media diary week 6

Media diary week 6


The text that I, not on my own accord, consumed was Geordie shore. The target audience according to the 4Cs model is aspirers. This is because of the materialistic traits of the show and fact that the aim of it is to gain something out of it. Its about wanting something, in my opinion, under and umbrella of many categories and people can take influence from the text and aspire to be like or live the lives of the people on the show, for example. They all seek authority and status on the show which could attract a similar audience. The audience are likely to be of category D according to the income and status model because of the language used and the nature of the show relating to that of youth. For example, the show is based around partying and gossip- that of which many young people do. Its not a sophisticated show and more of a mess around. People in category D and below don’t have a high income and mainly consist of students.  According to the lifestyle categories I believe the audience for this text to fall under ‘trendies’. this is because the show is popular and makes a good conversation to speak to people about. The nature of the show and its materialistic values also suggests trendies because its about being admired by others and so on.

I believe that I am an explorer when it comes to audience types  meaning that this text is one of which I wouldn’t usually consume. This is because I don’t seek status and don’t enjoy the nature of Geordie shore because of the antics of which displayed and high levels of materialisation. I don’t seek out status I prefer to live how I want too without the media influence. I like to try new things and when I consume texts, they are ones that no one knows about or have an alternative appeal. For example, I prefer documentaries of weird themes rather than soap operas. I like to discover new things which is why I enjoy documentaries.

I take an oppositional reading of the text. This is because I understand the ideologies of the text, however I completely disagree with them. The behaviour of the characters set a bad example for other young people and don’t teach people the right way to behave, however, more so the other direction. The sexualisation consisting in the show represents people as sex objects and ‘sleep arounds’, the opposite to what I agree with. It creates a negative stereotype so that young people are labelled for what a small percentage are.  There is a lot more to life than sex and alcohol, however this show demonstrates otherwise. Even though it shows people having a good time, the drama and ‘bitchiness’ that occurs within the show counteracts that because it shows people to be fake. It also sets expectations to how people should look like. Rather than having a mix of different types of people, it only consists of the stereotypical ‘perfect’ people. For example, all the males have massive muscles and appear physically fit, however, this isn’t a representative sample of what a handful of people look like in reality.

Humour is used in the text which is the only appeal that I get out of it. This is because of what the characters say and do in the text, e.g. witty remarks. When the people are drunk it can be amusing watching how they behave when in such as state. This provides entertainment and social interaction as it can be talked about with friends as a conversation booster as it is a popular show. The humour can be laughed about and shared with others to create a positive atmosphere. However, I believe that it provides a source of information too. That is, to learn from the characters mistakes and not to behave like they do.