LUTHER-WCC COMM 101 chapter #5-MAGAZINES (part #2)

1. Chapter 5 (part #2):
Magazines

2. Developing Media Literacy Skills
But it’s not just REALITY about body
representation and standard of
beauty that is being constructed by
MASS MEDIA, it’s REALITY of ALL
TYPES – a reality that is constantly
being “produced, maintained,
repaired, and transformed” by
MEDIA REPRESENTATION

3. Developing Media Literacy Skills
Here’s another look at this issue of Media
Representation = Reality being tackled by
Serena Williams
• William's appearance on the August ‘19 cover of Harper's
Bazaar is noteworthy because the photos are unretouched.
So her famed athletic physique -- cloaked in various golden
dresses -- is presented raw and unvarnished. In one photo, a
scar on her right leg is clearly visible. In another, two moles
dot the left side of her face.

4. Developing Media Literacy Skills
• This cultural movement -- which aims to veer away from
what's been considered the traditional, mainstream
standards of beauty -- has been powering its way through
the worlds of fashion and entertainment the past few years.
It's seen many female celebrities sharing makeup-free
photos of themselves on social media or appearing in
magazine photoshoots with the pictures unretouched.
• HERE’S A NIKE AD VOICED BY SERENA WILLIAMS THAT
ADDRESSES NEGATIVE MEDIA RESPRESENTATIONS OF
FEMALE ATHLETES – “DREAM CRAZIER”

5. BODY IMAGE “REALITY”
BEING PHOTOSHOPPED LIKE
MEN
BEING PHOTOSHOPPED LIKE
WOMEN

6. Developing Media Literacy Skills
• The tricks and trends of magazine photos
have simply evolved into Social Media
tricks and trends with photoshopping,
filters, and other types of manipulation
being used to create REALITY that is
anything but real…even though the fallout
from this “REALITY” can be viewed as
very real…

7. MAGAZINES
•What is a “Magazine”?
PRINT MEDIA
How is a magazine different than a
book or a newspaper?
Quality?
Quantity?
Timeliness?
Price?
Purpose?

8. MAGAZINES = FIRST NATIONAL MASS
MEDIA
•The Mass Circulation Era
Due to expansion afforded by the railroad
industry and the nature of magazines
themselves, magazines became
America’s first national mass medium
Between 1900 and 1945, the number of
families who subscribed to one or more
magazines grew from 200,000 to more
than 32 million

9. MAGAZINES: The Era of Specialization
•The rise of television generally forced
magazines to change from general subjects
to more specific ones because:
•Magazines could not match the reach of
television
•Magazines were usually weekly while TV was
continuous
•Magazines were static while TV was dynamic
•By specializing instead of generalizing,
Magazines were able to find smaller but
more enthusiastic audiences for their
content – much like TV would do itself with
cable TV and its specialized lineup of
channels.

10. SPECIALITY MAGAZINES – Something for
everyone!

11. Scope and Structure of the
Magazine Industry
•In 1950, there were 6,950
magazines and, in 2012, the
number of all types of magazines
exceeded 20,000…but paid
circulation numbers have dropped
for most, if not all, major U.S.
magazines in the past few decades

12. Scope and Structure of the
Magazine Industry
•Magazines, like all other kinds of mass
media, are dealing with audience
fragmentation and competition from
digital media channels and sources
•Still, according to the Association of
Magazine Media, 91% of us read
magazines on one platform or another,
an all-time high – the issue, as it is with
mass media in general, is that we’re
paying to do so like we used to…

13. Scope and Structure of the
Magazine Industry
•Magazines can provide many of the
same cultural benefits as books but are
often seen as more disposable and less
“important” than books.
•The Man With The Most Magazines In
The World would disagree with that
view
•More aspects of Mass Media &
Culture? Preservation, Collecting and
Obsession…