How do magazines construct identity?

Résumé du document

The many different types of magazines that are present in the market could be seen as a proof that editors are constantly looking to target an audience. Indeed, in order to secure the right type of advertisers, magazine editors have to find the right type of readers so that the efficiency and popularity of advertisements and features is maximized. Therefore, readership identity is constructed throughout the contents of a magazine, from the topics of features, to photographs and advertisements. In order to enlighten this construction of the ideal reader, we need to study what the concept of identity means and how it is assembled in magazines. We will then apply these principles to the deconstruction of Financial Times Magazine with the aim of determining how this particular magazine constructs the identity of its readers, in an attempt to attract its target audience.

Extraits

[...] However, it might also alienate those who do not possess or aspire to the recurrent concept of comfortable ‘lifestyle' that is communicated. Indeed, as Bignell (1997: 58) expresses, ‘there will be a large number of ‘non-ideal' readers of the magazine's signs and meanings', therefore questioning the whole purpose of constructing an identity for the ideal reader. Bibliography Bignell, J Media Semiotics: An Introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 56-59. Jhally, S ‘Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture' in Dines, G and Humez, J.M.Gender, Race, and Class in the media. Thousand Oaks: Sage, p.251. [...]

[...] Words in Chinese could also be seen as a way in which the magazine values an important part of its readership, foreign investors. The topics of the features in the magazine are obviously orientated towards people individuals who have an interest in economics and finance and allow the readers to ‘enjoy and appreciate content that's purely them”' (Warkentin; 2003: pg.un.). Indeed, the ‘Dear economist' column consists in ‘resolving readers' dilemmas with the tools of Adam Smith.' Thus, the author applies economic theories of free trade and oil investment to a reader's football dilemmas. [...]

[...] Aspden, P ‘Growing Pains' in Financial Times Magazine, May p.8. Cosmo Girl expects that one of its readers will be president of the United States in 2024. Each month, a ‘successful leader' is interviewed in order to encourage the readers to become leaders themselves. [...]

[...] This leads us to the social and cultural aspects of the construction of identity in magazines. Indeed, the editorial content, advertisements and photographs of a magazine often seem to emphasise a particular lifestyle that can be seen as a goal for its readers. Ballaster (1991: 149) recalls this aspect of the magazine market, stating that, In recent years the advertising and publishing industries' discourse of consumption has constructed itself and revolved around a crucial category, that of ‘lifestyle'. Readers are offered advice on how to choose the goods, and sometimes the attitudes and beliefs, which combine to produce a desired lifestyle. [...]

[...] Thus, by choosing its advertisers, the magazine carefully reduces its number of non-ideal readers. Indeed, as Kellner (in Dines, 2003: 245) argues, cannot help but construct notions of ourselves at least in part from the media images that surround us, and given that the advertiser uses idealized images of ourselves to sell us products, most of us will find ourselves woefully inadequate when we compare ourselves with such images'. Therefore, Financial Times Magazine is very selective of its potential readers. [...]