Key term
Eduqas A-Level Media Studies A680QS
Media Language
Topic overviewThe language of media analysis: signs, codes and modesDenotation and connotationBarthes, signification and mythCamerawork, framing and editingMise-en-scène, colour and lightingSound and music as media languageLayout, typography and print designCodes and conventions of genreNeale on repetition, difference and genre changeNarrative structure and TodorovNarrative devices: enigma, character and point of viewLévi-Strauss, structuralism and binary oppositionsBaudrillard, simulation and hyperrealityIntertextuality, parody and pasticheMedia language, ideology and developing technology
Media Representations
Topic overviewRepresentation, selection and constructionHall and representation as the production of meaningCodes, concepts and shared conceptual mapsHall on stereotyping, power and otheringPositive and negative uses of stereotypesUnder-representation, misrepresentation and symbolic annihilationRealism, verisimilitude and claims about realitySocial, cultural and historical context in representationGauntlett, identity and pick-and-mix media resourcesvan Zoonen, gender as discourse and the body as spectaclebell hooks: feminism, race and classButler and gender performativityGilroy, race, civilisationism and postcolonial theoryRepresentations of sexuality, class and disabilityDiscourse, ideology and audience readings of representations
Media Industries
Topic overviewProduction, distribution and circulationOwnership models and patterns of controlConglomerates, vertical and horizontal integrationCurran and Seaton on power and media ownershipHesmondhalgh and the cultural industriesFunding: commercial, subscription and public moneyPublic service broadcasting and the BBCRegulation and the UK regulatorsLivingstone and Lunt on citizens and consumersRegulation in a global and digital ageConvergence, digital technology and distributionMarketing, promotion and maintaining audiencesIndividual producers and the independent sectorGlobalisation and the international media market
Media Audiences
Topic overviewHow audiences are grouped and categorisedPsychographics, lifestyle and cultural capitalTargeting mass and specialised audiencesAttracting, reaching and constructing audiencesMode of address and audience positioningPassive audience models and the effects debateBandura and social learning theoryGerbner and cultivation theoryActive audiences and uses and gratificationsHall and reception theoryJenkins, fandom and participatory cultureShirky and the end of the audienceConsumption, technology and audience measurementAudience interpretation, identity and social context
Contexts of Media
Topic overviewWhat media contexts are and why they matterSocial contexts: values, attitudes and beliefsCultural contexts and cultural changeRepresenting minority groups and products made by themEconomic contexts: ownership and fundingProduction outside the commercial mainstreamPolitical contexts: ideology and powerRegulation and the stateHistorical contexts: genre conventions as historically relativeHistorical change in representationTechnological change, production, distribution and circulationGlobal contexts and non-English-language media
Newspapers
Topic overviewNewspaper front pages: masthead, splash and layoutTabloid and quality press: codes, conventions and registerSemiotics, structuralism and ideology in newspaper languageNews values, selection and the construction of realityRepresentation of events, individuals and social groups in newspapersThe Daily Mirror as an evolving productThe Times as an evolving productNewspaper ownership, conglomerates and controlFunding, paywalls and the decline of print circulationPress regulation, IPSO and the Leveson aftermathNewspapers online: convergence and digital distributionNewspaper audiences: categorisation, targeting and addressAudience responses, reception theory and the end of audience
Advertising and Marketing
Topic overviewAdvertising media language: codes and conventionsSemiotics and structuralism in advertisingIntertextuality, genre and persuasion in advertisingThe Tide print advertisement (1950s)Gender representation in 1950s advertisingThe Kiss of the Vampire film poster (1963)Representation and gender in the Kiss of the Vampire posterSuper. Human. and the language of the Paralympic filmDisability representation in Super. Human.Historical contexts: sixty years of advertising changeAdvertising audiences: grouping, targeting and addressAudience interpretation and reception in advertisingMarketing, branding and cross-media campaigns
Music Video
