The Voice Case Study: Blog Tasks :)

Language and textual analysis

Homepage

Go to The Voice homepage and answer the following:

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

The Voice homepage has a top menu bar along with a clear masthead at the top of the page which is considered a key convention of a website especially alongside the search icon at the top right of the page and a table of contents positioned on the right of that. The subscribe button at the top and even the use of ads on the home page are also key conventions of a website 

2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?

This page design differs from Teen Vogue due to the advertisements which are not as discrete due to their size being bigger than the news stories. Teen Vogue also has more modern designs which The Voice is lacking 

3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?

Some of the items in the top menu bar are: News, Sport, Black British Voices and Faith. This tells us that while The Voice focuses on black Britons, there is still a mainstream nature due to the representation of sports as well as an interest in traditional values for older black Britons with stories on faith 

4) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick two stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience. 

• "Chris Kaba: Funeral held for unarmed man shot dead by police": This is the story of a black man who was shot by police despite being unarmed. This is relevant to The Voice's target audience as they produce content for black Britons who aim to educate themselves on what is happening to black people so this article is informative about what black people are still facing 
• Government reject call for new institutional racism inquiry after Fire Brigade scandal: The author of a report which found the London Fire Brigade “institutionally misogynist and racist” has warned that similar problems could be widespread in other public organisations. The independent review found colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds were “frequently the target of racist abuse”. This is relevant to The Voice's target audience because they are an audience who is actively looking for updates on racism around the world and this article informs them of the things that happen globally that are even affecting institutes 

5) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage and how they encourage audiences to click through to them.

Narrative is used to encourage audience engagement with The Voice through the use of enigma codes (applying Barthes enigma codes) with headlines such as "First commercial flight from Africa to Caribbean lands in Antigua", "London is the place for me" and "Labour finally fills race post". These headlines are vague which encourages a reader to read the article to understand the meaning of the headline due to the vague nature of the headline originally  

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

The items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section are: Fashion & Beauty, Food, Health & Wellbeing, Relationships and Travel. This suggests that The Voice's target audience is likely to be middle-class seeing as they are able to afford this kind of lifestyle 

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

"Ghanaian architect looking to build for the future" and "The only woman in the world to lead an army"

3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?

The Lifestyle section of The Voice differs from Teen Vogue due to the fact that there is less focus on education and campus on The Voice due to the target audience being more aimed towards an audience that is interested in a society that based around the issues that black people face. Teen Vogue aims to target its products towards a young audience and produces content about college life and celebrities. The target audience of  The Voice differs in that it targets itself at an older black audience so their lifestyle section would differ to a younger target audience like Teen Vogue

4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

I believe that the stories in the lifestyle section challenge black stereotypes in British media because the "Ghanaian architect looking to build for the future" article shows the success of a black women which is not a common representation in the media so this is undeniably challenging stereotypes because the success of white people typically dominates the media so this is a subversion of that representation and taking a step towards equality. Likewise, the "The only woman in the world to lead an army" article is a powerful article due to the fact that it also highlights the success of a black woman which has been severely underrepresented in the media which emphasises the growth that the black community has faced in recent years 

5) Choose two stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?

• Ghanaian architect looking to build for the future: This reflects the values and ideologies of The Voice because it subverts the stereotypical representation of the media that shows the success of white people most dominantly. This allows the audience to understand the way that black people are being offered more opportunities in society which shows progress 
• The only woman in the world to lead an army: This story is not only empowering for black people but is also empowering for black women. The underrepresentation of black women in the media is already devastating so this story allows for empowerment for the women who do not feel represented in the media 

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice opinion piece on black representation in the tech industry. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?

This piece reflects the values and ideologies of The Voice due to the recognition of the inequalities in terms of the percentage of black people in workplaces urging them "to do better". The feature lays out the facts in order to portray their desire for more black success which starts with accepting more black people into areas such as tech 

2) Read this feature on Michaela Coel supporting Oxfam's Second Hand campaign. Why might this feature appeal to readers of The Voice?

