Contexts of the Media | AQA A-Level Media Studies (7572)
Contexts of the Media
- 78 questions
- 6 subtopics
- The theoretical framework, examined on both written papers
- Media One and Media Two
Contexts of the media runs through both written papers.
The specification requires products to be analysed in relation to five contexts — social, cultural, economic, political and historical — and not every question names them, so all five have to be available to draw on.
Sample questions from Contexts of the Media
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
Social context
What does the presence or absence of particular social groups in a product reveal about its context?
Show the answer
It indicates whose experience was regarded as central and whose was treated as marginal or invisible at the time and place of production. -
Social context
Why might a product be read very differently by two generations of the same audience?
Show the answer
Because each generation brings the social attitudes of the period in which it formed its expectations, so what one takes as unremarkable another may find dated or objectionable. -
Cultural context
What is a subculture and how does it relate to media?
Show the answer
A group within a wider culture with its own distinct values, style and practices, which media both represents and supplies with material that members use to mark their identity. -
Cultural context
How does language shape the cultural reach of a media product?
Show the answer
The language of production determines who can access it directly, and subtitling or dubbing alters the experience and can change how performances and humour are received. -
Economic context
What effect does competition for audiences have on media products?
Show the answer
It pushes producers to differentiate their products or to imitate what is already succeeding, and can encourage sensational content that captures attention quickly. -
Economic context
Why do media industries rely on a small number of successes to fund many failures?
Show the answer
Because demand is unpredictable and most products do not recover their costs, so profitable releases have to cover the losses on those that fail. -
Political context
What is meant by impartiality as a requirement in UK broadcast news?
Show the answer
The obligation to present significant views on matters of political controversy with due weight, rather than advocating a position, which applies to broadcasters but not to the press. -
Political context
What is propaganda and how does it differ from ordinary persuasion in media?
Show the answer
Propaganda is communication organised systematically to promote a political cause and shape belief, typically concealing its origins or its selectivity in a way that ordinary persuasion does not.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Social context | Class, gender, ethnicity, age and family, why representations date, and how media can move what counts as normal. | 13 |
| Cultural context | Shared values and conventions of meaning, high and popular culture, subcultures, hybridity and national identity. | 13 |
| Economic context | Funding source and budget, recession, competition, economies of scale, and how digital advertising reshaped news. | 13 |
| Political context | Regulation and press freedom, impartiality, elections, influence without censorship, and propaganda. | 13 |
| Historical context | Technology available at the time, how conventions change, period texts, and why present standards mislead. | 13 |
| Analysing media products in context | Using all five contexts, connecting a feature to the condition that produced it, and how contextual analysis differs from textual. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
-
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Media Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,066 questions with their answers.