Key Concepts

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The study of the media revolves around the following key concepts.

• Audience
• Genre
• Ideology
• Institution
• Narrative
• Representation

When approaching the analysis of any text, you need to consider the above - these are the things which drive a text's construction and reception. Your ME1 exam in particular will ask you to analyse a text whilst focusing on one of these concepts.

You will also need to consider codes and conventions - technical, symbolic and verbal - and different potential (preferred and oppositional) readings of a text.

Success in Media Studies is heavily reliant on you knowing the right word to use to describe all this. Terminology is there to help you, to make your descriptions accurate - use it.

There is also an excellent Effects Glossary at cultsock which offers clear explanations of many of the media terms you will encounter.