Research

Before starting my article, I decided to research how media present drug use and drug users. I looked up various newspapers and investigated different articles on this particular topic, it was interesting to see that some newspapers provided different connotations than others, e.g. The New York Post and The Sun typically provide short punchy headlines, giving minimum information, giving initial negative connotations. The New York Post headline shown below even presents mocking, discussing a serious topic yet mimicking the celebrities songs, "Rehab".  

Stereotyping

From recent lectures I have decided stereotyping links with my topic the most; in association with drug use/ users, the media often use stereotyping as an easier and quicker way to present them, often in a negative light.

Photos

I tried to collect a variety of different shots of my model which included long shot, medium long and close up. As I am focusing on basing my magazine off Dazed and Confused, I took inspiration from their imagery, therefore tried to incorporate style, make up and fashion in to these photos. To go with the theme of the magazine, I wanted my model to be straight faced, moody and convey edgy connotations. My final images I chose fit the theme of the magazine well and are more unique different images than others usually seen in magazines.

Progression

P1: Intro
The stereotypes many of us have of drug use and drug users is very negative and is looked at as a crime, highly dangerous and the homeless people you see on your way to work. If drug use is included in newspapers or magazines, it will most likely go something like this, “16 YEAR OLD GIRL DIES AFTER TAKING ECSTACY AT A PARTY.” Scare mongering is easier for the media to do than realistically educate their audience about drugs, something that should be talked about more and feared less.

P2: Media stereo typing

P3: Drug Culture

From hippies in the 60’s using LSD and cannabis, to the 90’s rave era using ecstasy and MDMA, drug use has always been frowned upon yet makes a statement genre from decade to decade. The Beatles, Elvis, the moon landing and Martin Luther King are all great marks in history made in the 1960’s, however there was also a diverse movement made during this time, one that was controversial but revolutionary. You’ve probably heard the phrase “Peace and love man” before from that stoned guy in an American movie, but this was actually the theme of counterculture, in which young adults across the UK and USA encouraged women’s rights, human sexuality, a different interpretation for the American dream and experimentation with psychedelic drugs. Today, this dynamic sub culture has become the face of this 60’s, although at the time this group were referred to as “society’s dropouts”. Experimentation with drugs was an important fragment of this movement as the group stated that it helped become one with the universe and explore your own mind; popular drugs of this era consisted of LSD, marijuana, magic mushrooms and others in order to hallucinate. Although drug use was still frowned upon during this time, this applied a brand new meaning and outlook on the topic, relating more to spirituality and exploring inner consciousness.

LSD: Also referred to as acid, this isn’t something to take if you are anything less than 100% sure about it, as nervousness beforehand can lead to a “bad trip”. WHAT TO EXPECT: Hallucinations, hearing colours and seeing sounds, distorted perceptions.

P3: 90’s Rave

As a genre, rave has existed since the 1960’s, but the 90’s presented acid house, neon fashion and warehouse raves. 

Influences: VICE

Vice is an online website and a magazine, with content that mostly covers out of the ordinary stories and articles and is aimed at the younger generation. Similar to Dazed and Confused, the content mainly focuses on art, culture and news. I am planning to provide similar imagery within my double page spread as VICE, although my own isn't based on fashion and unique style, it is definitely an important element to this genre. 

Target audience

Focusing my attention to Dazed and Confused magazine, following it's edgy stylistics and quirky article topics, it is apparent that my interpretation should appeal to both male and female audiences. Articles within the magazine are roughly aimed at 18 - 25 year olds, as the main theme focuses on youth culture.

A current article in Dazed and Confused titled, 

"How teens are now buying drugs on Insta"

My focal point of my article is to address stereotypes made by other media sources that are often bias and fabricated.  

Topic

I decided that a magazine feature/ cover interested me the most within this project, due to the wide range of topics, styles and audiences this is able to appeal to. Currently, I am interested in how drug use, drug addiction and youths are represented in the media; especially in newspapers in which they are most popularly presented in a very negative light. I wanted to explore this topic more and browse newspapers and magazines with different outlooks on drug use in this day and age.

One of the most popular drug eras was during the hippie movement within the 1960's in which people would associate bright clothing, peace and love and drugs such as LSD and marijuana. At this time, this movement group were looked at as "societies dropouts" which is parallel to today's outlook on this topic.

Researching multiple newspapers and magazines, it is apparent that newspaper articles discussion of drugs seems to focus on only mentioning negative information to the audience instead of educating and informing. I am aiming to take inspiration and similar stylistics to Dazed and Confused magazine, which mainly focuses on British youth culture.