with this statement. This is because the internet has revolutionised the way media is shared, presented and viewed. Communication is instant thanks to the internet allowing for widespread advertising.

In the music industry, audiences have benefited massively from the internet. This is because of services such as Spotify and YouTube which allow for quick and convenient access to millions of different songs. Downloading songs has never been easier and most music is free to listen to unlike a few decades ago. Many artists can become popular just by making songs at home by sharing them online. This gives audiences power to make or break the career of artists by giving positive/negative feedback of the song.

However, artists can be severely held back by the use of the internet by consumers. This is because of widespread social media reviews and discussion. If a song is considered by a few popular/famous people to be a bad song it can attract lots of attention and gain many shares, spreading the word that the song isn't good.

Audiences have benefited greatly from the development of film and TV. Online services such as Netflix have allowed audiences to be able to access millions of films and TV shows anytime and anywhere. If audiences are unwilling to pay then they can easily pirate (illegally download) any media that they would like to access.

However, audiences can get addicted to shows and start to repeatedly "binge watch" these shows, which is a trap that the producers want to catch the consumers in. In addition to this, many people using online services to watch films and TV shows are restricted to smaller screens such as a phone.

The internet has greatly changed the way that audiences access online news. This is because many news articles are published online where information can spread very quickly. Within minutes, information can spread around the world and people can communicate with others instantly. Citizen journalism has allowed for consumers to spread stories themselves and be published in big magazines.

However, many news articles and information online can easily be fake and can learn to false alarms and concern. News can spread very quickly on the internet and many people (especially the elderly) can be led into believing false information and end up falling for scams that could rob them of money.

In conclusion, audiences have great amounts of power online which can be used to spread information very quickly. These audiences can shape the career of producers very easily.

Audience effcts theory

1) Write a definition of a passive audience:

An audience that only consumes the media rather than actively responding to it.

2) Write a definition of an active audience:

An audience that observes the media and constantly takes in the information and gives it deeper thought.

3) Write a definition of the hypodermic needle theory: 

A theory that the media is all powerful and everybody who consumes the media takes in the information and believes it.

4) Write down a media product for each category of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory and WHY it fits that particular audience use/gratification: 

INFORMATION/SURVEILLANCE: Documentaries 
 > Why: Informative non fiction

PERSONAL IDENTITY: Autobiography
 > Why: Tells the story of a real person which the consumer might relate to

DIVERSION/ENTERTAINMENT: Comedy
 > Why: Makes the consumer amused and keeps them distracted from potential issues in life

RELATIONSHIPS: Love island
 > Why: Shows the consumer inside the secret lives of people and their relationships

5) Re-watch the clip from Blue Planet above and write a paragraph analysing how elements of the clip offer the audience pleasures or gratifications (use media terminology from Uses and Gratifications theory and the 3 Vs - notes outlined above). 

In the video, the audience can receive pleasures from numerous different ways. The information can be entertaining to some audiences as it teaches them something new. Also, the diversion can distract people from real life as it immerses them into a whole new world.

Reception Theory

1) What is the preferred reading of a media text?

The meaning the producers intend to communicate. This builds on the idea that producers can position the audience in a certain way and influence their reading so they accept the intended message by using recognised codes and conventions (such as stereotypes).

2) What is the oppositional reading of a media text?

The oppositional reading goes against the meaning the producers are trying to create. The audience reject the intended message and construct an opposite reading instead. This can be due to their own social, political or moral beliefs and values.

3) How does the Harry Brown trailer position the audience to respond to the teenage characters in the film?

The trailer makes teenagers appear as violent, ruthless anarchists who cause crime and trouble

4) Why might young people reject this reading and construct an oppositional reading of the trailer?

Young people could see the trailer as an invitation to cause more chaos

5) Write a 150+ word analysis of the McDonald's advert using preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

Preferred reading:

The producer wants the consumer to feel hungry which is why they displayed a perfect photo of the burger. The description of the burger should excite the reader and persuade them into going to McDonald's and buying the burger.

Negotiated reading

The consumer sees that this is a meal that might taste good but might not be available to eat due to lack of money or religious reasons

Oppositional Reading:

The advert could make consumers turn away from the product as it is junk food and it is seen by some people as unhealthy

Preferred reading:

The producer wants the consumer to feel hungry and be encouraged to buy the product so that they can use it on their coffee.

Negotiated reading:

The consumer decides that the biscuits are a good product to buy but they may not want to buy the product right away

Oppositional reading:

Some people may not like plain biscuits and so they will reject this product