This feature might appeal to readers of The Voice due to the empowerment for readers to make a change by getting involved in Oxfam's Second Hand September Campaign. By having Michaela Coel as the face of this campaign, her fans will be more inclined to participate due to the personal relationship (applying Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory) they have built with her 

3) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

This story might reflect the Voice's values and ideologies by reporting on a topic that criticises an organisation as large as The Fire Brigades Union over the way in which the Grenfell Tower fire was handled. While this tragic event in itself is a sensitive topic, reporting on Doreen Lawrence's views establish a sense of agency from black people along with their awareness and how this is then interpreted/reacted to by the mainstream media 

Audience

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

I think that the target audience for The Voice website is likely to be made up of older Black Britons due to the focus on giving black people a 'voice' as a central point of the magazine alongside the section on Faith which seems more traditional and accommodating to an older black audience. In terms of psychographic groups, I believe that The Voice readers are likely to be part of the Resigned group because of the traditional values they have that are unchanging and they choose what is familiar to them 

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

The audience pleasures provided by The Voice website include entertainment due to the fact that they provide news on productions that are show that their readers might be interested in. The Voice website also suggests a personal relationship through the faith section where Muyiwa Olarewaju makes frequent appearances which allows the readers to become familiar with him. The website undeniably provides personal identity as it aims to give black people a 'voice' so that their content represents black people by black people 

3) Give examples of sections or content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

The Black British Voices section tells you that The Voice is aimed at a specialised or niche audience as black people are actually a huge minority in England. The section on Faith also suggests that The Voice is aimed at a specialised or niche audience as it highlights a need for content for people that are religious 

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

The themes of politics, history and racism in The Voice's content might resonate with The Voice's British target audience as it highlights the black experience in the UK and acts as a reminder of the things they've been fighting for in the journey for equality 

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

The audience is positioned to respond to representations on The Voice website in a positive manner as The Voice aims to provide a more realistic and accurate representation of black people than can be seen in the mainstream media 

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?

I think that the representations in The Voice are an example of Gilroy's concept of "double consciousness" as The Voice tries to capture an honest depiction of the black experience and through doing this, the double consciousness regarding being both British and Black is definitely prevalent and seemingly divided reinforced by the fact that The Voice as a magazine even needs to exist 

3) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

Applying Stuart Hall's constructivist approach to representations, different audiences might interpret the representations of black Britons differently to The Voice's own target audience in accordance with their own conceptual map. Different audiences might view The Voice's content as reaffirming black people's role as being either entertainers or being violent due to the stories on theatre and music alongside news of shootings 

4) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)

Another interesting representation on The Voice website is the sports section which covers information as the content focuses on how black people are represented in sport 

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

This tells me that the original values and ideologies behind The Voice brand were to target people "who were born here and had spent most of their lives here" and building up a reputation for campaigning against racism and injustice 

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

The article raises many relevant issues that are still relevant today such as the decline of sales for The Voice dropping circulation by 20% from its previous sales of 51,318 3 years earlier before the launch of its rivals - New Nation 

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia or look at this Guardian article when Gleaner first acquired The Voice.

The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. The Gleaner company also owns media brands such as The Gleaner which is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Jamaica. From this, I think that The Gleaner company might be interested in The Voice as they share traditional values 

4) How does the Voice website make money?

The Voice makes money by asking for donations, ad revenue and sponsorships 

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

On The Voice website there are adverts for McDonald's and joining Hackney Council which suggests that their adverts aren't based on user's cookies but are rather fixed adverts 

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

There is definitely an element of public service to The Voice as they are doing what even major magazines fail to do by representing those who have less of a platform than those who are majorities 

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

There are a few examples of technological convergence on The Voice website such as the link to purchase their book along with links to their YouTube videos 

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

The growth of digital distribution through the internet has definitely changed the potential for niche products like The Voice due to the fact that they are now able to reach a larger proportion of their target audience even if they don't live locally but still want to consume the content of The Voice 

9) Analyse The Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

The Voice's Twitter feed is relatively straight to the point and the tweets are copies of the headline for the articles 

10) Study a selection of videos from The Voice’s YouTube channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content?

