Structuralism Reading: Todorov, T. (1990 [1978]) Genres in Discourse, translated by Porter, C., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 27–38.

How do you make decisions about what films you want to see? Do you read reviews, or go on recommendations from friends? Are there certain actors you like, whose films you always go and see? Or perhaps there are particular directors whose films interest you? Do trailers make a difference to your choices? Or do you just turn up to the cinema with your friends, and decide then whatever takes your fancy? If so, how does that process work; do you go on the title, or the poster, or something else? Thinking about how we make decisions about what to consume – as well as what not to consume – tells us significant things about how we categorise the wealth of media options available to us. It means we think of ourselves as the kind of person who likes that kind of film, or that kind of music, or those kinds of television programmes, or that magazine. Our decisions result from a lot of factors – previous knowledge, advertising, how we are feeling that day, who we are with, and so on – but they all show that we often have certain expectations for a media text when we decide to consume it. If you go to see a James Bond film you assume there will be lots of action, and gadgets; if you buy The Guardian you would expect noticeably different content from that of, say, The Sun; in the first few episodes of The X Factor (ITV, 2004-) you perhaps hope to see very bad singers making fools of themselves. So, while media must be different and innovative in order to be interesting, it must also, in many ways, be the same, so we know what to expect and are not disappointed.