Effect theory-
(Hypodermic Syringe, Inoculation)
What media does to audiences, ‘what are you injecting into your audience?’
Dating from the 1920s, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media. It suggests that audiences passively receive the information transmitted via a media text, without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data. Don't forget that this theory was developed in an age when the mass media were still fairly new - radio and cinema were less than two decades old. Governments had just discovered the power of advertising to communicate a message, and produced propaganda to try and sway populaces to their way of thinking.
This was widely done by Hitler and Nazis Germany by manipulating the media to go against a race showing just how powerful the mass media can be.
This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive and heterogeneous. This theory is still quoted during moral panics by parents, politicians and pressure groups, and is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts (comics in the 1950s, rap music in the 2000s), for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behaviour and will then act them out themselves.
For example the Frankfurt School: Marxist German Intellectual reacting against Nazis propaganda. Hitler used posters and pictures in newspapers to promote women staying at home, men going to war and children hating Jews. These posters were everywhere so the public had no choice but to consume the information.
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The rise of TV in the 50s and 60s: fear of danger to children. Influence of behavioural scientist Pavlov and his study of dogs; he found that dogs produced saliva when they heard a bell because they had associated the bell with food. In connotation with media and audiences media makes people dependent e.g. we hear the Eastenders theme tune without seeing it but we know its 8pm and the channel is on BBC 1.
Moral panic: concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality.
(2 step)
MEDIA TEXTS ----------- OPINION LEAERS ---------- MEDIA CONSUMERS
Criticisms
Violence problems are social and psychological not as a result of the media.
Media can be positive, not just corruptive like the theory suggests.
Criticism of the media using this model is often politically motivated.
Uses & Gratification –
What audience do with the media challenging it?
During the 1960’s audiences were made up of individuals who activity consumed text for different reasons.
· Surveillance – the surveillance need is based around the idea that people feel better knowing that they have knowledge of what’s going on in the world. This awareness makes us feel more secure.
· Personal identity - the personal identity need explains how being a subject of the media allows us to reaffirm the identity and positioning of ourselves within society. An example of this is in soaps; the characters are usually designed to have widely differently characteristics, so that everyone can find someone to represent them, someone to aspire to and someone to despise. You could find a character that seems ‘cool’ and leads a lifestyle you would like; this could help you set your own goals. Or if you find a character that you don’t like, you could pick out their bad habits and make sure you don’t act like that.
· Personal Relationships –
1. Relationships with the media, many people use the television as a form of companionship. The television is often quite an intimate experience, by watching the same people on a regular basis we can feel quite close to them – we grieve, cry, smile and laugh with them,
2. Using the media within relationship, we can use the media as a spring board to form and build upon relationships with real people. When families came together to watch TV it can be used as a stimulus for conversation.
· Diversion – this can be termed as an escapism, using media can help us forget about our own lives and problems for a while we think of something else. The media can give us emotional release and also sexual arousal, which includes sex scenes.
Since then, the list of Uses and Gratifications has been extended, particularly as new media forms have come along (e.g. video games, the internet).
Criticisms:
We may not have an option in what we watch.
Ignores any aspects of the Effects Theories.
Ignores socio-economic factors.
We may not have an option in what we watch.
Ignores any aspects of the Effects Theories.
Ignores socio-economic factors.
This work was based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience - the text is encoded by the producer, and decoded by the reader, and there may be major differences between two different readings of the same code. However, by using recognised codes and conventions, and by drawing upon audience expectations relating to aspects such as genre and use of stars, the producers can position the audience and thus create a certain amount of agreement on what the code means. This is known as a preferred reading. 4. Cultivation Theory
This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. The media is seen as part of our socialisation process. The repetition attitudes, ideas may become 'naturalised'.
For example a person who watches a lot of crime shows will eventually believe that there is a lot of violent crime in the city that they live.
'Viewers who watch more Television will be more influenced than those who watch less'. Categorized Television Viewers:
- Heavy viewers (watch TV more than 4 hours)
- Light viewers(watch TV less than 4 hour
Television - 'Cultural Construct'
Mainstream: The common current thought of the majority.