From The Voice's YouTube channel it is clear to see that their production values of their video content are lacking tremendously as they lack in professionality as seen by their video call format interviews, poor background and sound/audio quality unlike Teen Vogue which takes pride in its high production values and professional brand identity 

Women and Videogames: Blog Tasks :)

Part 1: Medium article - Is Female Representation in Video Games Finally Changing?

Read this short Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

Women are typically either objectified or “damsels in distress” in many major video games, like the iconic Lara Craft to Princess Peach in the Mario franchise 

2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?

42% of the video game demographic is female, indicating that times have changed and video games cannot survive by solely targeting the male audience 

3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?

Recent popular games like Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead series have female protagonists, co-protagonists or otherwise important characters.These games each have characters who are role models for real women, because they are strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate 

4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?

I somewhat agree that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented in them because audiences undeniably want to see an authentic representation of themselves in media products which can cause negative feedback from audiences if they see a misrepresentation. This could ultimately lead to the rejection of the media product as a whole 

5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?

The writer suggests that the changes regarding recent versions of Lara Croft were an evolution from “sex symbol to icon”. Pratchett has been credited as her getting hired as the lead writer for the reboot of Tomb Raider as a woman who “had a long history of working on games with complex female protagonists, such as Heavenly Sword and Mirror’s Edge” led to the creation of a protagonist who players could identify with 

Part 2: Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis

Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:

1) Title of video

Strategic Butt Coverings - Tropes vs Women 

2) 100 word summary

This video explores how women are objectified and sexualised in videogames due to their designers accentuating their butts through camera angles to ensure that it is in clear view at all times for the player to look at. However, great measures are taken in order to hide the butts of their male counterparts which has been done through capes, long coats or making it impossible to maneuver using the camera angles which indicates a double standard towards these two genders in videogames 

Part 3: Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview

Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency and answer the following questions:

1) What reaction did Anita Sarkeesian receive when she published her videos on women in videogames? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.

When Anita Sarkeesian published her videos on YouTube on women in videogames, she received more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats which only encouraged her to continue the series 

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

Sarkeesian summarises feminism as the radical notion that women are human beings

3) Why do stories matter?

Stories matter as narratives because they have always been a core way human beings learn about, make sense of, and understand the world we live in. Stories have embedded myths and messages and can be carriers of positive, heroic, or subversive values as well as reinforcing negative stereotypes and oppressive social norms 

4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?

Although Sarkeesian is in favor of more female protagonists in videogames, she views Samus Aran and Lara Croft as female protagonists who are still objectified and sexualized for a presumed straight-male audience. She believes that the existence of a female protagonist must be linked to an intentional shift away from the idea that women in games exist primarily as objects of sexual desire 

5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?

The videogame landscape has allowed the representation of women to change significantly due to the fact that there are now more female characters and more protagonists. Despite this positive change, some negative representations have been reinforced even further- today the trope of a "Fighting F@#k Toy" has essentially become the default representation for women in much of the gaming industry. There has also been a resurgence of the "Damsel in Distress" recently as developers rush to remake or reboot many of the classic 1980s games 

6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?

Mirror's Edge and Portal are held up as examples of more progressive representations of women due to the fact that both characters are women of color, and both serve as the protagonists of their own games without being overly sexualized or objectified 

7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?

The qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on in order to create more positive female characters are: protagonists with agency not tied directly to their sex appeal, transformative story arcs where characters are struggling with or overcoming personal flaws, and some emotional depth and expression 

8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?

The impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated is that creative and decision-making roles are influenced by the old boys' club mentality and atmosphere 

9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?

Sarkeesian hopes to achieve the promotion of media literacy and give people tools to look critically at the games we play. Her hope is to clearly present the issues surrounding women's representations as a systemic problem by identifying reoccuring patterns 

10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?

Sarkeesian hopes to spark media debates on the larger ongoing conversation already happening elsewhere about women in games in order to have "genuine", complex female characters because it will make games and gaming better overall, more diverse, and more innovative 

Further Feminist Theory: Blog Tasks :)

Use our Media Factsheet archive and find Media Factsheet #169 Further Feminist Theory, read the whole of the Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What definitions are offered by the factsheet for ‘feminism ‘and ‘patriarchy’?

