The Big Issue- 03/02/21

 How Covid-19 has affected The Big Issue

Recently, many articles have been written in The Big Issue which relate to Covid-19 and how it has impacted different members of society. Such as: 

  • ' Disabled Brits on benefits go without food and other essentials during pandemic'. 
  • ' Explosion of Covid cases recorded among London's homeless in January'
  • 'It feels like we're being forgotten: young people on the impact of Covid' 
  • 'How low income families have been affected during the pandemic' 
These articles highlight how The Big Issue looks at many people within society as it tries to improve the lives for as many people as possible. 

Covid-19 has also meant that street vendors were unable to sell to the public therefore The Big Issue has worked to created digital versions as well as an app to ensure that they are still able to generate revenue for the magazine to continue to run and provide money to vendors. The magazine is now also being sold in supermarkets to allow for readers to still be able to purchase their copy. It has meant that The Big Issue has had to pause its ideology of 'a hand up, not a hand out' as vendors are unable to work for their money but still need to be provided with money to live. The Big Issue has also launched its 'winter campaign' in an attempt to get people to either subscribe to the magazine or donate. 

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when a media text references another media text. The Big Issue normally uses lots of intertextuality as its culturally aware ABC1 audience will be able to decode the media messages and intertextuality used. 

  • The ABBA song 'The Winner Takes It All' is being referenced in relation to the EU referendum as they are saying whoever wins the referendum will have the biggest impact on the UK and will obtain a lot of power.
  • The use of having these big politicians presented in this way represents them as unprofessional and suggests that the whole situation is embarrassing. 
  • The words in the speech bubbles are lyrics from Abba songs and reflect what each politician wants the outcome to be. 
  • This front cover allows The Big Issue to be critical of the politicians as it is representing them as being unprofessional but is not showing political bias which is important to a magazine that wants to make a change to society based on cultural and social factors rather than political leaning.



How to structure a response to an intertextuality question

  • Make it clear that you know what intertextuality is 
  • Explain why The Big Issue regularly uses intertextuality (link to niche audience)
  • Identify the intertextual references and explain what is being suggested through these references 
  • How does the representations constructed through the intertextual references support/mirror The Big Issue's ideas and ethos?
  • Explain why it is advantageous that The Big Issue uses intertextuality. 

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