AQA GCSE Media Studies key terms

Using one product or platform to publicise another, helping audiences move between them.

A theory proposing that repeated exposure to media messages can gradually shape an audience’s attitudes, values and view of the world.

The shared values, beliefs, traditions and references surrounding a media product.

The process through which distinctive cultures become more alike, potentially developing into a common standard culture.

The process by which one country's media dominate consumption elsewhere and influence other societies' values and beliefs.

A daemon in His Dark Materials is an animal manifestation of a person’s inner self. Lyra’s daemon is Pantalaimon, usually called Pan.

The process by which an audience interprets the meanings communicated by a media product.

The splitting of a company into separate businesses or components.

An audience characteristic such as age or gender used to identify and categorise audiences.

Dividing an audience into categories using measurable characteristics such as age, gender or occupational social grade.

The literal content or meaning of a sign: what is shown, written or heard.

The stylistic decisions that shape the appearance of a media product.

The person someone would like to become, including qualities, appearance or lifestyles they aspire to.

A company or team that creates a video game, including its programming, artwork, sound and gameplay.

The fictional world of a story, including its characters, places and events.

Sound whose source belongs within the story world, such as dialogue, footsteps or a car engine.

Information left by online activity, which may remain accessible or be copied and shared long after it was first posted.

Communication directed towards the audience, for example when a character speaks to viewers through the camera.

Income obtained by selling a media product or access to it directly to consumers.

In Propp’s theory, a character who sends the hero on a quest or makes them aware of a problem.

An event or problem that disturbs the existing situation and usually triggers narrative action.

The process of making a media product available to audiences through channels such as online video platforms.

Expansion into different products or business areas to spread financial risk and increase possible sources of income.

Using media for enjoyment, relaxation or a temporary escape from everyday concerns.

A portrayal that reflects widely accepted or powerful ideas and values within a society.

The ideas, attitudes and beliefs widely shared and treated as normal within a society.

In Propp’s theory, a character who provides an object, resource or sacrifice that enables the hero to progress.