Why Media Content is Constructed in Particular Ways
Media Content and Its Construction
Media materials are constructed to cater to specific audiences, using a number of key considerations. These considerations can help in understanding why media content is designed and presented in a specific way:
Target Audiences
- Demographics – This includes factors like age, gender, ethnic background, socio-economic status, and other relevant characteristics.
- Psychographics – This takes into account an audience's interests, attitudes, values and lifestyle.
- Content creators must understand both demographics and psychographics to develop a product which appeals to and engages with their target audience.
Commercial Factors
- Attracting advertisers is a primary commercial consideration. This means creating content that appeals to audiences which advertisers want to reach.
- Selling products: Media content is often geared towards promoting and selling goods or services.
- Profit motive: Ultimately, many media organisations aim to make money. Construction of certain content helps to drive revenue through direct sales, stream counts, subscriptions, etc.
Cultural Factors
- Reflecting society: Media may choose to mirror societal attitudes and values.
- Influencing culture: Alternatively, media content can attempt to guide or shape societal views.
- Promoting diverse voices and narratives: Media content can help in representing a variety of cultural perspectives and experiences.
Technological Considerations
- Platform suitability: Different types of media platforms (e.g. TV, radio, social media) have different strengths, weaknesses and expectations from users.
- Emerging technologies: Innovations like virtual reality or streaming services can open up new opportunities for content creation.
Genre Conventions
- Media content is often constructed within the framework of accepted genre conventions, which includes consistent themes, styles, structures, and tropes.
- This allows audiences to easily understand and engage with the content.
Regulatory Compliance
- Media content must comply with legal and ethical standards, including age ratings, censorship laws, and avoiding offensive material.
- Regulatory bodies oversee these standards, with punishments for non-compliance potentially including fines or revocation of licenses to broadcast.
Remember that while these points give a broad overview of why media content may be constructed in a certain way, multiple factors often interact. The overall shape of any piece of media content is likely a result of many different considerations.