Reflection

Media ecology is studying each element needed to create a successful piece of media. It can be compared to the environment, if you think of Media as an ecosystem, both of these things only work if you have all the components needed. In order for media to be successful you need the following elements to work together –

• Money
• Creators
• Technology
• Social media
• An audience
• Institutions
• Distribution

All of these elements are very important as they all work together to create a successful piece of media. This is why it is very difficult to create media that will be successful as you have to keep each element in mind when producing any form of media. For example, if you are creating a blog you should constantly be focusing on who your target audience is and what age they are so therefore you are using appropriate language which will appeal to them. Another example is if you don’t have technology to create your media it will not be successful in todays world which revolves around technology. When someone is looking for a new blog or movie to entertain them, the internet is the first place they will look therefore you need to focus your media around where you will reach the biggest audience. Although the creator is the one that needs to keep all of these factors in mind they will most likely use multiple different creators or institutions to help them fulfil each element. If you don’t have the money required to make your TV programme you could find an institution willing to work with you and contribute towards your project.

Although it is not just the process of creating media which is important as creators need to keep in mind how their media will be published and distributed once completed as-well as focusing on whether it is being successful and producing a great enough income.

Focusing Forward

By studying media ecology I now realise how difficult it can be to ensure your media is successful and how much goes on in the background that media creators have to keep in mind but none of which are seen by Media consumers. This will help me for when I produce my own music magazine as I will need to keep all of these elements in my head constantly in order to create a successful magazine and be aware of all the things people look for in media.

 

 

 

My Media Collage

Reflection

My media collage displays the various different type of media which I consume, different types of media are used for various uses and gratification such as forms of entertainment, information, social interaction or personal identity.

My music taste, for example, displays my personal identity due to my preferred genre being important and personal to me. On the other hand I am a prosumer of media forms like Snapchat and Instagram as I interact with them, using them for social interaction and almost like a substitute for real life interactions. When I am looking for a source of entertainment or an informative media type there are media platforms dedicated to these for example I consume Netflix to watch Money Heist as a form of aesthetic pleasure but do not contribute to this media source.

The idea of Blumler and Katz is reflected here as they introduced the idea that people can see the same message in different ways therefore, linking with how media is used in different ways by everyone. I did this media collage to show which forms of media I consume/prosume and to demonstrate how it is personal to me. This will help me when producing my music magazine as I now know what people look for when using media and how my magazine needs to have a purpose, for example to entertain or inform, as-well as having a target audience.