EvaluationQuestion two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The front cover appeals to many different types of people within my target audience of 16-21 year old females. I would say that the front cover itself, represents the majority of females within this age range. On the other hand, when it comes to more niche groups of people, the front cover may make them want to chose another type of magazine. For instance, females or even males who like rock music are not going to feel like they can relate to this magazine because it focuses on other genres of music. This social group may feel alienated from the magazine which means they will not buy it.

Males as a social group are also going to feel like they cannot relate to this magazine, mainly because of the colour scheme. The pinks and whites used will not generally appeal to males as they prefer darker colours that they can enjoy more. They may not also feel that pink is a socially acceptable colour which is why they will feel obligated to buy something different.

Older social groups will not generally be represented in this magazine, especially not on the front cover. The target audience being a much younger generation, the front cover will be filled with things that appeal to them, therefore the elders that may be browsing for a magazine, will not particularly feel like they could buy this magazine. This could also be because of the model on the front cover. Because she is around 18 years old, it is going to be much more relatable to people of that age which means the elder social groups are going to feel isolated and alienated much like the males.

For the contents page, I wanted to keep with the colour scheme that I had going on the front cover. In order to do this, I had to further alienate the male social group. As there are no colours that would generally appeal to males, it would mean that I would have to find another way to make them feel like they can approach the magazine.

Despite this, females would feel very comfortable with the layout and the colour scheme which means they are going to be much more inclined to feel like they can easily pick up the magazine and buy it.

The main picture that I have used on this page represents the younger generation as being care free and happy. I chose to use this image on this page because I think that the target audience will be able to relate to the model in the image. My target audience likes to feel at one with the magazine, without feeling alienated in the process which is why I chose to use an image of someone who is in my target audience. If I was to use an image of a much older or younger person, the target audience may feel like they should not be reading the magazine, or that they shouldn’t buy it.

I also used an image of a camp at a festival on this page because it again represents the target audience. Camping would generally be something that the reader would get up to, which is why I used this image to make them feel at one with the magazine.

To me, this page represents the target audience extremely well. The model in the main image, is centred which makes the reader feel a lot more comfortable. With the social group that will be reading this magazine, consisting mainly of young females, I thought that it would be a good idea to add photos that they can relate to. I added two sub photos to the bottom right hand side of the main image of the model in situations that relate not only to the reader but also to the idea behind the magazine (festivals). I also thought that it would be a good idea to add a much more personal family photo into it as well so that it represents the lifestyle of any reader.

In regards to other social groups such as males and elders I think that this page in particular can appeal to them more than the front cover and contents page. I wanted to use colours on this page that will appeal not only to my target audience, but also to other social groups such as the above. By using basic, earthy colours, I can make the double page spread appeal to the majority of people out there. Even the images that I have used can appeal to most social groups because they are scenarios that everyone can be in.