MIGRAIN: Introduction to feminism

MIGRAIN: Introduction to feminism

Discussing feminism and learning a range of feminist theories is an essential part of A Level Media Studies.

Are we living in a post-feminist state? Do you agree there is still a need for feminism? To what extent does the media contribute to the identity created for women in popular culture? These are some of the questions we need to consider when studying representation in A Level Media.

There is a current debate regarding whether feminism is still required in the 21st century (the idea that we are now in a 'post-feminist' state) against the view that the use of new and digital media to further feminist campaigns constitutes a new fourth wave of feminism.

Key notes

Waves of feminism

First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).

Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.

Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).

Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.

Fourth wave?

Many commentators argue that the internet itself has enabled a shift from ‘third-wave’ to ‘fourth-wave’ feminism. What is certain is that the internet has created a ‘call-out’ culture, in which sexism or misogyny can be ‘called out’ and challenged. 

This culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. 

Key quote: “power users of social media”

The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use the internet both for discussion and activism. 

According to #FemFuture: Online Feminism, a report recently published by Columbia University’s Barnard Center for Research on Women, females aged between 18 and 29 are the ‘power users of social networking’.

(Source: Political Studies Association. Read more about this: http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave)

Critics of online feminism

Critics of online feminist movements suggest that petitions and pressure from Twitter campaigns is simply a witch-hunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women.

They ask: are ‘trolls’ the danger they are portrayed to be?

Introduction to feminism: blog tasks 

Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:

 

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

Laura Bates started the everyday sexism project because she believes that to this day women and men are being treated very differently is society and everywhere, she mainly started this because she experienced this her self and wants to raise awareness and really make a change in the way that women are being treated.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

The first wave of feminism started in the late nineteenth to mid twentieth hundreds of years, with a principle centre around suffrage. The second wave started during the 1960s, battling for the development of equivalent rights and prompting the Equal Pay Act of 1970, among other uniformity laws. Since the late 1990s, we are accepted to have entered the third wave frequently distinguished as post-woman's rights. The new fourth rush of woman's rights is otherwise called organised women's liberation. it intends to handle social equity issues found both on, and utilising, current innovation.

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

New innovation was fundamental to the achievement of the Everyday Sexism venture in light of the fact that the utilisation of innovation in the present society is amazing and consequently the utilisation of innovation in this undertaking was critical to prevailing as such huge numbers of individuals use innovation and the task being on the web was sharp as many individuals use telephones, PCs and so on., so along these lines the utilisation of new innovation was powerful in this task

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I trust the Everyday Sexism venture will dependably be required as I will dependably trust sexism will dependably occur in the public eye particularly for the following 10 years, so I trust the ordinary sexism task won't wind up significant sooner or later not on the grounds that sexism would be annulled, I trust that it will just not be important, however ideally that isn't the situation, despite the fact that woman's rights has advanced throughout the years yet I will dependably accept in any case how hard women's activist attempt to avoid it, there will dependably be women's liberation in the public arena.

Media Magazine: The fourth wave

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

The networks feminism is about the feminism that is being spread using new innovation to build up social correspondence . Its turn into an issue as because of quick ascent in innovation and media its imagined that woman's rights is by and large abandoned.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 

Suffragette development, Reproductive rights and Equal pay, Empowerment and recovery of womanliness, utilisation of new innovation. I to some degree concur , anyway I do believe that we are at last phases of the third stage as society needs to fix on social equity and acknowledge women's liberation completely.

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

HeForShe: The He For She battle driven by Emma Watson. In a discourse to the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador, Watson stated Fighting for ladies' rights has again and again turned out to be synonymous with man-detesting it isn't the word that is essential however the thought and the desire behind it Men, sex balance is your issue as well. Watson's battle centres around male help for sex equity, featuring the way that woman's rights isn't tied in with advancing matriarchy, yet solidarity. Her computerised responsibility implies that you can promise to help the ladies' issue on the web, and has produced an immense reaction. Watson used Twitter for a Q&A session amid the crusade's advancement at Davao and spoke to both women's liberation and He For She as powerful and incorporated. 

