The article focuses on the success of the global phenomenon Bridgerton. The show is set in an ‘alternate’ Georgian time, with the realism of the regency world combined with tropes and the sexually diverse milieu of a contemporary society. There are several reasons for its appeal such as the interesting characters, sexual encounters and lavish locations. In short it’s like reading a Jane Austen novel without the effort. Bridgerton also reflects 19th century attitudes to gender and marriage though, and has been criticised for the significant ethic groups in the aristocratic population. Despite this, the narrative is especially interesting, reflecting the growth of BookTok stories with storylines focusing on the relationships between characters like in a soap opera, but in the backdrop of a unique setting.
- Links to Uses and Gratifications theory ( ticks all the boxes for a younger audience with intrigue, plotting, contemporary dialogue and romance)
- Hybridity(successful shows often blend elements of different genres together to ensure they are well received)
- Offers escapism with the period setting (uses and gratification)
- Lady Whistledown’s voice over is a narrative device (Todorov) and the other characters often fit with Propp’s character archetypes to easily show where they fit within the narrative of each season
- Hall’s representation theory (racial diversity is used even though it is not historically accurate in characters like Queen Charlotte or Kate Sharma to better appeal to a contemporary audience). Represents an ideological 21st century shift
- Show is binge worthy and being on Netflix allows for a global reach (means Netflix attracts and retains subscribers). Focus on spectacle and romance is an industrial strategy
- Bridgerton subverts traditional period drama codes and conventions with the use of pop songs in orchestral arrangements (intertexuality) and high definition cinematography
Hidden Barriers-the Park (Shelter Video) Shelter-the park
The video iamgines being refused entry to a local park, because of an unfair, ridiculous barrier that is hypocritical. The video is used to show that if people view this situation as unfair, then it is surely unfair that people aren't able to rent a home (even if they can afford to do so) becasue they do not meet a list of criteria. These barriers are arguably rectifiable and can be changed by advocating for change against family and income discimination, and the mundane situation used, illustrates that these problems aren't something complicated but somthing that is obviously wrong, and Shelter wants to try and improve these limits with goverment action.
Good as Gold (Shelter video) Shelter-Good as Gold
The video features a little girl who is told that she will get all the gifts she wants at Christmas if she is 'good as gold'. She does helpful tasks like helping her elderly neighbour, listening to her teacher, and trying her best to be as good as she can. However, on Christmas, she wakes up in her 'hosue' and nothing is better depsite her efforts. The video draws attention to the fact that over 100,000 children spend Christmas in a place that is not a home, and that it is unacceptable that more people everyday are struggling in temporary accomodation or being forced onto the streets. The use of a little girl further adds emotional appeal, since she is so young, and so innocent, reinforcing the charity's plea that it's unacceptable and devatstaing that so many children are forced to grow up in this way. Hopefully, the video will then encourage audiences to donate to the charity and share the campaign, to allow them to help as many chidlren and people possible improve their living situation so that everyone can feel safe and loved.
The Media Show Podcast (Reporting the Gaza Ceasefire, Bari Weiss profile, Today in Parliament) 15/10 BBC Sounds
This episode explores how journalists are navigating the complexities of reporting the Gaza ceasefire, with Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Bel Trew describing the intense scrutiny, limited access, and politically charged framing that shaped their coverage.
- Journalists are meant to be allwoed into war zones and protected to allow for coevrage, however Israel completely disregarded this law, killing more journalists than any other conflict
- importance of free speech, and protecting journalistic voices, showing how Isreal was not only ok with commiting war crimes, but wanted to silence the reporters who lost their lives trying to bring this to the world's coverage
-Hostages seem to be generally welcoming of foreign media, because they want the world to know their stories, and at Channel 4 it is difficuly to balance how the stories are ordered and framed (narrative battle) to the world, with word choices like 'pause'
-shifts to Bari Weiss, with Max Tani of Semafor outlining her rise to editor-in-chief of CBS News, noting how her outspoken, ideologically driven journalism on Israel/Palestine could reshape mainstream media coverage
-Susan Holme of the BBC marks the 80th anniversary of Today in Parliament, reflecting on its historical importance and the challenges it faces staying relevant in a media climate increasingly dominated by fast, easy to understand political commentary.
-heavily talks about the importance of narratives being pushed. Whether this be Trump trying to claim credit for the 'ceasefire', or how journalists have to be mindful of how their questions may come across in some situations, as though they are perpetuating a certain narrative of one group
-Journalism, in my opinion, is meant to be as objective as possible
-With the crisis in Gaza and the surrouding coverage of the attack, it definitely brought larger awareness to journalistic integrity, and the more volatile political climate we live in today.
