Media Key Terms & Definitions (copy)

Action Code

A narrative element indicating that an action will follow, such as a scene in a soap opera hinting at future events.

Active Audience

Audiences engaging in selecting and interpreting media products.

Anchorage

Words accompanying an image influencing its interpretation by the audience.

Appeal

How products attract audiences through stars, genre conventions, etc.

Arc of Transformation

Emotional changes a character undergoes throughout a narrative.

Aspirational

Encouraging audiences to desire wealth, luxury items, and social status.

Attract

Methods used by media producers to appeal to audiences.

Audience Categorisation

Grouping audiences based on demographics to target products.

Audience Consumption

How audiences interact with media products.

Audience Interpretation

How audiences understand and make sense of media products.

Audience Positioning

Placing audiences in relation to a specific viewpoint in media products.

Audience Response

How audiences react to media products.

Audience Segmentation

Dividing target audiences due to program diversity.

Audio

Use of sound in media to convey meaning.

Avatar

Player's representation in a game.

Back Story

Narrative element providing background information.

Binary Opposites

Incorporating opposing values in texts.

Brand Identity

Association audiences make with a brand over time.

Broadsheet

Larger newspapers focusing on serious news.

Camera Angles

Camera position relative to the subject affecting perception.

Camera Shots

Type of shot and framing used in media.

Caption

Words accompanying an image to explain its meaning.

Channel Identity

Features making a channel distinct to audiences.

Circulation

Dissemination of media products to audiences.

Connotation

Implied meanings associated with signs.

Conventions

Audience expectations in media texts.

Convergence

Integration of separate media industries or platforms.

Cover Lines

Text on magazine covers suggesting content.

Cross-Platform Marketing

Distributing a text across various media formats.

Cultural Capital

Media preferences linked to social class.

Demographic Category

Grouping consumers based on demographics.

Denotation

Literal meaning of a sign.

Diegetic Sound

Sound originating from the fictional world.

Discourse

Topics, language, and values in media texts.

Distribution

Methods of delivering media products to audiences.

Diversification

Media organizations producing content across various forms.

Editing

Transitioning between shots in media texts.

Encoding and Decoding

Producers encoding messages interpreted by audiences.

Enigma Code

Narrative device revealing information gradually.

Equilibrium

State of balance in a narrative.

Ethnocentric

Belief in the superiority of one's own culture.

Ethos

Beliefs and values of media organizations.

Fan

Enthusiast of a media form or product.

Feature

Main story in a magazine edition.

Flexi Narrative

Complex narrative structure with interweaving storylines.

Four Cs

Cross Cultural Consumer Characteristics categorizing consumers.

Franchise

Series of related media products.

Gate Keepers

Individuals deciding appropriate stories for newspapers.

Genre

Grouping media texts with similar conventions.

Global

Media products distributed worldwide.

Hegemony

Dominance of one group over another.

Horizontal Integration

Media conglomerate owning similar companies.

House Style

Aspects making a magazine recognizable to readers.

Hybrid Genre

Media texts blending elements of multiple genres.

Hypodermic Needle Model

Outdated theory suggesting mass audience response to media.

Iconography

Objects associated with a particular genre.

Ideology

Messages, values, and beliefs encoded in media products.

Independent Film

Film made outside mainstream financial control.

Independent Record Label

Record label operating independently of major labels.

Intellectual Property

Legal concept protecting creations of the mind.

Interactive Audience

Audience actively engaging with media products.

Intertextual

Media text referencing aspects of another text.

Intertextuality

Media product referencing another text.

Layout and Design

Design elements attracting target audience.

Linear Narrative

Narrative unfolding chronologically.

Ludology

Study of games and players, relevant to video games.

Masculinity

Perceived characteristics defining manhood.

Mass Audience

Traditional concept of a large, homogenous audience.

Media Conglomerate

Company owning various media platforms.

Media Forms

Types of media products like television and newspapers.

Media Language

Elements communicating meanings in media products.

Media Platform

Ways of communicating with audiences.

Mediation

Constructing a

Niche Audience

A relatively small audience with specialized interests, tastes, and backgrounds.

Non-diegetic Sound

Sound that comes from outside the fictional world, like voiceovers or mood music.

Non-linear Narrative

Narrative manipulating time and space, including flashbacks and other devices.

Open World

In a game, the player can freely move in the virtual world without restrictions.

Opinion Leaders

Individuals influencing how others interpret media texts, like celebrities endorsing products.

Passive Audience

Outdated concept where audiences passively consume media messages without engagement.

Patriarchal Culture

A society or culture dominated by males.

Pick and Mix Theory

Audience autonomy theory by David Gauntlett, selecting media aspects that suit their needs.

Plurality

A range of content in media to cater to diverse audiences.

Political Bias

Showing support for a political party through news coverage, style, or cartoons.

Privileged Spectator Position

Camera positioning the audience superiorly in the narrative.

Production

The process of constructing media products.

Products

Media texts like TV shows, magazines, newspapers, etc., including online platforms.

Public Service Broadcaster

Radio/TV broadcaster financed by public money, offering a public service.

Realism

Style claiming to portray 'real life' accurately.

Regulator

Person or body supervising a specific industry.

Representation

How media presents key groups or aspects of society.

Selection and Combination

Producers actively choosing and combining media elements to create representations.

Sexual Objectification

Viewing a person solely based on their sexual appeal.

Sign/Code

Something conveying meaning, like colors or sounds, whose meaning changes with context.

Simulcast

Streaming live radio programs online simultaneously with radio broadcast.

Specialized Audience

Niche audience defined by social group or specific interest.

Splash

Prominent story on the front page of a newspaper.

Stereotype

Exaggerated representation or association of certain characteristics with a group.

Stripped

Technique broadcasting a program at the same time daily.

Sub-genre

Sub-division of a genre into smaller categories with unique conventions.

Subject-specific Lexis

Specific language used to engage the audience, like gaming terminology.