FCKH8: This is an internet based life crusade that was established in 2010, which sells shirts and adornments that highlights motto with a social equity subject, for example, homophobia, sexism, bigotry and other social issues in the public eye. It expects to verbalise the individuals who make segregation in a dubious manner. For instance , it put out a video of young ladies saying swear words to test sexism which was viewed as unsatisfactory in certain lights 

Everyday sexism: The point of the task is to record instances of sexism from around the globe that numerous ladies experience every day, for example, discrete comments of a ladies body, whistling , grabbing in open areas, normally things like this would go to unnoticed or would be disregarded from society yet the site enables ladies to talk put and ideally end this " regular sexism" 


The Girl Can: This Girl Can battle, which has been portrayed as the primary wellness crusade for ladies which doesn't disgrace or prohibit them, by sharing photographs, recordings and statements of ladies without the typical sexual misuse of a ladies' wellness advert and without body disgracing. This undertaking at last endeavours to bring issues to light how young ladies ought not be embarrassed about their self-perception paying little mind to weight.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

I trust the idea of the fourth wave woman's rights is cunning acquaintance in which with bring issues to light of woman's rights. As it utilises present day innovation to bring issues to light of the continuous issues with the manner in which females are being dealt with and with the presentation if advanced media is a decent presentation as in this day and age the innovation is having a noteworthy influence and the forward wave women's liberation can profit by this and bring issues to light, anyway I don't trust it's the long haul issue to bring issues to light as web based life can do as such a lot to a degree I think women's activist need to attempt greater tasks which goes worldwide to stop and keep the issues in the present society.

Advertising: Persuasive techniques blog task

Advertising: Persuasive techniques blog task

Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Persuasive techniques'. Read ‘Marketing Marmite in the Postmodern age’ in MM54  (p62). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here.

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1) What does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?

John Berger suggest that advertising in wasy of seeing is all about the future it helps the buyer imagine him getting changing becasue of the product and becoming more like the product suggest he would become. The buyer will then be happy thinking that they look like the person on the front of the product.

2) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?

We refer ourselves and we compare ourselves to people living a life that is similar to ourselves therefore when we see a product or anything that would make us closer to living how others are living it would make us buy the product whether its clothing or some sort of gel. 

3) How was Marmite discovered?

Marmite was discovered in the 19th century , it is made using brewers yeast


4) Who owns the Marmite brand now?

Marmite currently is owned by unilever

5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?

Marmite have used their logan which is you either hate it or you love it this is clever advertising because it makes you question whether you love it or you hate it so you would go out and buy some marmite so you can try it and find out whether you love it or you hate it.

What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? How does Marmite play on this

7) Why does Marmite position the audience as ‘enlightened, superior, knowing insiders’?

This means that they know what is happening they are aware that the media and that the adverts are try to manipulate their minds into buying their products but they are still willing to play a long with it and see hwo everything turns out. 


8) What examples does the writer provide of why Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism?

Marmite is a good example of postmodernism because their customers are aware that with the product and the slogan they are being tricked into buying the product and they are fine with that and because of that they will talk about the product and help it gain more recognition

MIGRAIN: Ideology and binary opposition

MIGRAIN: Ideology and binary opposition

The media's role in setting and reinforcing the dominant values and ideologies within society is a vital aspect of A Level Media Studies. 

The key notes from today's lesson on ideology and binary opposition:

Ideology

What is an ideology?
An ideology is a world view, a system of values, attitudes and beliefs which an individual, group or society holds to be true or important; these are shared by a culture or society about how that society should function.

Dominant ideologies

Ideologies that are told to us repeatedly by important social institutions such as the government or media are called dominant ideologies.

Dominant ideologies are ideologies or beliefs that we live by in our day-to-day lives and often do not question – they have become 'natural, common sense' things to do. This effectively dissuades people from rebelling against these beliefs, and keeps a sense of stability in society.

Why is ideology important in Media Studies?

Media texts always reflect certain values or ideologies though sometimes we may not be aware of this. When studying a media text you may look for the dominant ideology present and question whose world view is represented and perhaps which groups have not been represented.

Levi-Strauss: Binary opposition

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009) was a French philosopher and one of the most important cultural theorists of the 20th century. 

