Quick questions on Social and cultural contexts - OCR A-Level Media Studies media contexts

Products encode the values and attitudes of the moment they were produced. Their representations of gender, ethnicity, class and relationships, their media language and their assumptions all carry the cultural moment. This is why an advert, magazine or film from one decade looks and feels different from one made today: the gender norms, social attitudes and concerns of the time are built in.

Context flows both ways. Products can reinforce prevailing attitudes (an advert that uses a familiar stereotype) or challenge them (a campaign that offers a countertype or addresses a social issue). A product is therefore both a product of its culture and an intervention in it, which connects directly to representation (Hall, Gilroy, the feminist theorists).

Because audiences receive products in a context too, the same product can be read differently over time. An older product may be read as dated, ironic or even offensive by a later audience, even though it seemed normal when made. This links to Hall's reception theory (decoding depends on the audience's context) and is why comparing an older and a newer set product so clearly reveals context at work.

Explain what is meant by the social and cultural context of a media product. [5 marks]

Explain how social and cultural context shaped the representations in one set product. [10 marks]