January assessment LR

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW - This was a pleasure to read! Such a clear authority over the issues and debates, particularly in Q2-4. The way you address both sides of the debate in Q4 is excellent.

EBI - Q1 unseen analysis is weaker so that's an area to focus on for future development. Have a look at the mark scheme for that question as this may help. Q4 needed more examples from the media but we can add those once we have studied the CSPs.

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q1: The Stormzy 2020 tour poster contains a range of conventions that communicate meanings that audiences would recognise and understand as a concert promotion – venue (Motorpoint Arena), artist name, date, website etc.

Q2: I got full marks on this question, but could have mentioned diversification or conglomerate ownership

Q3: Unique funding model for BBC and Channel 4 means channels don’t need to chase audiences/high ratings and PSB remit means subjects are covered and people are represented that otherwise may be ignored by commercial broadcasters.

Q4: Two-step flow theory – audiences are more likely to respond to people rather than media institutions so opinion leaders in the media are crucial in influencing opinion and audience responses. Could still have damaging effect depending on political viewpoint or breadth of influence e.g. influencers, celebrities or columnists who court controversy and deliberately seek to offend (Andrew Tate etc.)

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment? You may also want to think here whether you had completed all the original blog tasks from last term before doing the assessment.

I would rank my level of preparation for this assessment as a 7 as I had revised over theories and quotes and completed all my blog tasks but in hindsight should have looked over the previous mark scheme from the last assessment as well.

4) Look at your answer for Question 2. Did you manage to write about three different strategies and three different benefits? It's vital you read the question and follow it exactly.

Yes :)

5) Look at your answer for Question 3. Did you follow the question guidance and write about both the BBC and commercial broadcasters? What could you have added to this answer to reach a higher mark?

To obtain full marks in Question 3, I could have discussed funding and the license fee.

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 4 - the 20 mark essay question on media effects theory. Write a new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples from the wider media.

To an extent, I agree that the media has the ability to distort and manipulate the viewpoints of audiences, however, I also believe that the media has a positive role in the lives of people. 

Gerbner's cultivation theory suggests that television is able to influence your outlook on the world and that when audiences are constantly exposed to images of violence they can develop "Mean World Syndrome". This effect has been exemplified by the proliferation of social media, where audiences are now spending hours each day being shown violence and forced into echo chambers by algorithms on their devices. This has been proven to damage the mental health of many young people. 

Another media effects theory relevant to this is moral panics, first defined by Stanley Cohen who stated that moral panics were a cycle where something would be identified by the media and said to threaten the fabric of society until legislation is brought about against them, a clear example of how the media can influence audiences negatively, using groups of people or things as scapegoats which can lead to an increased amount of fear and discrimination in society. 

However, Blumler and Katz's theory of uses and gratifications suggests that media is often purposefully consumed by audiences for positive reasons, such as a diversion from normal life, building personal identity, personal relationships with authors, actors or franchises and keeping surveillance of the world, which provides an alternative viewpoint where it could be said that most media does not have a damaging impact on audiences and can actually add value to their lives.