Evaluation Question 2 How does your media

product represent particular social groups?

The target

audience I

originally researche

d…

The target audience which I aimed my rock music magazine at was both females and (males particularly), between the ages of 14 and 19 who enjoy listening to rock music. They enjoy going to festivals/concerts/gigs and specifically alternative music (latest songs/bands/artists)After researching the genre of rock in task 6, when I decided the genre which I had chosen, I learnt a lot about rock as a whole, so I knew how to apply it to making my own target audience. As well as this, most of the production was based on the feedback from Task 9, where I learnt what my target audience wanted to see.

It is stereotypical for certain social groups to be associated with the music genre of rock, because of this factor, I tried to make sure that a number of these social groups were represented through my rock music magazine. However, from the market research I applied their opinions into the construction of the magazine

The Subculture stereotypes for my magazine are:- Rockers. This subculture is obviously linked with my magazine, as it is based on the genre music of rock. People who wear leather jackets, drive motorbikes and wear studded/chained clothing create the Rocker stereotype. Indies. A sub culture which listen to alternative rock (the main focus of my rock magazine). Very bold and individual, like to be different and are greatly involved with festivals/concerts and gigs.

I think that my magazine would mainly represent the social group of ‘Indie/Alternative Rock’. I chose this because in the recent years, this social group has become increasingly popular for teenagers- between the years which my magazine is targeted at. It is one of the most popular social groups, meaning that my magazine can be focused at a large audience, rather than a niche market, such as the ‘emo’ social group, which has declined greatly in popularity.A few images which come up

when ‘Indie Rock’ is searched on Google.com

I have represented the ‘Indie Rock’ social group through the front cover I have created. For example, the clothing of the model on the main image can be associated with this particular social group. This is because of the chequered shirt which is a popular clothing pattern for the Indie Rock social group to wear. The models hair also emphasises the indie-rock genre, due to the fact Indie’s tend to have very wavy-natural (intentionally a bit messy) hairstyles. Overall, the model displays real individuality and attitude through her expression and pose., Indies are known to be very bold and I wanted to represent this through my magazine.

The Front

Cover

The people whom listen to Alternative Rock Music, generally have a distinctive fashion sense. This is portrayed through advertisements of these clothes and also people expressing themselves on social networking sites. My magazine portrays this sense of style through the model, suggesting other females to look up to her and idolise her, thus appealing to the social group I have focused on. Another alternative view of this, is the attraction of the model for the male readers,.

Other ways I have represented Indie-Rock on my front cover is through the colour scheme. The colours red, white and black are colours which are typically used in rock magazines, such as ‘NME’ and ‘Kerrang!’ – both of which focus on alternative rock as one of their sub-cultures. These colours have connotations of boldness, rebellion and in some ways- standing out from the crowd- which is what being Indie is essentially about. These colours also apply to my target audience of both females and males, as they don’t specifically focus on one gender, which shows that my magazine is not biased.

The Front

Cover

A social group of feminists could also be applied to this magazine as it has been represented greatly in my magazine. The main model of my cover has not been over sexualised- so therefore my magazine is not purely being appealing to males alone- as despite the female being attractive, she is not represented in a sexual or explicit way. This then means that females can feel comfortable with buying this magazine without feeling intimidated by the main image.

Females associated with the Indie-Rock social group are often portrayed as being moody and strong in their personality, which I tried to represent with how I asked my model to pose.

I have represented the ‘Indie Rock’ social group through the cover lines. For example, a cover line includes a band called the Foo Fighters which are part of the Alternative Rock band who the social group I have represented will be popular with. Furthermore, a cover line reads ‘Concert Crashing in Cardiff?’. I chose this headline as I knew that festivals/concerts/gigs are very common in interests of Indie Rockers, so I felt that this needed to be presented in my front cover, to attract my social group which I am trying to represent.

The Front

Cover

The Contents Page

Furthermore, the fact that I included a social interaction aspect of my magazine (the Facebook and Twitter link at the bottom right of the page), represents the Indie Rock social group, as it is common for people of this group to express themselves on social networking sites , be it their clothes or opinions.

I have represented a social group of ‘Rockers’ through the main image on the contents page. By having another social group represented in my magazine, broadens my audience, meaning a more successful magazine. The main image shows very casual-laid back males, who are wearing dark clothing- typical of a rocker to wear. Their hair is long and their expressions are very stern, representing the social group that they belong to.

The Doubl

e Page

Spread

I represented the social group of ‘Rockers’ on the double page spread. By including a very popular social group, enhances the size of the audience whom read my magazine- thus increasing the overall success of my magazine. The overall look of the double page spread shouts ‘Rock’, through the use of dark colours which are stereotypical for this genre to use, the dark clothing and also the editing of the image, to enhance the cold expression on the models’ faces.

Social

Class

The social class of this magazine would be mainly the middle class and above. Having disposable incomes allows them to spend money on concerts./festivals/gigs, which is encouraged throughout the magazine. However I think that it shouldn’t really depict who buys the magazine, as despite the target audience of my magazine being 14-19 year olds, most are unemployed, so it would really rely on their parents social class- which shouldn’t matter in the sale of a magazine.

Ethnicity/Race

The magazine which I have created doesn’t restrict any ethnicities. However, the rock music genre, is typically aimed at White British, which is what I have represented throughout my magazine – through the models on the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I would hope that my magazine doesn’t restrict ethnicity or races, however representations of the White British Indie Rocker has been expressed through my construction greatly.

An image which comes up when ‘Typical Rocker’ is searched. – a similar representation which I have expressed on my double page spread.

Gender

Both males and females were used in the production of this magazine not restricting either gender, therefore not limiting the size of the audience for my magazine. Rock may be associated with males, but from my market research from the questionnaire I created, I know that a large majority of females enjoy rock music just as much as males. Throughout the magazine, I used images of both females and males, to help represent this.

Disability

In my magazine, disability is not portrayed, however this does not mean they are excluded from reading the magazine. Disability does not change someone’s interests and hobbies- if they like rock music, then what is the reason from them not to read the magazine?