The Big Issue Magazine - Audience Responses

Like all media texts The Big Issue positions the audience to make them feel involved in the text. The audience believe they are active and that they are buying into the ideological messages of the magazine because this is what they believe themselves. The Big Issue makes the audience sympathise, empathise and relate to the people within the pages of the magazine.  

The Big Issue specifically targets the reformer as they are socially aware, intellectual and value their own judgement this is good because the magazine reinforces their opinion to them and validates their opinion. An example of this would be the interviews with the vendors, reading about the vendors allows them to be aware of the things that society are blind to and allows them to gain information and insight into their world rather than ignore them like the rest of society. In addition to this the magazine positions the reader in a way that they empathise with the vendor on the pages. They feel sorry for this person who has so little and want to help them as much as they possibly can to help them get back on their feet. The Big Issue unlike most magazines doesn’t treat them as a consumer but more of a friend and as a charitable person who believes in helping people who are less fortunate.  

The Big Issue has explicit ideological messages and assume that the audience who but this agree with these and see it as the magazine sharing their opinion and expressing their point of view.  

The mode of address of the magazine shows that the encoders believe that the audience are intellectual and interested in politics and government as well as social issues and charity events. In addition to this the magazine in a way gives the reader a position of power, the magazine tells the reader that they can go out and do things, that they can make a difference when they set their mind to it and have a goal. Although the magazine is a spokesperson for the reader the magazine reinforces the idea that the audience members can be their own spokesperson and they can come together to make a change and stand up for issues that are ignored.  

Like all media texts it is clear that the text want the audience to take the preferred reading and want the audience to accept the ideological messages of being eco-friendly, charitable and discussing global issues etc. This is shown in a Facebook comment about a vendor who is doing a challenge "Brilliant idea Sinbad should be rolled out across the Big Issue North sellers. Hope you are well my friend." This shows how an audience member is keen to help people who are less fortunate.  

However, not every audience member conform to the ideological messages of the magazine and either take a negotiated or oppositional reading of the text.