EXAM PAPER 1 SECTION B
PAPER 1 Section B 45 marks ( 45 minutes writing time )
Complete all of the following questions and publish on your blog. You can plan and research your answers .
3a What is a media conglomerate ? ( 2 )
Companies that have ownership over a large number of companies in various mass media such as radio, publishing, movies, television etc. E.g. Walt Disney Company
3b How does ownership shape the content of newspapers ? Refer to the Mirror and The Times (8)
Ownership of newspapers can shape its content through the paper's political views. As The Mirror is a left-winged newspaper, this means that they stand for progressive ideas such as gradual change, supporting young people as well as equal opportunity for all. They believe in larger state with more state control over the economy and more spending in order to provide or improve welfare. On the other hand, The Times is a right-winged newspaper. This means that they stand for more traditional values such as nationalism, smaller state and lower taxes. They believe in the idea of law and order and more freedom for businesses while focusing on individuals' social class. Overall, The Mirror would favour the Labour party and link stories based on more liberal ideas whereas The Times would favour the Conservative party and link their stories with more conservative ideas.
Another way ownership shapes the content of newspapers is through where they owners are from. With newspapers such as The Mirror and The Times, due to them both being British newspapers that are owned by British people, (The Mirror and The Times are owned by Rupert Murdoch), they are more likely to talk about things such as British politics like Brexit and the Prime Minister as well as local news and events happening during different times while also including British celebrity gossip and entertainment channels such as ITV and BBC. These factors would shape the newspaper to report on British news rather than maybe American news.
3c What has been the impact of recent technologies on all elements of the newspaper industry and how has it responded to these challenges ? Refer to The Mirror and The Times ( 12)
One major impact that technology has had on the newspaper industry is the lack of buying print newspapers. Due to a lot of people having social media, this allows people to get the news that they need from the internet by either searching for it online, or news stories being shared to them by friends or family. this also allows them to get their news for free without having to pay for a physical print copy. A way in which newspapers have faced this particular challenge is that some have made social media accounts in order for people to share news stories to their family and friends easier. This can also be shown by hashtags associated to the newspapers and articles. Newspapers such as The Mirror and The Times have a Twitter and Instagram account in order for people online to interact with others. This has also lead to newspapers moving to online instead of print. This is due to the fact that people can access the newspaper more frequently and they can just load it on their phone, tablet or laptop. They can still make money through advertisements on the website. On the websites for The Mirror and The Times, people must subscribe to the newspaper in order to have full access to different content.
4a What is the importance of fandom in media products ? Refer to the Assassins Creed franchise to support your points ( 8 )
One importance of fandoms in media products is that it allows the media product to have a devoted fan base. With Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft have made many follow up games to its first Assassin's Creed game due to such great reception from fans. This enables the creators to be able to make more games for the series as it has accumulated a dedicated fanbase that are genuinely interested in the games. this means that more copies of the game would be sold and that more profit would go to the developers to make more games consumers would like. With this much of a devoted fanbase, developers can also be critiqued by their fanbase as as their opinion can help improve the players' game experience.
Another importance of fandom the fandom is through social interactions. In Assassins Creed, the game offers players social experiences as not only can players play by themselves, but they can also play on a multiplayer mode with friends, family or new people that they have met online through the game. This can also lead to people that already have the game to persuade others that they know to get it so that they can play together online. This then leads to more product promotion and recognition which then leads to more profit for the creators.
4b How is the gaming industry regulated or what are the challenges in this particular industry ? (8)
One way the gaming industry is regulated is through PEGI. PEGI is the video game age rating system regulator in Europe which was established in order to ensure that parents are choosing a game for their child that is appropriate for their age group. It is supported by many game manufacturers such as Sony, Microsoft and many others. The age ratings used by PEGI are; 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18 where 3 is suitable for all age groups in which sounds as well as pictures should not be likely to scare young children and 18 where the game may include mature subjects such as gross violence, drugs etc that may depict real life situations.
A challenge faced in the gaming industry is when it comes to selling and consumers buying the product. Although PEGI rates all games for it to meet the criteria for the right age group, some parents may buy their children a game with an age rating higher than the child's actual age. This can be argued to have a drastic change in the child's behaviour and the parents could blame the creators of the game which could lead to an outcry of hate towards the developers from other parents. This could then lead to other people no longer wanting to support the game further and the game no longer being sold which would result in a loss of money for the developers.
5 How important is historical context to media products ?
Refer to your Tide advertising case study. (7)
In media products, historical is very important as it gives people insight on the development of technology and products in general throughout the years. In the Tide advert, the main image clearly shows that the advert is promoting washing powder. This links to new technological home appliances being developed rapidly in the 1950s during the post-WW2 consumer boom which were purposefully designed and created to make domestic chores easier for women. This included products such as fridge-freezers, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners and of course, washing machines which were all deemed as desirable products.
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