This document analyzes how the magazine "VIBE" represents two social groups: New Affluent Workers and Emerging Service Workers. It describes the key characteristics of each group and how different elements of the magazine appeal to them. The front cover features a young woman representing the youth and culture of the groups. Contents pages include many visuals and artist names to draw interest. A double page feature interviews an up-and-coming musician in a way that interests fans of new music and production details. Competitors Mixmag and DJ Magazine also effectively represent lifestyle and passions of the target demographic.

1. How does your media product
represent social groups
Jessica Pattrick

2. contents
• Social Group Defined
• Front Cover Analysis
•
• Contents Analysis
•
• Double Page Spread Analysis
•
• Competitor Comparison

3. Social group
A social group is a collection of people who interact with each other and share similar
characteristics and a sense of unity.
New Affluent Workers and Emerging Service Workers: These are my two chosen social groups I feel fulfil
the purpose of my pop-genre magazine effectively.
New Affluence Worker
This class group is sociable, has lots of cultural interests and sits in the
middle of all the groups in terms of wealth.
• This class is youthful and economically secure without being well off.
•
• They have high scores for emerging culture, such as watching sports, going
to gigs and regularly using social media.
•
• They do not tend to participate in highbrow culture such as classical music
and theatre.
•
• They are likely to come from a working class background.
•
• Many of them will live in old manufacturing centres of the UK in the
Midlands and North West.
•
• They have an average house value of £129,000
Emerging Service Workers
This class group is relatively poor but are young and have big social
and culture lives, therefore the money they have is spent on music
and arts.
• They have a relatively poor economic capital, but reasonable household
income.
•
• The emerging cultural capital is higher for this class than for any other class,
indicating a high degree of cultural engagement in youthful musical,
sporting and internet activities, but highbrow cultural capital is low.
•
• Typical occupations include bar staff, chefs, nursing auxiliaries and
assistants, assemblers and routine operatives, care workers, elementary
storage occupations, customer service occupations and musicians.
•
• They have an average household income of £21,000
•
• They have a significant number of social contacts, who tend have
moderate social status.

4. Front cover analysis
The name ‘VIBE’ can be defined as:
1. A person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by
others.
OR
2. Someone who enjoy oneself by listening to or dancing to popular music.
OR
3. To transmit or give out (a feeling or atmosphere).
All of which visually link to my targeted social groups as new affluent and emerging social
workers as they’re likely to go gigs, which relates to the second definition, and the
atmosphere of gigs, which they attend, relates to the first and third.
My feature article photograph portrays a 17 year old girl who strongly represents the two
social groups by her youthful image and choice of a sparkly dress which portrays the groups
culture of clubbing and partying.
The bright and bold colours of my front cover represent my social groups as they can
represent the bold colours of lights at clubs or parties which they would attend regularly.

5. Contents analysis
I designed my contents page purposely with this layout as I
had considered the way that affluent workers and emergent
service workers read articles due to them not being a
highbrow culture. From this, I knew that they like to take
there time a prefer more visual representations. Because of
this I made my contents a double page but included lots of
photos, almost one from every artist mentioned to make my
page in general, very visual. However I also included a lot of
information for each artist, so that my social groups can take
there time to read about each artist if they wish too before
reading the actual article.
I included the names of many different artists and band, and
capitalised and bolded them, so that they stand out to my
social groups which would draw them in as they are the types
of people that my social groups would know and be
interested in.
The picture of the artist on stage in the review column was
placed purposely as my social groups are likely to go to
concerts so would be interested in seeing reviews of
concerts, that they might have even been at themselves.

6. Double Page spread analysis
The large photo on my double page spread shows a girl
holding a guitar in a recording studio, this is appealing to my
social groups as they are serious and passionate about
listening music and making music, as is the star shown. The
bright lighting and acoustic guitar in her hand portrays the
magazine genre of pop. My article content is an interview of
the star pictured about recording her new album and about
going on tour. My social groups are people that are
interested in new and upcoming music and music events so
this would strongly appeal to them. The questions are in
bold and underlined to make the article clear and simplistic
for my groups to read and know what they’re reading
about.
I included a ‘Must Know’ column with facts and figures
about the new upcoming album, such as where it was
produced and who produced it as I know that my targeted
social groups would not only be interested in the music
itself, but also how it was created as they are serious about
making music themselves. This gives them information on
who they could contact if they were to try and produce
something themselves, and also how to go around doing it.

7. COMPETITOR COMPARISONS
Mixmag use bright colours such as
bright pink which represents their
social group’s (New Affluent Workers)
culture of partying and clubbing as
bright colours connote their state of
mind and energized way of life, as well
as representing bold, bright lights of
nightclubs where this social group
would spend a lot of their time. There
is a lot of negative space which is due
to the social group not being a
highbrow culture, so Mixmag have
decided to keep it very simplistic and
visual.
DJ magazine have a cover star that
strongly represents their social group
(New Affluent Workers.) As the cover
star seems to be somewhere like a
nightclub in this photograph the
social groups can relate as it is a
similar way of life to them. The stars
facial expressions is a visual
representation of how the group feel
when they’re clubbing so can engage
even more. As the group are
passionate about this kind of music
they probably know who Magda is, so
therefore is someone that they can
connect too but also look to as who
they would like to be.