LIAR, what is that?

Is LIAR here mean someone who lies? No, absolutely not. You would be surprised if I told you that this is in fact an abbreviation for 4 KEY concepts of media, let's take a look at what each letter stands for:

L - Language

Language is how the media communicate meanings through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques.

I - Industry

How and why media texts are produced, distributed and circulated.

A - Audience

How audiences are constructed and addressed by media texts and how audiences interpret and respond to media texts

R - Representation

Media representation can be understood as the action of describing things in reality, such as people, places, events, etc. Just like a mirror reflecting the real world and giving us information about it. However, this mirror is not always 100% true about what it reflects. As reality require real interactions and experience...

One representation can be understood the same way among people with the same background and can be understood differently among people with different cultures or backgrounds.

For example:

• A video about Vietnamese food can be understood as a representation of Vietnamese culture or to be specific, Vietnamese cuisine.

• A movie with an old character who is weak and has a bad health condition can be considered a representation of the elderly generation. They are represented as a weak and vulnerable group of people.

LIAR can be used as a formula for you when analyzing any media products. These four key concepts are significant and necessary points that you need to talk about when analyzing any media products. You need to talk about how that product communicates with the audience through its language. Next, compare it to the industry and the media texts they use. Then, see what effects the product has on the audiences and how the audience reacts or consumes it. Lastly, identifying the representation of that media product.