This document provides an introduction to media studies, including definitions and concepts: - It defines "media" as standing between reality and the audience to provide representations rather than the real thing. - It discusses how a self-portrait drawing is a mediated representation influenced by genre, audience, narrative and institution. - It introduces key concepts in media like genre, audience, narrative and institution and how they work together. - It discusses how media audiences are categorized using demographics like age, gender, socio-economics and psychographics like attitudes. - It gives examples of ITV sales categories used to segment media audiences like housewives, children, and men in different age groups.

1. WJEC GCSE Media Studies
Introductory unit – skills, concepts and
practice
Lesson 1 – What is the media?
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2. 2
Starter
Using a dictionary, find the definition of
the word ‘mediate’ and write it down.
Once you have the definition, you should
be able to explain to a neighbour when
you have ‘mediated’ in a situation.

3. What ‘the media’ does. . .
• The words ‘media’ and ‘mediates’ are related.
• The purpose of the media is to stand between the reality of the
world and us, the media audience.
• This means that nothing we see in the media can be thought of as
“real”, it can only be a “representation” of what is real.
• Do demonstrate this, draw a quick sketch of yourself, which you
can label if your drawing skills are limited.
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4. What ‘the media’ does. . .
The drawing is a “representation” of the real you. This has been
mediated by your:
• Need to make it look like a self portrait should look
• Ideas about what other people expect
• Your need to communicate as much information as you can
• Your need to be recognised, liked, etc.
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5. What ‘the media’ does. . .
The drawing is a “representation” of the real you. This has been
mediated by your:
• Need to make it look like a self portrait should look Genre
• Ideas about what other people expect Audience
• Your need to communicate as much information as you can
Narrative
• Your need to be recognised, liked, etc. Institution
The bold words are the 5 “key concepts” of media as they work
together. 5

6. Your personal experience of the media
Think about all the ways in which you “consume” the media?
We use the word “consume” because we don’t just watch media
products, we also read them, make choices about them and interact
with them.
How can we go about finding out about the media habits of the
class?
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7. Your personal experience of the media
Think about all the ways in which you “consume” the media?
We use the word “consume” because we don’t just watch media
products, we also read them, make choices about them and interact
with them.
How can we go about finding out about the media habits of the
class?
Form pairs and, in your pair, design a quick survey you can
conduct on another pair. You will need to think carefully – you
need to find out who they are as well as how the consume the
media. 7

8. Measuring the media audience
Media producers use a range of simple ways of categorising
audiences, usually according to broad groupings related to facts and
figures that can be measured. These are called “demographics”.
Media producers use a range of complex ways of categorising
audiences, using less factual information and more abstract
information about the audience members’ thoughts, attitudes and
lifestyle choices. These are called “psychographics”.
Write these as definitions 8

9. Demographics (we willlookat psychographics later in
the term)
Socio-Economic Groups
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10. Demographics (we willlookat psychographics later in
the term)
ITV Sales Categories
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HW Housewives (these can be men as well as
women). A housewife is defined as the person
who does the major shopping for the household.
M3 Men aged between 18 and 34
HC Housewives with children MA Men in the more wealthy ABC1 socio-
economic groups
HA Housewives in the more wealthy ABC1 socio-
economic groups
WO Women
AD Adults W3 Women aged between 16 and 34
A3 Adults aged between 16 and 34 WA Women in the more wealthy ABC1 socio-
economic groups
AA Adults in the more wealthy ABC1 socio-
economic groups
CH Children
ME Men

11. Guess the socio-economic group and ITV sales category for
theseadverts. STRETCH.. . to justifyyour thinking!
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12. Homework
Choose a media text you like and find out who its target audience is.
Write an explanation and supply an image of the text (if it’s
something on You Tube, you can use ‘snipping tool’ on most PCs to
get a screen grab).
Due 17th September.
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