MEST3 PPE - Learner Response

MEST3 PPE - Learner Response

1)

WWW: Clearly expressed, with a range of good examples

EBI: Section A answers need to be more developed

2)

I was able to meet my target grade.

3)

Question 1 - 3/8

Question 2 - 3/7

Question 3 - 3/7

4)

My strongest question in Section A was question 3. This was likely due to the fact that I was able to bring in current occurrences in the news industry today such as fake news and its impact on events like the US presidential election 2016 and also the Brexit campaign.

5)

My weakest question in Section A was question 2. I believe this was because I didn't write as much as I possibly could have for it, having only written 2 paragraphs. Just one more paragraph exploring another point could have possibly pushed me to a better mark.

6)

3/5

In covering 3 out of the 5 points laid down in the suggested essay content, I believe I answered the question reasonably successfully. Perhaps a discussion of the millennial audience's tendencies could have taken the essay further though, along with the inclusion of my independent case study (Spotify).

7) 

Question 1: I believe that my answer here was quite middling. While I did discuss things like the editing, cinematography and sound of the products helping to contribute to a authoritative/trustworthy tone, I think I could've talked about how some techniques provide an authoritative appearance but not necessarily a trustworthy one.

Question 2: The same goes for my response to question 2. While I was able to take a theoretical standpoint to things, I simply wasn't able to take it to that next level because I didn't write enough about it. For example, mention of the two-step flow could've definitely been something that could have been explored here with Russell Brand as an opinion leader.

Question 3: My response to question 3 could be classified as one of the stronger answers. This is due to the fact that as well as answering the case that the media should provide accessible platforms for alternative/oppositional voices, I brought about a sense of evaluation saying that actually, there are cases when actually these voices shouldn't be heard.

Question 6: I think that my answer to this essay question was approaching some of the better ones, but something that held it back was my focus on print media/the newspaper industry as traditional media. Talking about my independent case study and how NDM has affected the music industry is an example of something that would be needed to really push my answer up to where it potentially could be.

8)

Media producers can encourage audiences to agree with a certain set of values and beliefs through placing representations of 'ourselves' in those products. Product 1 helps in doing this as the lifestyle that we see with the man 'climbing up the ranks through' is something that perhaps we as audiences aspire to. Lines like 'nothing comes easy,' all help in contributing to this line of appeal of successful careers (Dyer), and so could help provide some personal identification (Blumler and Katz) with sections of the audience.

Producers can also encourage audiences to agree with a set of values and beliefs if they have a celebrity/popular figure upholding them. Product 2 helps represent this, as what we see is Russell Brand behind these discussions attempting to engage particular sections of society with current affairs and political events. By seeing a figure/opinion leader like this behind a series of its nature, it's more likely than not going to be the case that audiences adopt the views that the leader is stating. With this, the sheer influence that opinion leaders have is something that can be exploited by media producers to help encourage agreement with a certain set of values and beliefs, which is something that could also be seen with Plan B and his oppositional view towards the government with Ill Manors. 

Ill Manors is something that did the same thing with its anti-establishment ideology, visible on a number of its different products. For example with the Tag London campaign, what we saw perpetuated throughout were views that were quite anti-government. The fact that this was done on social media by other ordinary people may help members of the audience cultivate views that align with this same outlook on government.  From an ideology standpoint, this could help audiences in adopting more of a Marxist perspective in that we as the masses are dominated by the upper class/elites who impose ideals upon us and this is something which Product Two arguably does in the same fashion.