His theory of binary opposition is important for media students.

Levi-Strauss suggested everyone thinks of the world around them in terms of binary opposites such as up and down, life and death etc. and therefore every culture can be understood in these terms. 

Binary opposition in media

Binary opposition is used to create narrative and conflict in media. It is also used to simplify complex situations for easy consumption (e.g. TV news).

Along similar lines, if something is not easily reduced to binary opposites, it is far less likely to receive widespread media coverage.

Binary oppositions can be used to create stereotypes and promote certain ideologies or beliefs.

Blog task: binary oppositions and ideology

Watch this clip from BBC Question Time with Russell Brand and Nigel Farage. The BBC deliberately placed the two against each other and the episode resulted in far more people watching and tweeting than usual.

1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching this clip?

The binary opposition seen in this clip first is between the rich and the poor and shows how they live their different lives.
2) What ideologies are on display in this clip?

The clip shows people speaking about immigration and how immigration has affected the UK and how the immigration will affect us in the future and whether something should be done about it.

Embed the video into your blog (as above) and answer these two questions in full paragraphs.

Ideology and your own choice of clip

Now do the same activity for a clip of your choice. Embed the YouTube video in your blog and answer the questions in detail:

1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching your clip?

The video that I chose shows the difference between rich and poor also. 

2) What ideologies are on display in your clip?

It shows how the rich are living and how the poor are living compared to that it shows how their average day is and what they go through and how it can be tough for the poor sometimes to go through all their issues.

Exam Lr

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

WWW: There is almost nothing to credit here... This needs to be a serious wake up call for A level media and things need to change as right now.

EBI: This is what happens when you dont complete blog work you sre 8 marks away from even getting an E

- Learn industries terminology
- Learn public service broadcasting 
- Learn media affects theory
See blog.

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.

I feel like i could've understood question 1 better i didn't really learn in properly therefore when it came to the questions i didn't really know what to say and therefore i spoke about the completely wrong thing and i ened up getting zero marks when i couldve picked up a few marks.


On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment?

2.5


 Look at your answer for Question 1. Did you manage to write about three different strategies and three different benefits? It's vital you read the question and follow it exactly.

As i mentioned before i could've done a lot better for question 1 because i didn't really revise and practise question 1 as much as i should've or could've revised a bit harder so when i came to the question i would've actually understood it.

Look at your answer for Question 2. 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?

I spoke about the BBC however i didn't really speak about any of it in enough detai to help me gets more marks and i couldve gotten a better grade

Narrative in advertising: blog task

Narrative in advertising: blog task

Nike has received critical acclaim for its February 2018 advert ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’. Embed the advert in your blog and answer the following questions: 
 


1) How does the advert use narrative? Apply at least three narrative theories to the text, making specific reference to specific shots or key scenes in the advert.

The way that the video starts is by explaining that something is wrong for example at one point a runner talks about how she has to run through peckam at night and what she is trying to say is that peckham is a dangerous area, but then it cuts to someone saying whats wrong with peckham  showing that many people may have different views on the situation.

2) Read this BBC feature on some of the people in the advert. How does the advert use celebrities and less well-known people to create stories in the advert?

The advert uses less well known and well known people to show that everyone is treated the same in London it doesn't matter how much money you make when it comes to something like hard work and dedication  everyone has it therefore they show all the different sports and show how everyone is unique in their own way and good at different things.

3) Read this AdWeek feature and interview on the Nike London advert. How did the advert use technical codes (camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing etc.) to help create narratives that could connect with the audience?

A lot of the times a shot ended with someone complaining about something that is a really big deal for someone else, for example the basketball player talks about how he has to fight to play basketball then it switches to the boxer who talks about how she has to fight her whole family before she even leaves the house and in the ring it shows how a small issue for someone could be something very large for someone else.

4) What representation of London does the advert offer?

I think the representation that this has on London is that everyone in London is a hard worker in some way therefore London is a place for champions and hard workers.

5) Why might this advert appeal to an audience?

This advert will appeal to an audience because it has faces that are recognisable by the London community therefore it will be more likely to attract younger generation and i feel like this is what Nike wants to do with this advert.