Media Studies key terms

The process through which an audience interprets the signs and codes in 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.

Grouping audiences by characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, income and occupation.

Dividing an audience into groups using measurable characteristics such as age, occupation or income.

The literal content or meaning of a sign: what is shown or stated.

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

The person someone would like to become, including qualities, lifestyles or achievements 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 belonging to the world of the story, such as characters’ speech or footsteps.

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

Communication that explicitly addresses the audience, for example through speech to camera or words directed at the reader.

A way of addressing the audience directly, for example when a performer looks towards 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.

Applying different standards to comparable behaviour by different people or groups.

A long scarf worn around the head or shoulders as part of South Asian dress; Malala identifies hers with her Pashtun cultural heritage.

The way genres change and develop over time rather than remaining fixed.

A hidden reference or clue in a media product that rewards audiences who recognise or decode it.