Attitude

 Target Audience-

Older, Homosexual men. 30+

Very Broadsheet like, aka plain pages with long text on articles. Home page is filled with pictures and headlines for stories. 

There is a few ways to interact with Attitude such as at the bottom of the page there is a Get In Touch action where you can send messages, or you can get in touch through their social medias which are upfront on the website. However there is no direct way to interact with producer to help with content so is quite old fashioned in that sense. Passive audience.

Masthead – sans serif, no capitals (modern, informal)

Colour Palette – bright colours, but lots of white space (crisp, clean layout). Topic colours (underneath stories) are all rainbow banner colours

Website layout & design – newest stories at the top (immediacy), stories categorised by topic. All shaped the same = consistent, clean layout (similar to other sites such as YouTube). Easy to navigate. Professional, but not flashy.

Website features – navigation bar, search box, picture slideshow, hyperlinks, videos, social media links (convergence)

Mode of address – informal on the whole, however more serious topics have more formal language to connote serious nature of story.

Mediation & Ideology – most stories specifically linked to homosexuality, gay culture, things that affect gay people (e.g. homophobia, specific diseases). Ideology = left wing (although apolitical) and liberal.

Being the website for a gay magazine (aimed at men), Attitude is great for analysing representations of homosexuality. 

Whilst none of the theorists we have studied specifically analyse homosexuality, Hall’s stereotypes vs Gauntlett’s Identity (pick’n’mix) theory is a good staring point. Butler’s Gender Performativity is also useful as it has been termed ‘queer theory’ by some (not meaning queer as gay, but as different/against stereotypical perceptions of ‘normal’). Gilroy and to some extent hooks can be used when analysing representations of race/ethnicity. You could also argue it goes against Van Zoonen as men are being objectified/sexualised.

Stereotypes

Campness / effeminacy (acting like a woman)

Obsessed with fashion

Obsessed with physique

Promiscuous

Kinky sex / unsafe

Psychopaths (e.g. Psycho (1960):

Normal Bates is heavily coded as gay; Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs (1989) is a serial killing transsexual)


Industry- Hesmondhalgh – by using a website as a marketing tool (and social media), Stream are attempting to maximise audiences and take less risk. Stream are a LTD, but have one shareholder, Darren Styles – he is free to take as many risks as he wants because he answers only to himself. It could also be argued Stream has reduced risk by diversifying their products (not just high end corporate magazines, but also moving into lifestyle/wider audience).

Curran & Seaton – whilst Attitude used to be owned by a media conglomerate, it is now owned by an independent publisher. This allows more creative freedom and less commercial (economic) pressure to push for profit & power. Whilst Stream still want to make a profit, they are free to make decisions which more mainstream publishers may not do. Challenges C&S to some extent.

Theories:

Gauntlett's Identity Theory- The idea that media gives us tools/resources that we construct our identity with. In the past media conveyed singular, straightforward messages about ideal male and female identities, the media today offer us a range of stars and influences from whom we may construct our identity with. 

The audience of attitude can forge their identity through this and use aspects of the articles and the website to find themselves.

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