4. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Representation can be defined as the construction in any medium aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Furthermore, it can also be described as the ways of communicating to a decoder using signs and symbols.  Representation is important in all forms of media however in terms of magazines its crucial. After learning about the mediation process I discovered that all signs and symbols have to go through a mediation process before they are fully suitable for the encoder’s use in their media product. Therefore as an encoder I had to ensure that all signs  I selected to be constructed in my magazine had to have the best possible outcome of products that were appropriate for my target audience my rate card suggests products that would appeal to my target audience. However, as an encoder when representing particular social groups it was vital that I took into consideration my target audience’s social class.

My overall representation is denotative. This is because the pictures that are displayed all represent what the band “DREx” act like. Therefore the representation is denotated throughout my front cover, double page spread and contents page. This is because the band acts like a stereotypical dubstep band therefore there is no connation in my images.   

My music magazine represents people from a C1 range in terms of stratification. This social stratification implies that my magazine is for people with an average income.  My magazine would include music such as dubstep and drum and bass.  The magazine would also include pictures of girl models posing in sexy lingerie and advertising clothes brands.  In addition it would also include various interviews interviewing big bands- “DREx”.

All representation goes through a mediation process, where the original sign is engaged and changed until it becomes the representation the encoder chooses to use.  Although this can take a long time to get right and is based around the target audience.   The decoder’s assumptions will affect everything from the colour scheme to the design there this evident to why the process of creating a magazine takes a long time.

Social Stratification is conveyed all across the UK; every magazine company creates and publishes media products that represent a certain social group.  A magazine can represent anything from the lower class of the scale such as a “Pikey” to people of a much higher class; the scale caters for every person in society.  An encoder makes it clear to the decoder which social class the magazine represents by the signs constructed in the front cover.  In my front cover I constructed anti-social behaviour conveying that my front cover is more likely to be represented to people of a lower class. This anti social representation is used to attract my target audience because they see themselves within this magazine which would increase chances of them purchasing my magazine. This edgy representation may fit into a negative sterotyping of youth in other media because it creates a different side of youth my magazine represents the "hardcore youth"- which could be a negative sterotyping of youth. This representation allows my target audience to experience vicariously being part of a sub cultural group. 

As the encoder it was important I put my views on music and my personal message to the decoder through my magazine. My message was simple “dubstep and raving is a part of life” this bold statement that I aimed to message to the decoders of my magazine meant that I had to get this message across with the images I used unique pictures that signified the “rock and roll raving” I incorporated DJ’s and strobe lighting to get the overall rock and roll affect.  My magazine signifies a late teenage boy or young adult, which is the exact group that it was aimed at.  With this in mind this helps increase chances of a preferred reading from the decoder.

My music magazine goes against the pluralist idea that no representation can ever impact the way a decoder thinks. I believe the signs I have chosen to use in my media product show that the way in which we use the mediation process to produce something a decoder understands can have a big impact on the way my target audience will decode the signs and interpret the representation. Although there are thousands of representations of the same social group out there, produced by a wide range of different magazine companies although, I believe that my representation has unique signs making it clear to my target audience that it’s a magazine that will stand out against rival competitors.

As an encoder I also used intertexuality during the design process.  Intertexuality is the shaping of texts meanings by other texts.  As an encoder I used intertexuality to help me decide which of my designs was suitable for my target audience. I researched a wide range of music magazines that was based around similar target audiences to mine, I looked for what signs they used and put myself into the decoders perspective and began wondering why these signs appealed to me and how I could use similar signs to the magazines that I had researched.  The brief was to produce a front cover, double page spread and a contents page therefore from researching the different designs and layouts used on the magazine I was able to create my own unique design for my front cover, double page spread and contents page which I believed would appeal to my target audience.