Key Media Terms and Theory – A-Z

Key term/Theory/Code Definition

A Active Audience Instead of accepting what you consume in the media (See Passive Audience) you challenge it and ask questions, investigate further and in some cases instill change.

Louis Althusser“Interpellation”

How an individuals identity and self image is produced by the dominant ideologies in society –

The media has the power (See Mediation) to control and represent as they wish.

Product Placement and materialism have emerged as a

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result of this ideology.Consumers have been seduced (interpellated) into a certain view by the media.

Julia Angwin (2009) Julia Angwin (2009) in her book ‘Stealing Myspace’ stated that Myspace and in particular social networking was “The defining drama of the digital era”.

Antagonist The character whose function in a plot is to oppose the protagonist. In straightforward hero's journey plots (most action adventures), the antagonist can be referred to as the villain.

Auteur Where the Director inputs their style and approach into a film which is synchronously identifiable to the audience.

For example Steven Spielberg often deals with the collapse or troubles within a family’s dynamics in his films.

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Avante-Garde A term used to describe experimental film making, often associated with another term New wave.

B Roland Barthes Enigma Codes

Clues that signify meanings to the audience in relation to a texts narrative or genre expectations/conventions – e.g Western Films – Guns, horses

Binary Opposition (Levi Strauss)

Good v Evil; Rich v Poor –

Total opposites that are presented in a media text and what impact they have n the audience.

Robert Bly “Rite of Passage” and “Test of Maturity” (1986)

A theory used to describe how male characters in media/film texts are often presented as embarking on something that help’s them transition from boy to man.

e.g Toto being shot with a vest on in the Gangster text

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‘Gomorrah’ (2008)

Brand Identity A media term that establishes the qualities of a particular brand – for example the yellow m symbolizes the popular fast food brand ‘McDonalds’

C Noah Chomsky – Theory on Social Media

Chomsky believes that Social Media:

“Erodes normal human relations” and it makes people “more superficial”

Chomsky has also been described in the media as a “rigid structural determinist” (favors’ order, structure and control) and is therefore, to some extent, against the “PROSUMER” movement in the New Media age.

Connotation Way in which meaning is created

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—

Connote = meaning by association, the deeper meaning (e.g. red connotes anger, passion, love, danger)

Constructionist View

How the media constructs our view on society.

Convergence The way in which technologies and institutions come together in order to create something new – For example:

- I-Phone and the apps on the phone.

- Facebook group within a website

D Deconstruct Where you break down the media text or product to establish the meanings behind it – for example song lyrics non-diegetically playing over a scene in a film – Is it in Symbiotic relationship with the text?

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Demographics A term used to describe different types of audiences, in terms of:

- Gender- Social Class- Age

See Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities

Denotation Way in which meaning is created —

Denote = literal or surface meaning e.g. red is the colour of a flower

De Sola Poole (1977) “Flowering of a Hundred Voices”

“Technologies of Freedom” predicted that new media technologies would “..allow the flowering of a hundred voices”

Diegetic Sound Sound that is directly heard in a text, for example:

- Dialogue- Ambient sound in a moving

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image text (street traffic for example)

Anything the characters and audience can hear or interact with.

Dystopian A term used to describe a scene or setting as abnormal or disturbing.

Very common in the SCI-FI Genre for example.

E Early Adopter “A consumer who buys a new technology early. They will own it before the majority of others “catch on”.

Enigma Codes (Roland Barthes)

How certain codes and conventions within a text act a clue to an eventual outcome in the narrative.

F Fad A craze or trend that people are interested in for a short time.

Fetishisation (Laura Where the female characters in a text become “strong, active

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Mulvey) women”.

Female Gaze (Diana Saco)

The objectification of the male gender in the media for the female consumers pleasure.

Oedipus Complex (Sigmund Freud)

Where the son fears the Father but desires the Mother.

G Gate keeping Quite an old-fashioned term to describe the way in which certain key personnel (news editors, newspaper owners mainly) have control over the information that is presented to audiences, and the way in which it is presented (the angle)

Generic Verisimilitude

This refers to the rules (codes and conventions) associated to a certain genre.

