Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My final media product is a hip-hop/pop music magazine and it represents the social groups of gangsters and misbehaved teenagers allowing them to relate to the magazine and its contents . This categorised genre is symbolised through graffiti, rapping, DJ-ing and breaking and these four elements of hip-hop are what the audience will look for in the style of music magazine they like . Many demographics that listen to hip-hop music and read this genre of magazines do not however fit into the stereotypical background and so cannot be included in this categorisation meaning that my magazine has the possibility of representing other social groups such as the rich or famous because they would be able to relate to some of the more popular artists included in the snippets on my front cover. When creating my music magazine I combined conventions from both hip-hop and pop magazines in order to present a mixed genre magazine that can appeal to more people.

The front cover for my hip-hop/pop music magazine uses symbolism to represent my target audience. The fact the model on the front cover is a young women probably a student signifies that I will be aiming for my product to appeal to that age group. Through mise-en-scene of her clothes and accessories such as the snapback and furry jacket it also shows that the type of people who would be interested in this type of media product would probably belong to the social background of a student or young part-time worker because they would be able to connect more with the text through fashion trends such as the snapback or through the similar interests for hip-hop/pop music and the vintage style.

The use of a park symbolises the inessential need to have a lot of money because they are free to access to the public which makes the magazine article more relatable to my target audience because they feel like they can connect with the articles model more if they are of a similar social background. However including some famous artists articles allows the audience to look up to them, aspiring to be like them in the future.

Another way that I have represented my particular social group is through the use of location in which the background. Although having taken the photo-shoot at a park rather than in a studio means that the photos look less professional, it does relate to my audience because a typical reader of a hip-hop magazine have been noticed to "hang around" parks especially at night. Finally to add onto that point by making most of my photos in black and white it makes the reader think that they were taken at night which links in to the fact that older teens are found to be out and about late at night.

Overall my product represents gangsters, hipsters or misbehaved students through Iconography. This is typical objects or themes from a genre or idea that the audience expect to see. The social groups I think my product will appeal to follow a particular sense of style whether they shop in expensive sports stores, wearing high top trainers and hats like the snap back, or if they follow fashion trends in high street shops. By having my model wear a leather jacket, fashionable glasses and a snap back hat presents her as a usual demographic for my music genre, hip-hop.