Blurring: Constant exposure to the same images
Blending: Mixing of fiction and the real world.Bending: Reflection of TV fiction.
Criticisms:
Simplistic- ignores complexity of nature.
Society's views can be affected by other variables.
These theories have been backed up by events that have recently happened- 'Demonised Media Texts'
Mainstream: The common current thought of the majority.
Blurring: Constant exposure to the same images
Blending: Mixing of fiction and the real world.Bending: Reflection of TV fiction.
Criticisms:
Simplistic- ignores complexity of nature.
Society's views can be affected by other variables.
These theories have been backed up by events that have recently happened- 'Demonised Media Texts'
Child's Play (1988) was blamed for influencing the murder of Jamie Bulger.This horror movie is notorious for its links to the 1993 murder of three year old Jamie Bulger, in Liverpool,
England. The 10 year old killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, supposedly saw the film, and imitated a scene where a victim is splashed with blue paint.
- Marilyn Manson was blamed for the Columbine High School shootings. Two Columbine High School students walked into their school in Littleton, Colorado, shot and killed thirteen people, and injured twenty-three others before turning the guns on themselves.
- Marilyn Manson was blamed for the Columbine High School shootings. Two Columbine High School students walked into their school in Littleton, Colorado, shot and killed thirteen people, and injured twenty-three others before turning the guns on themselves.
Richard Dyer's Utopian Solutions Theory
Inadequacy Poverty Confusion Exhaustion Isolation
Solution Abundance Clarity Energy Community
This solution gives people a choice of compensation for the inadequacies in their own lives.
3 reasons why audiences choose to consume media
1) social tension
2) inadequacies
3) absence Andrew Goodwin
Inadequacy Poverty Confusion Exhaustion Isolation
Solution Abundance Clarity Energy Community
This solution gives people a choice of compensation for the inadequacies in their own lives.
3 reasons why audiences choose to consume media
1) social tension
2) inadequacies
3) absence Andrew Goodwin
He has a number of points that are included in music video
Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics- e.g. dance routines for boy or girl bands. Choreographed dance sequences and interest in the opposite sex.
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (illustrative, amplifying, and contradicting).
The tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music. You can’t have a sad heartbreaking song and have people jumping around happily in the video.
The demands of the record label will include the need for close ups of the artist and may develop motifs which reoccur across their work.
There is frequently reference to notion of looking. There are often Intertextuality reference to TV Programmes, other music videos etc.
Laura Mulvey's Feminist Film Theory and Audiences
· Cinema reflects society with reflects a patriarchal society.
· Erotic Desire- Women have 2 roles in media- as an objective of desire for the characters & for the audience.
· The Male Gaze :
- the gaze of the camera is the male gaze
- the male gaze is active, the female is passive
-The spectator is made to identify with the gaze because the camera films from the optical and libidinal point of view.
-3 levels - camera, character and spectator (triple gaze)
Out of these theorist we used Andrew Goodwin's theory as it best suited our storyboard. He talks about there being a relationship between lyrics and visuals so we incorporated this into our video by using a narrative that linked in with the song and also by adding lip syncing to give a better understanding of what's going on between the song and the narrative.
Laura Mulvey's theory didn't apply to ours as females did not take a key role in ours, neither were they portrayed as the objective of desire. Our protagonist is male so then this theory is not useful to our group.
- the male gaze is active, the female is passive
-The spectator is made to identify with the gaze because the camera films from the optical and libidinal point of view.
-3 levels - camera, character and spectator (triple gaze)
Out of these theorist we used Andrew Goodwin's theory as it best suited our storyboard. He talks about there being a relationship between lyrics and visuals so we incorporated this into our video by using a narrative that linked in with the song and also by adding lip syncing to give a better understanding of what's going on between the song and the narrative.
Laura Mulvey's theory didn't apply to ours as females did not take a key role in ours, neither were they portrayed as the objective of desire. Our protagonist is male so then this theory is not useful to our group.
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