Deconstructing Media Messages Techniques for media analysis Main
- Slides: 8
Deconstructing Media Messages Techniques for media analysis
Main concepts 1. What is the source? : Who creates this message and why? 1. Target Audience: - Who is the message targeted at? 2. Elements in the message: A. picture, sound, captions, graphics, written and spoken words, arrangements of the elements (The Text; examine the Denotative meaning) B. Subtext, Connotative meaning, the not-so-obvious meaning: The individual interpretation 3. Techniques of persuasion: Use of advertising appeals, audio-visual techniques, language of persuasion 1. Context / Point of view: Is the whole story told? Any ideological values? Biases, what is left out of the story etc
What is the message in the media material? • Who creates this message and why? • What are the elements in the message? - the images, sound, etc • What is the subtext, the connotative meaning? • What positive messages are presented? • What negative images are presented
The audience • Who is the target audience of the message? What are the clues? – Age, race, ethnicity, class, interests etc • What group of people does the message empower? • What groups of people does it disempower? • How does this benefit the media content creator?
Techniques of persuasion • What are the advertising appeal used? (If the media is an ad) • What media productions techniques are used? (Type of shot, sequence of shots, special effects etc) • What language of persuasion is used
Context / Point of view • What type of lifestyle is presented, and what is the implication for society in general? • Is the whole context of the story told? • What part of the story is not being told? • How and where could you get more information about the story?