• Feminism: A movement which aims for equality for women – to be treated as equal to men socially, economically, and politically. It is a movement that is focused not on ‘hating’ men, or suggesting that women are superior. Instead, feminism is focused on highlighting the power and suppressive nature of the patriarchy

• Patriarchy: Male dominance in society

2) Why did bell hooks publish her 1984 book ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’?

Because she had identified a lack of diversity within the feminist movement, and argued that these diverse voices had been marginalised, being put outside the main body of feminism 

3) What aspects of feminism and oppression are the focus for a lot of bell hooks’s work?

“Women in lower class and poor groups, particularly those that are non- white, would not have defined women’s liberation as women gaining social equality with men since they are continually reminded in their everyday lives that all women do not share a common social status.” Here hooks argues that feminism’s goal to make all women equal to men is flawed; not all men are equal to men as a result of oppression, sexuality, ethnicity. hooks used her work to offer a more inclusive feminists theory that advocated for women within a sisterhood to acknowledging and accepting their differences 

4) What is intersectionality and what does hooks argue regarding this?

The term intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. Multiple identities intersect to create an individual identity that can include gender, race, social class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, mental illness, physical illness. bell hooks argues that experiences of class, gender, sexuality etc cannot be completely understood if the influences of racialisation are not considered. hooks argues that understanding intersectionality is vital to gaining political and social equality and improving our democratic system 

5) What did Liesbet van Zoonen conclude regarding the relationship between gender roles and the mass media?

Van Zoonen concludes that there is a strong relationship between gender (stereotypes, pornography and ideology) and communication, but it is also the mass media that leads to much of the observable gender identity structures in advertising, film and TV 

6) Liesbet van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed. What does this mean and which other media theorist we have studied does this link to?

van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed which means that gender roles have been formed by society rather than having any objective evidence. Arguably, we can apply Judith Butler's theory of gender as performance to van Zoonen because she suggests that we are conditioned to adhere to social norms that society has developed 

7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

Feminists view women's lifestyle magazines in ways that perhaps criticise women’s magazines as commercial sites of exaggerated femininity which serve to pull women into a consumer culture on the promise that the products they buy will alleviate their own bodily insecurities and low self-esteem. van Zoonen argues that women’s magazines mediate images that tell women “how to be a perfect mother, lover, wife, homemaker, glamorous accessory, secretary – whatever suits the needs of the system”. I agree with the view that women's lifestyle magazines emphasise women's femininity in order to appeal to consumer culture 

8) In looking at the history of the colours pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which other media theorist we have studied argues this and do you agree that gender roles are in a process of constant change? Can you suggest examples to support your view?

van Zoonen suggests gender ideas can evolve over time. This has also been argued by David Gauntlett who presents the idea that things change over time and that identity is becoming more fluid. Gender roles are undeniably in a constantly changing suggested by the growing support towards the LGBTQ+ community and the inclusion of options other than the traditional male and female gender identity  

9) What are the five aspects van Zoonen suggests are significant in determining the influence of the media?

Van Zoonen argues that the influence of the media is dependent on: Whether the institution is commercial or public, the platform upon which they operate (print versus digital media), genre (drama versus news), target audiences, the place the media text holds within the audiences’ daily lives

10) What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?

Van Zoonen builds on Stuart Hall’s negotiated readings, arguing that the negotiated readings and subsequent focus on the way meanings are encoded and decoded "implies acknowledgement of gender construction as a social process in which women and men actively engage" 

11) Van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’. She suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. What other theory and idea (that we have studied recently) can this be linked to?

van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’ and suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. Paul Gilroy's double consciousness is another theory that links to this 

12) Finally, van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism. She suggests that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. How does this link to bell hooks views on feminism and intersectionality?

van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism by suggesting that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. This links to bell hooks's views on feminism and intersectionality because it recognises that gender cannot be looked at independently but in relation to many other elements of identity and society