“Global Village” (Marshall McLuhan – 1967)

How society is connected through media products and a variety of platforms – for example Facebook and the medium of social networking has created a Global village

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H Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities

How a text can appeal to the following subjectivities through verbal (dialogue, narrative) and non-verbal codes (star appeal, CGI, Mise-en-scene).

Self-image, Age, Gender, Nationality, Ethnicity, Class and Family

Hegemony How the media regulate or determine the output of media content through a certain platform.

Basically the dominant state over the inferior consumer is how institutions such as the BBC and Hollywood have flourished.

(See Antonio Gramsci Hegemonic Equilibrium)

Hegemonic Equilibrium

The perception that the dominant state in society (Media, Government) convey a

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(Antonio Gramsci) sense of normality (equilibrium) to society, which passive members accept.

However, a new wave of “We Media” and UCC has seen a shift in the equilibrium and therefore Gramsci’s view is being challenged dramatically.

High Concept theory (Justin Wyatt – 1994)

A theory that denotes how many blockbuster Action-Adventure films “hook” the audience in through aesthetically pleasing non-verbal and technical codes such as CGI, SFX and stunts for example.

High Key Lighting Bright lighting, often used to represent a happy moment in the narrative (equilibrium) or to represent the positivity of a place, situation or character.

Hyperdermic Syringe theory

How the Media have the power to inject their ideologies and beliefs into a Passive society.

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Therefore, whatever they say we accept.

Hyper reality The distinction between the real world and the virtual world is disappearing – for example:

Cyper bullying, Avatar popularity

This links to Postmodernism as well – see Jean Baudrillard theory for further reading.

I Ideology A set of beliefs presented in a Media text or by the Institution who produce the text.

Institution A company or brand that produces a media product.

Intertextuality Where a media text makes a direct reference to another media text – This is known as an “Inter-textual reference”.

JK Katz’ Uses & Why audiences consume media

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Gratifications theory

texts, which can be defined through the following gratifications:

‘Escape’ – How audiences can escape reality through the verbal and non-verbal codes presented on screen.

‘Social Interaction’ – How audiences forge relationships with a character and discuss narrative and generic conventions conveyed on screen

‘Personal Identity’ – How audiences identify with a character and/or their situation.

‘Inform and educate’ – How audiences are educated through the themes and issues on screen or in a Print text (Zeitgeist)

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L Liberal Pluralism Challenges Marxist approaches to the media.

It sees society as being made up of competing interest groups, where the media is produced, distributed and exhibited to the wishes of its consumers.

Consumer – becomes the Producer – “Prosumer”

However, as a consequence, does the Producer become the consumer?

Low Key Lighting Dark lighting, often used to represent a disturbing moment in the narrative (disequilibrium) or to represent the negativity of a place, situation or character.

M Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey)

The objectification of the female gender in the media for the male consumers pleasure.

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Herbert Marcuse “Society creates false needs to divert us from our private identity”.

The media emphasizes the need to behave and consume like everybody else – resulting in a wave of Metro sexual men for example.

Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’

Maslow said that you can segment audiences into 4 socio-economic groups:

Survivors – those that want security and routine,

Social Climbers – those with a strong materialistic drive and like status symbols e.g. cars.

Care givers – Those who's esteem is reinforced by caring for others.

Explorers – Those whose esteem is reinforced by

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personal growth and influencing social change.

Metro sexuality A term used to describe the male gender’s desire to improve their self-image and physical appearance in order to “fit in” with society and what other people perceive to be normal.

For example Patrick Bateman in ‘American Psycho’ (1999) and David Fincher’s ‘Fight Club’ (1999) explore this ideology and FAD in depth.

Mise-en-scene A French term used to describe everything you can see on screen, for example –

- Lighting- Setting- Characters- Colours

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Misogyny The hatred or disliking of the female gender from a Male perspective.

N Steve Neale“Genre’s are instances of repetition and difference”

How in order for a genre to stay popular amongst audience’s, the producers of a text will repeat certain codes and conventions that are expected, as well as apply some difference, because…

“Repetition alone will not attract an audience”.

Non-Diegetic Sound A term used to describe sound that is inserted for the audience.

For example – Voiceover commentary (narration), music (soundtrack)

Non-verbal Code For example:

- Character appearance- Costume

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- Iconography- Lighting- Setting

Everything you can see.

