Cross Media Case Study HW

"Audiences are no longer just consumers of texts, but producers too" - To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?

My case study consists of three primary texts which include Hannah Montana, Icarly and Wizards’ of Waverly place .They all have a similar genre which is teen sitcom as well as operating on all cross media platforms, such as broadcasting via TV shows, print being magazines and e media through websites. These three platforms touch on the demographics of my texts, creating a diverse audience. Within my case study it can be argued that audiences are no longer just consumers of media texts but producers too .I’m going to discuss to what extent this statement is true in relation to my case study.

How did Hannah Montana print platform cause audiences to create their own pages in the magazine?

There is a specific difference between consumers and producers; a consumer is someone who receives a service, for instance viewing an icarly episode, whereas a producer is a person with control of creating something like a fan page. In the case Of Hannah Montana, its print platform, involves its very own magazine, where audience can read about fashion, music and updates of the characters, mostly everything Hannah Montana based. The magazine itself also contains comments sections and images. However some may question whether consumers have evolved into producers in the print platform as audiences can create stories and show strips ideas to the actual creator of Hannah Montana. Therefore, making the audience into producers as they have the control over what stories to pursue. This encourages audiences to want to produce more idea and comic strips as they will be featured in the magazine as well as a possibility of it being produced and broadcasted. The fact that audiences could have the possibility of seeing their script published, and perhaps developed into a storyline for the actual program ,may even appeal to young writers with ideas, which again broadens the target audience of Hannah Montana. As well as touching on the idea of consumers becoming more than just that, but producers.

This means that audiences are participating a contributing to the media product, the Hannah Montana magazine so that their ideas may be heard. In addition in Hannah Montana print platform, use of comments from readers are published and emails making of quizzes as well as a image shown and readers have to produce a headline/title for the image. These again questions the determinism of audiences being much more than consumers or whether they have now developed into producers as what they want to say or create can be easily published and shown to other readers and creators of the show. The fact that readers can create their own headlines, establishes the power and control to be in their hands, which is conventional of a producer. Also the use of a print platform broadens the audience as they relate back to e media platform where you can send comments and emails to the characters’ and creators for any ideas as well.

How have wizards of Waverley users used fan pages to engage audiences?

Wizards of Waverley users have created their own fan pages to initiate and engage audiences. Their unofficial websites include fan pages, where there is user interactivity, via quizzes and polls included. The main difference between the unofficial and official wizards of Waverley place websites’ is that on the unofficial, users can sign up /register to the site, and become a part of the page and interact. These kinds of interactions include the creation of quizzes. Users can upload their own produced quizzes, such as what kind so spells you would use in what episode. Then after you have participated in the quiz, you can upload your result to the page, and others will comment back. This broadens the audience of the fan page, as more people are likely to want to get involved if there other users, with the same interests commenting. 

Another aspect of the users unofficial fan page is images, that you can create yourself, such as wallpapers, which entices audiences to get involved and make their own images to upload, which then can be commented unto from other users. Moreover users can upload their own made videos. The videos which are produced by the users are of their own creation and include wizards of Waverley character and the show’s theme tune as well. These videos can be shared with other users, and you can favourite them as wells as comment on them. This encourages consumers to become the producers, as they can upload their own creation of content. Fan picks are also created on the fan page. These picks involve a basic yet effective concept, where users can upload their questions to address to the other users on the fan page, questions including character traits as well as the actors themselves. Not only does fan picks persuaded audiences to sign up so that they can comment, but also interact with other users and share opinions of recent episodes. There are a number of contests on the fan page itself, which consists of users being able to create their own wallpapers’, and the best one of wizards of Waverley place is uploaded and receives a gift. This enages audience to produce wallpapers for the site, as they will also receive comments and feedback from numerous users on the site.

How has Icarly’s official website gained audiences interests via use of uploading?

On the official website of Icarly, there a numerous attractions for audiences to interact and upload on the website. In the actual program, users uploaded videos are featured at the end of the program, and the characters base their next storyline around the concept of their video. The characters also comment back on the videos uploaded and may send them an autograph from the characters themselves. This means that audiences are persuaded to upload their own videos from the comfort from their own house, which may be shown on the program. Moreover the websites encourages audience to log in and send them issues of their own produce, including videos, photos and texts even. Free texts are sent to tell them what is thought of the show as well as thoughts of the show itself, and perhaps something that could be improved. The fact that the texts are free encourages more of the audiences to send texts, with feedback as well. But mostly it’s the sending your own videos which causes audiences to get involved and become the producers.

Overall it seems that audiences are much more than consumers, but now have evolved into producers. In the case of platforms, it seems that emedia is the most improved way of getting consumers opinions and produce across to the shows, is videos texts. However it seems that audiences are taking matters into their own hands, with the use of fan pages, with better features than the official programs website, hereby declaring to a great extent that, audiences are considered to be the producers of texts, regardless of platform.