Text and Pictorial Representation in Media - Essay Example

Introduction Media serves the society as a means through which information is transferred to the community. For example, media advertisements are often composed of meaningful information expected to benefit the community in one way or the other and the government uses the media to communicate significant information to the society. This paves way for the manufacturers use media to introduce a new product to the market or educate the consumers of their products and it is also used to connect people. In other words, media is a primary means of communication in any given community and it comes in the form of television advertisement, magazine and newspaper advertisement and audio advertisements. For media to be effective, the information or the media texts bears the significant information and is presented in a manner that allows the recipient to understand the information promptly. In this essay, an analysis of a media text is done on the provided media text Time magazine of May 21, 2012 cover page. The media item comprises of an image of a mother breastfeeding an over grown baby and its subject of on attachment parenting leading mothers to extremes. According to Burn & Parker, (2003, p. 38), Images and text have a complementary relationship and orientation as it is evident from the picture, both point the same way towards the reader. They indicate a dominant theme in the relationship between a mother and a child in developing a cordial relationship. For example, the image links childhood and breastfeeding are represented in the picture page in a semiotically fused mode. The colour represents a youthful nature and the enthusiasm involved in the upbringing of children. On the other hand, the size of the child seems to bring out a new ideology of over-bonding of the mother and the child and the writing, ‘Are you mum enough’ seems to overlook the nature of motherhood and the relationship the two should have. It can be described as a photo looking to caution at the limits that have to be observed and hence the extent to which a mother can and cannot go in bonding with the child. Primarily, the image on the media emphasizes the argument of being a mum enough to nature a baby to a full grown age where he/she no longer requires much nurturing and parenting, (Gill, 2007, 46). The image could also be symbolic in that it shows how odd it feels or it appears for a mother to excessively nurture or breastfeed a child to an age that is unacceptable. Sometimes the mothers extend this care to the fully grown up individuals who can comfortably care for themselves without much of a mother’s or a parent’s attention. In addition, the media communicates the challenge the mothers endure in nurturing a child or a baby to a mature age where they can be on their own. All this information is clearly evident in the image and the text combined and hence they are significant in a media for it to communicate the desired information. The design of the lettering involves a semiotics of childhood familiar in print and broadcast media – uneven lettering signifying activity and dynamism; the use of branding to convey a message of ethical trading here is a kind of semiotic use of the enemy’s tool – a development of the semiotics of global capitalism in the service of a message opposed to the interests of other advertisements in the print as well as visual media worldwide. A variety of narratives are represented in the photo, the mother who is bonding with the child while on the other hand the child taking advantage of the willingness of the mother to go ahead and breastfeed at an age over the recommended. Here is the plight of the child trying to quench his desire to the breast milk he has been used to as growing up, (Ungerer, 2000, 66). This could also be symbolic and representing the mature adults who still look upon their mothers for both emotional and physical support even when they effectively provide for themselves. Generally, information design of the lettering and the placing of the image in the text aims at maximizing on the available space to capture both the attention of the observer and at the same time deliver the desired message. A poor media design results to a failure because it would least capture the attention of the observer and neither will it send the desired information to the targeted population. Every advertisement whether in words only, pictures only or a combination of both pictorials and words are intended for a specific audience and the choice of media for the advert gives the breakthrough to the intended target, (Burn and Parker, p.38). The voice of this message which is linked with a photographic image can be applied on various platforms but the visual presentation gives a better format. The advert speaks and the picture serves as a demand image act, in which the represented figure gazes directly at the viewer, functioning to demand a serious ethical reflection to the mother in positions to breastfeed. The serious ness of the demand is modified by the young child standing on top of a chair to reach the mothers breasts. The representation of the child in the picture serves to relate to all those who are parents. It portrays the creativity and innovativeness in visual design as well as the flexibility in the modes that can serve the purpose intended – breastfeeding. Though the child looks past breast feeding age, the mother is so attached to the child that she looks to enjoy breast-feeding. The image says that the main focus is on the child and it is in excess in trying to make the bond between the mother and the child and thus, the presentation of the media in through the image and the wording effectively communicates the intended message of mothers overdoing their role as parents. According to survey research done by various scholars, the US public substantially exaggerated the percentage of African Americans among the poor; this notion not only reinforces stereotypes, but also leads to a situation in which many white people do not support government welfare provision because they perceive poverty and the unemployment situation as a problem for the black skinned people, (Gill, 2007, 143). This is a situation parallel in most of the European as well as the African countries. Investigations on media representation of poverty and race, on the basis of that skewing of information in media texts might be responsible for the skewed understanding of the situation on the part of the US public. This analysis was drawn from major media advertisements appearing on major US newspapers, television news stories, documentaries advertisements and many other Medias such as billboards. This is a much more general conclusion on the representation of race and poverty across the different US media and adds to the comprehensiveness of the categories of people being used in advertisements. To an extent this affects the way the intended target customer perceives the whole advertisement at large and his or her willingness to buy the product. Another focus that an advertisement could take is much more concerned with the medium and the timing with which the advertisement would run. This brings into focus the consideration of timing in relation to the target audience in probability that they are listening or watching. There needs to be a sense of empirical adequacy in terms of generalizability which have more important implications for the comprehensiveness of an intended advertisement such as the one showing a mother breastfeeding while standing. In terms of the news media as a whole, by choosing to include the likes of the photo herein to include only magazines would much more aim the audience with interests in reading as well as a portion of those who are keen with pictorials. Conclusion Posters or advertisements that are in both words and pictorial form tend to attract more audience as opposed to a wordy approach to advertising. They are more interesting to the eye and the individual observing the advertisement tends to be more impressed with the design as well as the approach to the wording styles, (Breuer, Napthine, and OShea, 2012, p.15). This interest generated by the design of the poster only will have an effect of deriving the message and pulling crowds even before the individual reads the advertisement. Other pictorials such as the one seen in the assessment have the chances to be talked of widely due to the debates they bring about in terms of the various perceptions presented. The message will have spread even before some of those interested get to see the advertisement. This is one of the strategies that advertisers use to gain more audience and hence increase the possibility of agendas such as promotional activities getting a wider coverage. Finally, the choice of the media to use for the propagation of the message therein is important as the segmentation of such a message in targeting audience lies in its ability to passed across. Such a pictorial presentation will be well received by audiences such as television, billboards and magazine users as opposed to a third party description through the radio. References Breuer, I., Napthine, M., & OShea, R. (2012). Persuasive language in media texts. St. Kilda VIC, Australia: Insight Publications Burn, A., & Parker, D. (2003). Analysing media texts. London: Continuum. Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the media. Polity. Ungerer, F. (2000). English media texts, past and present: Language and textual structure. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins Pub. Read More