Tuesday 23 January 2024

Media Studies - Power and the Media (Fandom Theory)

What power do audiences have in the modern media landscape? [15]

Originally, consumers and audiences could only partake in a select phase in the lifespan of media products, which would be in exhibition. Audiences could only consume products, and not much else. However, with the advancements of technology and the creation of new media, according to Curran's and Seaton's beliefs on the consolidation of power in the media industry, audiences now have more power than ever to alter more stages of a products lifespan, now including the production as well as distribution stages, which gives audiences a far greater say in the final outcome of a media product. One example of this change taking effect would be in the ongoing production of the live action version of Snow White, by Disney. Snow white is obviously recognized for being one of the most iconic early animated films of all time, with the original being released in 1937, and is rated as one of the most revolutionary films of all time. Its iconic characters are known by hundreds of millions worldwide and the animated version alone has made Disney over $400 Million, purely from box office sales alone, without considering the overextending impact of Snow White's likeness in Disney's other works, as well as merchandise, and more. In 2023, Disney announced that they would be releasing the live action remake of Snow White, which follows Disney's current business model over the last 5-10 years of releasing/remaking its old classics. Snow White being one of the most popular of Disney's original works, it was an obvious choice to remake. Controversy however had initially emerged after the announcement of the movies cast, which most prominently saw Snow White (who originally had pale, white, skin), being portrayed by the ethnically Mexican/Hispanic actor, Rachel Zegler. This prompted backlash from audiences and consumers on various social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube. However, an even larger wave of backlash was released after it was seen that the Dwarves were portrayed by a racially diverse cast who varied in height and size, meaning they were not dwarves. This backlash may have been caused by several factors, one of which includes the new wave of “wokeness” that has dominated media texts in recent years, where racial checkboxes and gender identity and other issues have been used as puppets in the grand scheme of the media industry to “cater” towards audiences. This led to fans rushing to social media to voice their opinions on the matter, including viral TikToks and YouTube videos by the YouTuber "The Critical Drinker", in which he published a video essay on how Snow White is a mockery of the original and a failure as a movie in general. This critical backlash was brought about by millions of fans who had come together in solidarity and voiced their opinions. This is an example of how consumer fandoms partake in enunciative productivity, which according to Henry Jenkin's theory of fandom, sees consumers taking part in spreading a message, which in this case had a large effect in the production of the movie. This audience collaboration has proven to be effective, and has shown how audiences now have more power in the production of media products, as this has all led to new leaks from the movie, which has shown Disney has altered and recast the actors in the movie, in an attempt to please the outraged audience.



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