Media Assessment 2 learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: This is a strong assessment. Q3 is top level, and I really like your positive argument for the media in Q4.

EBI: Revise audience theories—you confuse a couple and could also make more of cultivation theory (e.g., Mean World Syndrome). Ensure benefits are clear and different for each answer in Q2. Fix grammar mistakes.

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

1. The Stormzy 2020 tour poster contains a range of conventions that communicate meanings that audiences would recognise and understand as a concert promotion—venue (Motorpoint Arena), artist name, date, website, etc.

2. Vertical integration is the process by which a major media company owns a range of subsidiaries in the same chain of production (1 mark). This allows the parent company (e.g., Disney) to maintain control and make a profit at every stage of the production process. For example, in film production, this would be through the studio, post-production, distribution, and possibly pay-TV channels too (1 mark).

3. Public service broadcasting maintains quality standards, and audiences appreciate the quality and consistency of the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. PSB channels still dominate audience ratings even after digital fragmentation. TV remains at the heart of the country, and the collective experience of television is vital to maintain in British society. Commercial broadcasters cannot compete to provide content such as news and current affairs if audiences can get it free from public service broadcasters (e.g., the BBC website). This places commercial broadcasters (e.g., Sky News) at a huge disadvantage.

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment? You may also want to think here whether you had completed all the original blog tasks from last term before doing the assessment. 

6 to 7 

4) Look at your answer for Question 2. Did you manage to write about three different strategies and three different benefits? It's vital you read the question and follow it exactly.

I had all three strategies but struggled with the benefits.

5) Look at your answer for Question 3. Did you follow the question guidance and write about both the BBC and commercial broadcasters? What could you have added to this answer to reach a higher mark?   

 

Avoid repetition and provide a more detailed analysis.

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 4 - the 20 mark essay question on media effects theory. Write a new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples from the wider media. 

Media has a powerful influence on audiences, shaping perceptions and behaviors. Cultivation theory suggests prolonged media exposure leads to ‘mean world syndrome,’ making society seem more dangerous. Fake news and echo chambers (hypodermic needle theory) amplify misinformation, while opinion leaders (two-step flow theory) can shape public opinion, sometimes harmfully. Though uses and gratifications theory argues audiences actively choose content, dependency theory highlights increasing reliance on media, especially among young people. Social learning theory suggests media influences behavior, raising concerns about regulation. While moral panic theory argues fears are exaggerated, technopanics highlight real risks in digital spaces. Overall, media shapes society and can have negative effects.