Explain how audiences use news products in different ways. Refer to The Times website to support your points [10]
STATUS - The use of a paywall gives the target audience (middle class, middle aged) an exclusive mode of address, and may also encourage brand loyalty.
Audiences can use and take pleasure from media products in a variety of different ways. The Times website offers its audiences many uses and gratifications.
SOCIAL INTERACTION - many stories involving gossip, for example every story involving the royal family. Even though The Times is a broadsheet, it still provides its audiences with a gossipy mode of address
INFORMATION - An article discusses in significant detail the recent raise in interest rates, and how this affects UK pensions. The target audience can use this to maximise the returns on their investments
PLEASURE - A voyeuristic mode of address is provided, allowing the middle class audience to peek in to the lives of the royal family
SOCIAL INTERACTION - infomration about football and all the latest fixtures provides audiences with tools in which to communicate to their co-workers
INFORMATION - an in depth article of how gay people are persecuted around the world prides the audience with valuable information
PERSONAL IDENTITY - newspaper presents right wing viewpoints with audiences can take pleasure from
SEXUAL GRATIFICATION - not much emphasis on using sexually attractive people to provide gratification
SIMILAR LIFESTYLE - An article on living at home but still buying designer products presents a relatable mode of address for the wealthy middle class audience
Uses and Gratifications Theory - Blumerz and Katz
The different ways that audiences use or take pleasure from media products, no matter how unlikely they may seem
Explain how social and cultural circumstances affect audience interpretations of newspaper content. Refer to the Daily Mirror website to support your points [10]
Social and cultural circumstances refer to the issues and contexts that affect us all. The target audience for the Daily Mirror are working class, left wing, less educated and with a lower reading age. All of these elements will undoubtedly affect the ways in which the audience will interpret the Daily Mirror.
The captions on the thumbnail images use a particular scandalous and attention grabbing lexis. "Screams, controversial, miscarriage, suicidal". A scandalous and over the top mode of address for the working class target audience.
Big focus on football stereotypically appeals to working class men. Other sports that are covered include boxing, tennis and rugby. A working class and informal mode of address.
A huge contrast between stories. Stories about murders ("chopped up") are presented right next to stories about stain removal, the nursing strike and Madonna's latest topless photo, all presented together.
Big emphasis on the important people presents an escapist mode of address to the working class and lower income audience. Stories about celebrities, in particular the royal family provide an escapist fantasy.
Section on money presents relatable and even depressing stories about the cost of living crisis, which will be highly relatable to working class lower income audiences.
A focus on bad, scandalous news and celebrity downfall provides the working class target audiene with the gratification of shadenfreude.
A lack of paywall means the website is freely accessible to the working class target audience. However, there is a huge variety of aggressive and trashy sales adverts, presented in the same manner as standard news stories
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