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This is based on 'The Voice' and 'Teen Vogue'.
To what extent have concerns about identity had an impact on the production and consumption of
media products?
You should refer to your online media case studies (25 marks)
The print version of The Voice was first produced in 1982 in response to concerns within the British
black population. The 1981 Brixton riots had demonstrated the dispossession felt by second
generation black people. Media representation was often negative and rarely from a black perspective.
This is an example of Edward Said’s post-colonial theory of Orientalism but one where the people
being misrepresented live within the same country as those representing them (thus truly post-
colonial). Val Macalla’s aim, in setting up the paper (and its online descendant) was to allow black
journalists to tackle issues affecting the black audience, and from their perspective; The “Faith” section
(with its emphasis on black churches and gospel music) allow the site to do this.
Teen Vogue on the other hand was set up in 2003. It was revamped, and moved online, as a response
to the disruptive technology of the internet on magazine sales in 2015 and changed focus, under the
editorship of Elaine Welteroth, to centre on news, politics and identity issues. Teen Vogue is a part of a
big media conglomeration (Condé Nast) and is an example of such a producer targeting a particular
audience, in this case teenage girls. In doing so it has successfully identified the interests of its
audience (against stereotype). This means that news stories concerning gun control are given more
weight than articles concerning make-up. Even within the articles Teen Vogue often skews towards
politics and identity concerns in a way which fits its engaged audience so that a recent article on thigh
gap is actually a piece on body positivity rather than dieting and exercise and an interview with Janel
Parrish about “Pretty Little Liars” is about multi-ethnic representation.
Both products therefore demonstrate Gauntlett’s theories concerning the fluidity of identity which are
also clearly identified by applying Tajfel and Turner’s concepts about group formation and sense of
worth. Teen Vogue’s landing page recently featured more images of teenage girls as activists,
protesting and giving speeches, than behaving merely decorously. The Voice clearly represents black
success (in a way that reflects W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of “the talented tenth”) with images of black
athletes, musicians, sportspeople and business leaders. In this way both products are clearly positively
shaping the way the audience feels about themselves and normative behaviour (which is also part of
Gerbner’s cultivation theory).
Unfortunately, The Voice has suffered from a lack of investment which affects both the production of
material specific to the identity group and the way the identity group identifies with the product. The
site only has one journalist who produces churnalistic copy. There are large numbers of sponsored
stories (often in the Faith section) and there is a lack of reporting, especially investigative reporting, so
that big events affecting black Britons (such as the recent Windrush scandal or the 50th anniversary of
the St Paul’s Carnival) receive poor, or no, coverage. There is also an over reliance on material from
The U.S. which has the psychogeographic effect of diminishing other sources of information. The small
YouTube, Facebook and Instagram followings the site has indicate that it is not connecting to its
audience (although a recent revamp has driven up some of its figures).
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