Media Products Overview

• Media products are creative works made for consumption or use by a specific audience.
• Various forms of media platforms and genres contribute to the diversity of media products.

Types of Media Products

• Broadcast Media: These are media products that are transmitted through electronic mass communication networks. Examples include TV shows, radio broadcasts, and online streaming content.

• Print Media: These use physical, printed material to convey information or entertainment. Examples include newspapers, magazines, brochures, and books.

• Digital Media: These are media products transmitted over digital networks, often through internet platforms. Examples include social media content, online articles, podcasts, and digital music tracks.

• Interactive Media: Involve active participation from the user. Video games, mobile applications, interactive websites, and virtual reality products fall under this category.

• Outdoor Media: These are publically displayed, often for advertising purposes. Billboards, posters, bus shelter ads, and digital displays in public spaces are examples.

Understanding Media Product Features

• Recognise that target audience is crucial. Each media product is designed with a specific demographic in mind in terms of age, gender, location, interests.

• Understand that each media product serves a specific purpose. It could be to inform, entertain, persuade, or a combination of these.

• Consider the platform and format in which the media product is delivered. Different platforms and formats require different approaches and have unique impacts on the audience.

• Note that the content within a product (text, graphics, video, audio, etc.) is carefully crafted to achieve its purpose and engage its target audience.

• Media products often reflect the cultural context and values of the society in which they are produced.

Analysing Media Products

• Develop skills in identifying the genre of the media product. This aids in understanding its conventions, style, and target audience.

• Look at how media products use stylistic elements like colour, sound, and language to evoke a certain mood or response from the audience.

• Understand narrative structures. How is the story or information presented? Is it linear, non-linear, or interactive?

• Learn how to evaluate the quality of a media product from the audience's perspective. Consider factors like ease of use, accessibility, aesthetics, and entertainment or informational value.

• Assess the impact and influence of a media product on its audience and society as a whole. This includes both positive and negative effects.

Remember, media product development is an ongoing process influenced by technological advances, cultural shifts, and audience demand. To successfully analyse and create media products, understanding their unique characteristics, strategies, and impacts is imperative.