Dangers And Long-Term Effects Of Tanning Media Studies Media Text Analysis Essays

1. Dangers And Long-Term Effects Of Tanning
Media Analysis 'Media' is the plural of the word 'medium', which often refers to different ways of
communicating with other people; if the target is a large number of people, then it is called 'mass
media'. There are many types of media, such as TV, radio, films, newspaper, Internet etc. The main
purpose of media is to entertain; however they can also be used to persuade, inform, explain and
advice. Media can be very powerful; therefore people are influenced and affected by them. The two
articles we have looked at for analysis have a common theme – both talks about the dangers and
long–term effects of tanning. The first article is from The Big Issues and the second is from Derby
Evening...show more content...
The two texts have been written with different intentions and they both have specific target
audiences. The first text, 'Sun Vampires' from The Big Issue, has been written to inform the readers
of the dangers and long–term effects of tanning. Other purposes include: to ridicule the 'tanorexics',
to advice people about the proper method of tanning and to warn those who are beginning to go on
the sunbeds. The main target audience of this article is the younger generations of the society who
are more likely to get addicted to tanning on sunbeds. Nevertheless to some extent, the authorial
intent is to entertain and titillate leisurely readers who are looking for something to amuse the
mind. In order to achieve the purpose and communicate the ideas to the readership, the writer uses
vernacular language such as 'fork out', 'one hell of a habit' and 'let's face it', and modern names, e.g.
Peter Andre and Bros – these techniques appeal greatly to the young people and therefore convey
the message more effectively. The writer also grabs the attention of casual readers by using a
light–hearted tone– as a result of this, the reader wouldn't be too shocked or frightened, thus willing
to buy another copy of the magazine in the future. The second text, 'Face the fact – the sun is a real
danger', from Derby Evening Telegraph (DET), have similar purposes to the 'Sun Vampires': to
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2. Media Studies
SLLS1005 Essay 1: Course: Introduction to Media Studies (Media and Society) SLLS1005 Word
Count: Two opposing views on the role of media in society have thus far dominated media studies:
the Marxist and liberal–pluralist perspectives. Simply, Marxist theorists see the role of the mass
media as a means of maintaining the existing state of affairs, while the liberal pluralists see the
role of the mass media as a means to promote the freedom of speech. The following essay will look
more closely into the theories of these two schools with regards to how they see the role of the
media in society, and offer some examples related to media in South Africa and globally. According
to the Marxist approach, capitalist society is seen...show more content...
Freedom of the press was needed in order to develop and test the virtue of the individual
(Williams, 2001). Half a decade later, John Lock argued for the freedom of the press, saying that
it was essential, as every person has the right to decide for him or herself on all matters and so it
is the natural right of any given individual to publish freely their views (Williams, 2001).
Utilitarianism Philosophers such as Bentham and Mill believe that a political system depends on
the freedom of the press in order to ensure good governance. As Bentham (Williams, 2001) says:
"The expression of public opinion is 'the chief safeguard against misrule'." Mill further argues that
freedom of the press ensures that governments are always fully informed of the sentiment of the
people (Williams, 2001). Further to their argument, the free press could in addition check the
working of power and bureaucracy and prevent corruption. These arguments went on to become the
basis for the liberal democracy theory with the press playing a significant role in developing political
systems in North America and Western Europa (Williams, 2001). The liberal functionalist approach
sees society as a dynamic system that continuously strives for conformity, unity and stability. Within
the liberal democratic theory, the role of the media is crucial as it channels information and
communication between social groups by arousing debate and fostering social integration (McQuail,
2005: 167). The media will
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3. Media Text Analysis Essays
This essay is about to analyse certain media text by using particular semiotic codes. The
semiology study in particular is based on theory developed by Saussure and Pierce and means
study of the signs in the text. According to Saussure the 'language is a system of signs that express
ideas' (Saussure 1915/1966 cited in Berger, 2012:7). When media analysis is made it is about to
show the relationship between the signs in certain text. Pierce states that everything we do can be
seen as sign. According to him the signs can be iconic, symbolical and dimensions (Berger,
2012:4). Symbols and icons are used to represent companies 'corporate identity' (Berger, 2012:11).
This paper in particular will be focused on the way that media text use...show more content...
According to Jonathan Bingell (1997:78) every magazine is 'collection of signs', the front cover itself
aim to produce connote meanings to the reader in many different ways. The readers are very
important, because by analysing the product they bring to it their own cultural meaning and the
connotation and the denotation in the picture and text have different interpretation according to every
reader`s cultural values (Berger, 2012).
Title and the publication of the magazine have very important role in shaping customers'
expectations. The title as Goddard states is 'little capsules of meaning' (1998:80). By analysing
the meaning of the title and the production, we can find out the class of the magazine. The cover
which will be used in this paper is the May 2012 UK Harper`s Bazaar edition (Appendix A) with
title 'Jubilee Chic'. The 'Jubilee' connote the so special for the British nation upcoming Queen`s
60th Diamond Jubilee, which was due in the beginning of June.With its monthly publication and
made from glossy papers the magazine connote 'glamour and sophistication'
(McLoughlin,2000:2).The star of the cover is also very important for the consumer. In this edition
of May 2012 the star is Victoria Beckham. According to the magazine there is a reason for her
appearance and it is connected with her last cover made for the same magazine, which years ago
celebrated her transformation from pop star to fashion icon. This time Harper`s Bazaar celebrated
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