Topic overviewMusic video as a form: conventions, functions and developmentCamerawork, editing and mise-en-scène in music videoNarrative, intertextuality and postmodernism in music videoSemiotics, myth and ideology in music videoRepresentation, stereotyping and identity in music videoGender, objectification and performativity in music videoEthnicity, race and postcolonial readings in music videoFormation, Beyoncé (2016)Turntables, Janelle Monáe (2020)Underdog, Alicia Keys (2020)Riptide, Vance Joy (2013)Seventeen Going Under, Sam Fender (2021)Little Bit of Love, Tom Grennan (2021)
Radio
Topic overviewRadio as a form: its history, formats and the listening experiencePublic service broadcasting and the BBC's missionFunding radio: the licence fee, advertising and sponsorshipRegulating radio: Ofcom, the BBC Charter and impartialityOwnership and concentration in the commercial radio industryPodcasting and the on-demand audio economyDigital technology, convergence and BBC SoundsRadio audiences: reach, targeting and measurementAudience theory applied to radioWoman's HourHave You Heard George's Podcast (BBC Sounds)
Video Games
Topic overviewVideo games as a media formThe Assassin's Creed franchiseUbisoft: ownership, structure and global productionMaking a major game: budgets, teams and working conditionsDistribution, platforms and monetisationMarketing, regulation and the debate about effectsGame audiences: who plays and how they are reachedGames and historical context: representing the pastGlobal markets, localisation and cultural adaptationConvergence and the franchise across mediaHardware cycles, technology and accessGames, society and contemporary debate
Film Industries and Marketing
Topic overviewProduction in the film industryDistribution and release strategiesExhibition, box office and the cinema audienceFilm funding, budgets and public subsidyConglomerate ownership, integration and diversificationThe independent and specialised film sectorFilm marketing across convergent platformsRegulation, classification and the film industryBlack Panther: production and the Marvel blockbuster modelMarketing and distributing Black PantherI, Daniel Blake: independent production and fundingMarketing and distributing I, Daniel Blake
Television in the Global Age
Topic overviewTelevision in the global age: transnational production and co-productionPublic service broadcasting in a global marketplaceStreaming services and the changing distribution of televisionOwnership, funding and the economics of television dramaRegulation of television in the UK and across bordersMarketing television drama and targeting audiences nationally and globallyFandom, niche audiences and how audiences interpret television dramaGenre, narrative and media language in television dramaRepresentation, identity and ideology in television dramaPeaky Blinders (BBC Two, 2013)The Bridge (Denmark/Sweden, 2015)Black Mirror: 'San Junipero' (Netflix, 2016)The Returned (France, 2012)Killing Eve (BBC America/BBC Three, 2018)Tehran (Israel, 2020)
Magazines: Mainstream and Alternative
Topic overviewMagazine cover codes, layout and designSemiotics, structuralism and ideology in magazine languageGenre conventions and the historically relative magazineGender representation in magazines and feminist theoryStereotyping, ideology and under-represented groupsMagazine industries: ownership, funding and circulationMagazine audiences: targeting, niche and specialised readersAudience reception, interpretation and cultivationWoman (23–29 August 1964)Adbusters (May/June 2016)Woman's Realm (7–13 February 1965)Huck (February/March 2016)Vogue (July 1965)The Big Issue (17–23 October 2016)
Media in the Online Age
Topic overviewMedia language of the home page and the YouTube channelConvergence, participatory culture and user-generated contentSelf-representation and identity onlineRepresenting under-represented groups onlineOnline media industries: production, distribution and circulationInfluencers, monetisation and the economics of vloggingAlgorithms, curation and the attention economyRegulating online contentOnline audiences: fandom, niche reach and the end of audienceZoe Sugg's YouTube channelJJ Olatunji (KSI) and his YouTube channelThiiird online magazineAttitude magazine and website
Media in the Online Age
- 13 subtopics
- 39 things to know
- Component 2
What Media in the Online Age covers
Media in the Online Age is examined in Component 2, Media Forms and Products in Depth. It covers media language of the home page and the YouTube channel, convergence, participatory culture and user-generated content, self-representation and identity online, representing under-represented groups online, online media industries: production, distribution and circulation, influencers, monetisation and the economics of vlogging, algorithms, curation and the attention economy, regulating online content, online audiences: fandom, niche reach and the end of audience, Zoe Sugg's YouTube channel, JJ Olatunji (KSI) and his YouTube channel, Thiiird online magazine and attitude magazine and website.
