Media Diary Week 3

Name:  X-Factor (ITV)

Using the 4C’s model, I decided that the audience that watch X-Factor would best fit into the groups of the Mainstream and Aspirers.

The Mainstream audience is most definitely targeted and I can tell this by the reflection of the Mainstreamer’s family, domestic and everyday lifestyle. The whole point of the show is to bring families together and to represent real people with a hint of exaggeration, so when they have auditions is more than likely we will have a few ‘sob stories’ where the contestants describe thing that have or are happening in their life in the hope that the audience at home can relate and give sympathy.  The Mainstream itself is able to relate to a large proportion of the storylines, although they can be more dramatic. In particular, the new season I watched had a number of storylines about how a loved one had past away and how they wanted to win it for them or how they were bullied at school now want to show their bullies where they are now. These storylines would challenge the Mainstreams core need for security insuring everyone is safe and happy, whilst it would reflect again the difficulties of family and reality itself and has a somewhat dramatic, yet ‘it could happen to you’ attitude. Also now as the show has more mixed ages of contestants, again pushing even more towards the Mainstream audience by reflecting people of different ages, it is targeting the different ages of a family.

The Aspirer group is also targeted, by reflecting X-Factors  primarily teenage audience and a stereotypical need for teenagers to have a ‘status’, just like the Aspirers, so most teenagers could be sectioned into the Aspirers group. An unrealistically high proportion of the contestants, and you could say the judges, are arguably very ‘attractive’ which backs up the need of their superficial image, which would interest Aspirers. It would also attract this group as The Aspirers love to know what is going on in the world and refuse to be left out. So if the main concept of the show may not appeal to some they most defiantly will watch so they are able to join in in discussions about the show that night.

Using the Audience Profiling model, I created a profile of a typical person who might consume this text:

1. Gender – Female and Male

The gender viewing will probably be fairly equal, mainly watched as a family, however i suppose the stereotypical viewing gender is probably female.

2. Age-group – All ages

This soap would appeal to all age groups as it is a family watched T.V. show and features contestants and judges of all ages and musical genres.

3. Family – Single Parent/Nuclear family, number of children

Again, like gender this will be fairly equally balanced over all family types, but I think it could interest a Nuclear Parent families, because of the strong theme of ‘family’ running through X-Factor, when issues could have occurred in their own family.

4. Class – Working Class Household

Young adults, due to the general age group targeted and reflected in the majority of the contestant’s ages.

5. Nation – United Kingdom

Seen as the programme is aired here (although there is American X-Factor along with various others)

6. Variety of races/mixed backgrounds

Xfactors is fairly culturally diverse in terms of reflection of issues, society and contestants.

7. Education – Going through school/college/university.

Related to the age group.

8. Religion – None/Agnostic, variety of religions

The X-Factors doesn’t reflect religion too much due to its content, however a couple of the so called ‘sob stories’ involve religion  

9. Politics – None/Liberal/Labour

The show shows many working class people and their financial/social issues, which would reflect the viewer’s issues.

10. Location – All around the United Kingdom