This media text is Kim Kardashian on the cover of PAPER Magazine in 2014.The identified target audience for this text is aimed towards women who look up to Kim's image and aspire to be her. The ideal age would be 18-35. Using the 4C's Audience Classification method, this text would appeal more to the aspirers than anyone else. For example, it wouldn't appeal to the succeeders as it doesn't give the audience any sense of control over their lives. This text just revels in social status as Kardashian is the top of the social ladder. Aspirers care about image, vanity and self image. This gives motivation to the audience as Kim Kardashian is set at the goal to any aspiring social media sensation. Even "break the internet" labelled above her name shows how powerful she is and essentially how powerful you can potentially be as it's possible for Kim therefore it's possible for you. The sheer fact that break the internet is printed next to her name is almost like a temptation to the aspirer, to buy the magazine and figure out how to break the internet like Kim does daily. Almost like a guide and Kim is showing them how it's possible.

The preferred reading of the text would be to agree with the encoder's ideology that Kim Kardashian is the social media mogul that every aspirer should aim to be. They understand the encoder's concept of making Kim the Queen of social media and they accept the status she holds and the power she has over her audience and in the world. As she is in arguably the most famous family in the world, her and her family are constantly breaking the internet whether it be surgery rumours aka "The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge", rehab stints, pregnancies, weight loss shocks, supermodel Vogue covers or transgender operations. The preferred reading of this would be to agree with the encoder's ideology that whatever Kim Kardashian does she will still break the internet. The lack of clothing symbolises Kim's self confidence in herself and how content she is with herself and her image. No other stories feature on this cover like the usual front cover would have. This conveys how much of a household name Kim Kardashian is. She doesn't need any other headlines to get her cover to sell; she does it all by herself, she is front cover worthy who doesn't have to depend on other stories in order for consumers to buy this magazine. This is why I believe this appeals to the aspirer as this is their ultimate goal. They depend of self image and status in life and this is everything Kim stands for. This is the aspirer's dream; to be front cover of a magazine with no other stories accompanying it with you, yet it will still break the internet. This is why the preferred reading would understand and accept that Kim out of everybody is capable of sending the world into a controversial chaos.

 

However the oppositional reading of this text would be to understand the encoder's ideology yet reject the message. They will feel like women don't need to be showing their assets off in order to "break the internet" and that the ideology that you need to be vain, arrogant and materialistic in order to be successful. Although they understand the message it carries they reject it as they view the message as pretentious, crude and inappropriate. Young girls shouldn't read magazines like this and believe that in order to be as popular as Kim you need to strip down and expose yourself and your body. A more conservative person would be the oppositional reading as they carry the belief that men are more superior that men should break the internet and women should respect themselves enough to dress appropriately like ladies instead of flaunting it for the world to see. In addition, they would reject the ideology that celebrities like Kim - who is already in every magazine that exists - should gain more attention and spotlight. Instead, a more intellectual, deserving person should be in Kim's position like Malala Yusharaf who's story is more inspirational than anything Kim has ever rather than give Kim any more publicity that she doesn't even need.

 

The situated culture of a person could heavily result in them becoming a negotiated reader. For example, this generation of young women are completely different to their parents. It is more common nowadays to not have a nuclear family, to not be married and be divorced, to be revealing in the way you dress and the rise of feminism has driven women to feel empowered in themselves. Therefore young girls could look up to Kim as a woman that they aspire to be just like their peers as Kim's fan base consists of young girls, however these girls know that their parents disapprove of Kim's message and personality. Therefore their generation agree with Kim's lifestyle (preferred readers to this text) yet they are being brought up and taught everything that Kim doesn't teach (by oppositional readers).

 

The target audience for this media text would have different uses and gratifications for this text. For example, it would certainly be used for social interaction. That's the whole purpose for it's campaign; for it to break the internet and in order for it to do so it must be spoke about on a mass level. Secondly, it would certainly be used for some kind of entertainment, not necessarily escapism but people would buy this text in order to feel whatever emotion it gives them whether it be disgust or envy. I do not believe however the audience would personally identify with Kim Kardashian as she is such a special individual and her life is so extreme and one of a kind that it would be hard to relate with her on any scale. However I do believe that her target audience could potentially identify with Kim's confident image and girls could actually feel empowered by this text.