OSP: The Voice - blog case study

 The Voice: case study blog tasks


Language and textual analysis

Homepage

Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

The grid layout is a typical convention of websites which is seen on The Voice.

2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?

In terms of colour scheme and aesthetic, Teen Vogue is more simplitic and minimal whereas The Voice's website design is very bold and more colourful.

3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?
 
News, Sport, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Faith- These suggests that The Voice focuses on educating and informing its audiences.

4) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick two stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience. 

'Four police officers involved in Stephen Lawrence case could be prosecuted over alleged misconduct'- this suggests The Voice wants to educate its audiences on social and political issues.

'Terence Campbell: I believed in myself, stayed consistent and worked hard'- Teen Vogue creates a sense of community for its audiences .

5) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage and how they encourage audiences to click through to them.

Todorov can be applied as the disequilibrium would be black people not having a sense of belonging and community, the new equilibrium will therefore be The Voice providing this sense of community and empowerment for black people.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

Fashion and beauty, food, health and wellbeing,relationships and travel. This suggests that The Voice's audience is a niche specific audience.

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

' Caribbean tourism month underway', 'black british changemakers talk makeup as self care'.

3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?

Teen Vogue includes sponsored products into the lifestyle section but links it to celebrities or how it improves the audiences lives. The Voice focuses on community lifestyle.

4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

They challenge black stereotypes in the media as they present black people in a positive light and as people making a change rather than the typical stereotype of black people being criminals and thugs.

5) Choose two stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?

‘It’s about legacy, it’s about community’: Black-owned dentist is open for business'- this links to the black excellence that The Voice tries to promote.

'How my Windrush grandma inspired my nursing career'- this is also challenging typical stereotypes of black people in the media.

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice opinion piece on black representation in the tech industry. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?

It represents a diverse range of black british people.

2) Read this feature on Michaela Coel supporting Oxfam's Second Hand campaign. Why might this feature appeal to readers of The Voice?

This would appeal to readers as they are seeing positive representation of black people.

3) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

This article reflects The Voice's values of equality for black peop;e. This can be linked to Gilroy's theories of black people not having a sense of belonging.

Audience

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

Demographic- black british audience
psychographic- succeeders and reformers

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

Surveillance, personal identity, personal relationships

3) Give examples of sections or content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

The Voice targets black british audiences which is a niche audience.

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

The Voice educates audiences on the oppression of black people but celebrates the rise of black people and celebrates black excellence.

5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?

The Voice has opinion polls which is linked to Clay Shirky's work as audiences have more of a say into what is published.

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

Audiences are pleased with the representations in the Voice website as they subverts traditional stereotypes and representations of black people in the media.

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?

The representation they see in The Voice match their ideas of black people so it doesn't apply here.

3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?

The Voice promotes the idea of a community and encourages the celebration of black excellence by posting accomplishments of black people.

4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

Black British audiences may be pleased with the representation of black people in The Voice 

5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.) 

The Voice mainly focuses on attracting the black British audience.

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

The traditional values of The Voice was to be a platform for a niche audience that never really had a voice before.

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

An issue that was relevant twenty years ago and is still relevant now is the racism against black people, this can be linked to the BlM movement recently.

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia or look at this Guardian article when Gleaner first acquired The Voice.

Some of the Gleaner company's subsidiaries include, Independent radio company limited and GV media group limited.

4) How does the Voice website make money?

From Sponsored posts and support from their audience.

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

The Voice uses cookies as well as adverts.

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

The Voice has an element of public service as they are a platform for niche audiences but they inform and educate their audiences.

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

An example is a video called 'Dianne Abbot: The authorised biography'.

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

It is easier for people to make a website targeting niche audiences as they can use social media to advertise it .
9) Analyse The Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

The Voice do not use as much click bait as Teen Vogue rather they just summarise the articles they write about and mainly retweet educational things whereas Teen Vogue was focused on beauty tips and celebrity gossip.

10) Study a selection of videos from The Voice’s YouTubechannel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content?

Their video content focuses on educating audiences rather than celebrity endorsements .

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