The 13 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Media language of the home page and the YouTube channelMain design elements of a YouTube channel page, video thumbnail and convergence in the design of an online product.Open →
- Convergence, participatory culture and user-generated contentTechnological convergence, cultural convergence and term user-generated content.Open →
- Self-representation and identity onlineTerm self-representation and term parasocial relationship.Open →
- Representing under-represented groups onlineTerm counter-type and risk when a mainstream brand adopts the language of representation.Open →
- Online media industries: production, distribution and circulationTerm disintermediation, series format on a channel and long tail.Open →
- Influencers, monetisation and the economics of vloggingTerm influencer, four ways beyond advertising that a creator earns money and how affiliate marketing works.Open →
- Algorithms, curation and the attention economyTerm recommendation algorithm, filter bubble and what is meant by the attention economy.Open →
- Regulating online contentBody that regulates broadcasting in the UK and self-regulation on a platform.Open →
- Online audiences: fandom, niche reach and the end of audienceSpecialised or niche audience, clay Shirky and term textual poaching.Open →
- Zoe Sugg's YouTube channelRange of content on Sugg's channel and significance of the domestic setting in her videos.Open →
- JJ Olatunji (KSI) and his YouTube channelA channel that grew from gaming into music, boxing and business: its media language, the masculinity it performs, its audience, and the criticisms it has drawn.Open →
- Thiiird online magazinePublication is Thiiird and main content areas of an online magazine of this kind.Open →
- Attitude magazine and websiteContent mix in Attitude and pink pound.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What is an influencer, and how does a creator earn from a platform?
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What is a recommendation algorithm, what does it measure, and how do creators respond to it?
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Define technological convergence.
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Define the term self-representation.
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Why do minority communities turn to online platforms?
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How has production changed for an online media producer?
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Why is online regulation harder than broadcast regulation?
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How do online industries categorise their audiences?
Numbers
Who is Zoe Sugg, and when did her main channel begin?
Numbers
Who is JJ Olatunji?
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What kind of publication is Thiiird?
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What is Attitude?
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What are the main design elements of a YouTube channel page?
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Define cultural convergence.
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Why is self-representation described as constructed?
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What does Paul Gilroy argue about colonial discourses?
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Define the term disintermediation.
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Define the term influencer.
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Define the term recommendation algorithm.
Evaluation
What do citizens' interests mean in Livingstone and Lunt's argument?
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How does an online producer target an audience?
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Describe the range of content on Sugg's channel.
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How did the channel's content change over time?
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Whom does Thiiird represent and address?
Numbers
When was Attitude launched?
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Why is a channel banner important?
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Define the term user-generated content.
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What does David Gauntlett argue about media and identity?
Evaluation
How does Gilroy's postcolonial argument apply to representation online?
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Why is a video platform usually described as a platform rather than a publisher?
Process
How does the YouTube Partner Programme work?
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Which signals does a video recommendation system typically use?
Evaluation
What do consumers' interests mean in Livingstone and Lunt's argument?
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Define a specialised or niche audience.
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How large did Sugg's audience become?
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Explain what the Sidemen are.
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Why does Thiiird combine a print magazine with online channels?
Key term
Describe the content mix in Attitude.
Take Media in the Online Age further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Self-regulation vs Statutory regulation
Self-regulation: a company following its own guidelines. Statutory regulation: regulation imposed by law through a body such as Ofcom.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What are the main design elements of a YouTube channel page?
Model answer
A banner image, a profile picture, a channel trailer and organised playlists make up the page. Each element works as branding for the creator.
- 2
Why is a channel banner important?
Model answer
The banner is the first image a visitor sees and sets the tone of the channel. Colour, typography and imagery signal the genre before any video plays.
- 3
What is a video thumbnail, and why does it matter?
Model answer
A thumbnail is the still image representing a video in search results and recommendations. Bright colour, a face and large text raise the chance of a click.
- 4
How do titles function as media language on a video platform?
Model answer
Titles combine searchable keywords with a hook that promises something. Capital letters, numbers and questions are common devices for raising curiosity.
- 5
What is meant by convergence in the design of an online product?
Model answer
Convergence brings text, image, video, audio and interactivity onto one page. A single screen now carries what several separate media once delivered.
- 6
Describe the typical layout of an online magazine home page.
Model answer
A masthead sits above a grid of image-led story tiles. Navigation bars, a search box and social media icons frame the content.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Media in the Online Age revision questions
- What does Media in the Online Age cover in Eduqas A-Level Media Studies?
- 13 subtopics: media language of the home page and the youtube channel, convergence, participatory culture and user-generated content, self-representation and identity online, representing under-represented groups online, online media industries: production, distribution and circulation, influencers, monetisation and the economics of vlogging, algorithms, curation and the attention economy, regulating online content, online audiences: fandom, niche reach and the end of audience, zoe sugg's youtube channel, jj olatunji (ksi) and his youtube channel, thiiird online magazine and attitude magazine and website. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Media in the Online Age organised?
- By the Eduqas A680QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Media in the Online Age, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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