O Ownership A lot of “WE Media” (See Liberal Pluralism) is now produced by mass society – for example the content on your Facebook account.However a lot of Media Institutions are powerful and controlling over society and less democratic than products like Facebook.

P Passive Audience An audience who accept what they consume and don’t challenge it.

Point of Call Institutional information that is presented in a media text to help target an audience, for example:

- Day- Time- Date

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- Channel

Point of View shot Where a scene in a moving image text is shot form the characters perspective – often characterized by shaky camera movement.

Postmodernism See Hyper reality – According to Julian McDougall “Media reality is the new reality” and according to Strinati (An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture – 2005) “The mass media were once thought of as holding up a mirror to, and thereby reflecting, a wider social reality”.

Propp’s Character Roles

- Prince (aka Hero)- Princess (“Damsel in

distress”)- Fake Prince (Conveys

heroic qualities, however fails)

- Villain (Antagonist)

Q Queer theory How society challenge all notions of identity and avoid

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(David Gauntlett) stereotyping.

R Representation Someone’s version of reality – Presentation is reality.

S “Signs act as signifiers” – Semiotics (Ferdinand De Saussure)

Semiotics

Where non-verbal and/or verbal codes “signify” something of great importance or a set of meanings to the audience.

For example:

The colour red in the Horror genre “signifies”….

This ideology is very similar to Roland Barthes “Enigma codes”.

“Star Appeal” (Richard Dyer)

How Hollywood and other institutions within the contemporary media landscape (and the past) rely on stars to

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vehicle their productions in order to appeal to their target audience.

Key term: “Bums on seats”

This can be in the form of:

- Actors- Actresses (Sex appeal for

the male audience)- Directors

Symbiotic Relationship

How more than one text or media product work together to help one another – For example a Facebook logo being present on an official website in order to promote the release of a new film.

Synchronous Sound Sound (Verbal code) that is in time with (synchronous) to the mise-en-scene or what you see (Non-verbal code)

T Technical Code For example:

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- Camera Angle (High, Low, Eye Level)

- Shot types (POV, Close-up, Mid-Shot)

Technological Determinism

How technology dictates or determines the nature of society.

Text Anything that is read, listened to or viewed.

Todorov’s 3 Part narrative

Equilibrium – Where the narrative is in a state of normality and harmony (usually at the beginning of a text)

Disequilibrium – Where the normality of the texts narrative is disrupted

New Equilibrium – Where the threat of a villain is overcome and normality is restored.

U UCC (User Created Content)

Where the consumer takes on the role of Media producer (See “Prosumer” or Liberal

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Pluralism) to create a product that they and other people use.

For example fan website’s and even Facebook page content.

USP (Unique Selling Point)

What makes a Media Product so appealing and desirable to the consumer?

Utopian A term used to describe a scene or setting as normal or happy/idyllic.

Very common in musicals, comedies and other uplifting Genres for example.

V Verbal Code For example –

- Song Lyrics- Dialogue in a moving image

text- Text in a Print media

product (Magazine, Newspaper)

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“Anything that can be read or said”

Vertical Integration During the Hollywood Studio System era (primarily 1930-1949 although it was still prevalent in the 1960’s) the Major studios had control over the Production, Distribution and Exhibition of it’s films.

Voyeurism Where somebody is being watched without them realizing.

In Film, certain technical codes such as a POV shot that is presented in a broken frame can create a sense of voyeurism as you watch a character – usually seen in the Horror genre or during a moment of scandal in the narrative.

W Web 2.0 The Second generation of web based communities.

For example:

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MSN, Facebook and social networking.

Web 3.0 An evolving extension of the World wide web.

“Whammo” (Joel Silver)

How in the narrative of a text (usually Action-Adventure genre or something as equally High concept in appearance on screen) the audience are provided with a significant moment (verbal/non-verbal and/or technical) that conveys an element of adrenaline for the audience.

“Window into the World” (Wendy Helsby)

How the media provide a social representation (sometimes presentation) that the audience can personally identify with.

XYZ Zeitgeist How a text or the themes and

issues presented in a text reflect

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the “spirit of the times”

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