Christmas Appeal 2025 Christmas Appeal 2025
- The core focus of Shelter's Christmas Appeal is the ongoing Housing Emergency in the UK, highlighted by the record number of families and children living in unsuitable, insecure temporary accommodation
- The appeal exposes the fact that for many, "home" this Christmas is a cramped, often damp and mouldy hostel room
- It challenges the public perception of homelessness as just "rough sleeping" by focusing on the devastating emotional and developmental toll temporary accommodation takes on children, who are forced to grow up without a safe, permanent space
- Use evocative, child-centred stories—like a child singing the hold music of a housing service on repeat, or one putting on a "brave face"—to symbolise the quiet, often invisible trauma of their situation
- This creates a highly relatable, moving image of childhood innocence clashing with harsh reality
- The narrative is built on the urgent need for advocacy, advice, and support
- It positions the donor as the ally who can stand with parents to help them fight the system, access legal aid, and ultimately secure a safe, permanent home for the kids
How it Reflects Altruism and/or Prosocial Behaviour
- The campaign directly asks the public to put themselves in the shoes of a frightened child or a despairing parent, activating empathy which is a key precursor to altruistic action (emphasising empathy)
- It clearly communicates where the donation goes
-Gives funding advice sice donations help fund Shelter’s emergency helpline and expert advisers, providing a practical, high-impact form of aid (prosocial behaviour)
- The charity frames the crisis as a systemic issue that requires collective action. By encouraging donations and campaigning, it fosters a sense of shared responsibility for tackling the housing emergency
MEDIA THEORY FOR A LEVEL (MARK DIXON CHAPTER-BAUDRILLARD):
My additional research into Jean Baudrillard with the Dixon chapter, has greatly enhanced my comprehension of the concept of hyperreality as presented in our initial studies. While our core text introduced Baudrillard's key terms such as simulacra (copies without an original) and hyperreality (the blurring of the real and its representations), my extra reading has allowed me to grasp the radical, systemic nature of this shift.The concept of the "death of the real" became clearer through the lens of Baudrillard's assertion that we are no longer alienated from the real, but from the illusion of the real. This context is crucial for appreciating the depth of the concepts discussed in the textbook, such as the media's role in creating an artifical reality.
- Baudrillard says the word 'simulacra' suggests that culture produces versions of reality to help explain our place and function in the universe
- The textbook frames the "ecstasy of communication" as a key feature of the postmodern condition. It describes a shift from the masses to the multitudes via contemporary media technologies, where the private and public spheres are no longer distinct. This is a state where communication is no longer about sharing meaning but about the sheer exposure to an overwhelming flow of messages (meaning has little significance anymore)
- Authenticity is impossible to find or keep
- This links directly to meaning implosion, which the chapter describes as the process where the media, in their attempt to offer greater and greater fidelity of events, ultimately destroy the meaning of the original event. The text suggests that the excess of information leads to opacity rather than clarity. The continuous stream of messages (the ecstasy) becomes an end in itself, overwhelming the audience and causing the content's meaning to implode
- In short, it creates an inertia, where simultaneous truths exist, with news outlets producing a version of events we implicitly understand to be biased towards one political leaning (for example)
- Fictionalised Reality: The text states that the boundary between reality and fiction is eroded, giving rise to media forms (like docu-dramas or reality TV) that use the "grammar of the real" to create a more effective, yet entirely simulated, experience. It is a "symptom of our hyperreal condition.". This applies to the news, which is a never-ending soap opera with three act narratives that can be easily forgotten
- This shallowness creates a yearning amongst audiences for authenticity
- The Age of Advertising: Advertising is presented as a prime example of the hyperreal because it no longer promotes a real product but instead creates a consumption spectacle. The text suggests that ads sell an image or a simulacrum of a desirable lifestyle, not the product itself. The value lies in the sign-value of the image
- Advertising, he argues, holds us in a 'hypnotic state of superficial saturation and fascination' which teaches us from an early age to be wowed by the ideals in adverts that are rarely seen in real life ('We are compelled to watch but we do not believe')
- Theorists that may challenge Baudrillard are Roland Barthes (who argues that media texts represent the views of those who hold power in society, rather than a general implsoion where we feel paralysed to act), and Henry Jenkins (who would say that contemporary digital media can have a positive effect on people, and help them interact with the world through participatory culture)
This context revealed that the ecstasy of communication and meaning implosion are not accidental side effects, but rather a deliberate cultural strategy where the media's overproduction of signs actively stops the return of the real. I gained a deeper appreciation for Baudrillard’s radical claim that we are alienated not from the real, but from the illusion of the real, making his critique of advertising and fictionalised reality far more profound than a simple observation of media distortion.
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