The Voice CSP: case study blog tasks

Language and contexts

Homepage

Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

Masthead

2) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?

Most of these are typical news website menu items like news or sport but there are exceptions. These are opinion and faith. This tells us that the voice is a traditional newspaper which focuses on tradition. 

3) Look at the news stories on the Voice homepage. Pick two stories and explain why they might appeal to the Voice's target audience. 

The Grenadian mother who inspired Malcolm X’s fight for justice. This might appeal to The Voices audience as it teaches about history of black people.

4) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage and how they encourage audiences to click through to them.     

The Voice uses  enigma codes to evoke curiosity in its readers and to make them click on the stories.  

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

What we can see in this sub-menu is that The Voice audience has a strong priority of health. This is both mental and physical. They also have a strong sense of culture. This is through their food and fashion.

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

African History is World History.

3) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

I would say no it doesn't. From what I know, black representation in Britain is often negative. Criminal gangs and tugs is a common representation of black people in the Britain.

4) Choose two stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?

African History is World History. This story talks about how all of us are the same race and that there shouldn't be a "us vs them" mentality. This goes with The Voices values and ideologies as they are trying to represent black people in the UK and globally.

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice opinion piece on black representation in the tech industry. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?

The Voice exists for a singular reason and that is to give black British people place where they can see them self's in. This article is asking for tech companies the tackle the diversity gap as only 4% of the workforce is black. 

2) Read this feature on The Black Pound campaign. How does this piece reflect the values and ideologies of The Voice?

This article is talking about how black businesses are struggling and that they should be a incentive to help these business. 

3) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

Its speaking out for black people. She said "if it was a building full of white people they would have done everything to get the out as fast as possible". They agree with this statement. I don't think that you can link this to the idea of liquidity of identity.

Social and cultural contexts - 40 Year of Black British Lives

Read this extract from The Voice: 40 Years of Black British Lives on rapper Swiss creating Black Pound Day (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access the document). Answer the following questions:

1) What is Black Pound Day?

Black pound day aimed at celebrating Black-owned businesses and giving the Black community a financial and emotional boost, after the anger at racial inequality in the UK evident by the protests that followed Floyd's death.

2) How did Black Pound Day utilise social media to generate coverage and support? 

They used social media to generate coverage and support.

3) How do events such as Black Pound Day and the Powerlist Black Excellence Awards link to wider social, cultural and economic contexts regarding power in British society?  

They are points where social, cultural and economic contexts are shifting. Black Pound Day is all about supporting black businesses so as a result of that more black people will become wealthy. Powerlist Black Excellence Awards is there to inspire young people by highlighting black role models who are succeeding in key sectors like business or science.  

Audience

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

Obviously, black British people. Age does range a lot but I would say between 20 and onwards.

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

Personal identity is the main one. The Voice exists for a mostly to give black British people place where they can see them self's in. To give them a voice.

3) Give examples of sections or content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

Well it is mainly for black people in Britain so by default that makes it niche as outside London of mayor cities in Britain there is virtually no people of colour.

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

Racism has always been a part of black history. The voice explores this in many ways to give black people the information about it.

5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?

Not really. Clay Shirky talks about and of audience and mass amateurisation, publish first filter later, and cant really find anything.

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

To agree with them. The Voice exists to give black British people a voice in the media so naturally they will be put in a position to agree with most of what they are saying.

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying?

I think they are. No matter how much time passes they will never be seen a purely British people. There will always be this idea of a second home or a second nationality.

3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?

The voice blends British and African culture so that black British people can find their place in Britain.

4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

Probably as validating their own experiences. Many black British people go through a lot of similar experiences. 

5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

Its family oriented. Also it was made to be a pillar for black communities.  

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

Racism. More than 40 years ago black people got fed up with the abuse from mainly the police and wanted to have equal opportunities as everybody else.  

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia or look at this Guardian article when Gleaner first acquired The Voice.

"The Gleaner Company has bought full ownership of the Voice and Young Voices magazine from the family of Mr McCalla, who died two years ago, in an all-share deal." Like all companies they are driven by profit.

4) How does the Voice website make money?

Adverts and newspaper

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

They are self promoting. There are two fixed ones, that being job recruitment for them and selling you their book.

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

I doubt they make much profit. They are mostly there to represent black British people and to inform them to push for change.

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

They have lots of interviews.

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

It makes it more accessible as anybody can access them from the internet but it has inertly killed the as well. Everybody expects free information and nobody buys newspapers no more

9) Analyse The Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as Zendaya's)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

If you that away the 94 million followers from TS account she still has 16 times more followers that the voice. Their social media presence is criminally low. 

10) Study a selection of videos from The Voice’s YouTube channel. What are the production values of their video content?

Very low. I could make better videos then them. Matter a fact it's insulting to people who are in the videos.