1

Visualizations for Teaching and

Learning Media Studies

Rick Instrell

Figures to accompany the article:

Instrell, R. (2015) ‘Barriers and Thresholds in Learning Media Studies: Part 3’. Media Education Journal, 57, Summer 2015.

Note that a pdf of this document can be downloaded from the resources page of the AMES website (mediaedscotland.org.uk soon to change to ames.scot).

A Microsoft PowerPoint version of the figures is also available there so that those who wish to edit the visualizations can do so with the minimum of effort.

AMES is a registered Scottish charity number SC029408

2

Relationship Structure Example1. Metaphor Pictorial representation Figures 4 (p3), 24 (p13)2. Cluster Bulleted list

Spider diagramFigure 1 (p3)Figure 5 (p4)

3. Comparison Table Table 2 (p4)4. Taxonomy (‘kind of’ relationship) Tree Figures 6, 7, 8 (p5)5. Partonomy (‘part of’ relationships) Tree

Organization chart Figure 9 (p6)6. Temporal sequence Chain

CycleFigure 10 (p6)Figures 11 (p6), 12 (p7)

7. Typology Linear scaleMatrix

Figure 13 (p7)Figures 14, 15 (p8)

8. Levels Concentric circlesStrata

Figure 16 (p9)Figure 17 (p9)

9. Interactions Cause-effect diagram Figures 18, 19 (p10)10. System flows Circuit

HelixFigures 20, 21 (p11), 22 (p12)

11. Multiple interactions Network Figure 23 (p12)12. Assemblages Rhizome Figure 25 (p13)13. Overlapping conceptions Venn diagram Figure 26 (p13)

Appendices: WorksheetsAppendix 1: Brand/product research spider diagramAppendix 2: Compass diagram for media production planningAppendix 3: Media effects analysis matrix

Table 1: Relationships and possible visualization structures

3

Figure 1: A concept map of concept maps

Figure 2: Use of unlabelled link to show concept of agenda-setting

Figure 4: A visual metaphor for media regulation

Figure 3: Use of two-way link to show structure-agency couplet

4

Figure 5: Use of spider diagram to map brand image

Traditionalist Free market (neoliberal) Public service• Media should uphold traditional

values• Media should uphold law and

order• Media should uphold ‘family

values’• Media should reflect traditional

views of identity (e.g. gender, ethnicity, sexuality, culture)

• Media can have a harmful effect on society

• Media need to be censored in respect of sex and violence

• Media are responsible for ‘dumb-ing down’ society.

• Media have responsibility to owners and shareholders

• Media can use free market to deliver global wealth, democracy and diversity to consumers

• Public service media should be privatized (e.g. universal BBC license should be replaced by subscription)

• Media should be deregulated• There should be no barriers to

concentrated media ownership.

• Media have a democratic re-sponsibility towards society

• Media must fulfil social functions of providing information, equal access and a public forum for dif-ferent viewpoints

• Media collectively should repre-sent diverse social groups and diverse viewpoints

• Media should allow access to diverse social groups

• Media should be independent from interference from business and government

• Media should apply self-regula-tion with regard to content and conduct

• Media markets should be regu-lated to prevent domination by a single or a few large corpora-tions

• Media should set and meet standards with regards to con-duct and the truth, accuracy, objectivity and balance

• Media should avoid publicizing content that can offend or lead to disorder

• Society is entitled to high stand-ards and intervention justifiable if the media fail to meet these.

Table 2: Comparison of three conceptions of the media

5

Figure 6: Taxonomy of UK/Scottish national daily newspapers distributed in Scotland

Figure 7: Taxonomy of film sound

Figure 8: Taxonomy of differential decoding

6

Figure 9: Partonomy (organisation chart) of video games production company

Figure 10: Todorov narrative model (top) and Thompson’s four-act model of mainstream film narrative

Figure 11: The hero’s journey

7

Figure 12: Compass diagram

Figure 13: Typology of source-reporter relations

8

Figure 14: Typology of media effects

Figure 15: Typology of evaluations of media impacts

9

Figure 16: Hierarchy of influences model

Figure 17: Base-superstructure model

10

Figure 19: Factors influencing user choice of media content

Figure 18: Dependency model of media system

11

Figure 20: Circuit of culture (simple version)

Figure 21: Circuit of culture (key aspects version)

12

Figure 23: Network model of media system

Figure 22: Circuit of culture (expanded version)

13

Figure 24: Contrasting biological metaphors used in philosophy and sociology

Figure 25: Rhizome model of global culture

Figure 26: Venn diagram of multiple public spheres

Brand/product research spider diagramInstructions: 1. Choose a well-known brand or product. Now record your own and other people’s comments about the brand/product on the spider diagram below.2. Now imagine you are going to launch a new brand or product which competes in the same market as the brand/product you have researched. Use your research findings to think of how you would position and market the new brand/product.

Compass diagram for production planningInstructions: Use the compass diagram to make notes about the planning of your media production.

Media effects analysis matrixInstructions: Think of an example of a media effect/influence. Is it the impact long-term or short-term or both? Is the effect intentional or unintentional or or both? Use the matrix below to ‘plot’ the effect/influence in the appropriate quadrant(s). Repeat this until you have at least two entries in each quadrant. Ensure each entry make reference to specfic media texts/contexts e.g. long-term intentional: Right-wing news coverage in Rupert Murdoch’s news compa-nies (The Sun in the UK; Fox News Channel in USA).