5. media and the audience (m) Flashcards
what is the hypodermic syringe model?
- model suggests the audience passively accepts the message ‘injected’ into them by mass media
-believes there’s a direct correlation between the violent behaviour shown on TV, computer games, etc. and anti-social and criminal behaviour irl
-e.g. james bulger was a 2 year old abducted and murdered by 10 year old boys who had watched child’s play 3 before they murdered him
what is some research into the hypodermic syringe model?
-(Bandura, Ross and Ross) did lab exp which claimed to prove cause and effect relationships between media images & behaviour
-bandura et al (1961) exposed groups of children to violent scenes involving a bobo doll. 3 groups shown various clips. fourth group weren’t exposed to any violent scenes. when the first 3 groups were placed in a room with a similar doll, they acted in the same violent ways they had seen earlier. the fourth group caused no violent behaviour
how does feminism link to the hypodermic syringe model?
-Morgan (1980) suggested that there is a casual link between pornographt and real life sexual violence
-Dworkin (1990) suggests that pornography trivialises rape. other research suggests that exposure to pornography makes both men and women less satisfied with their partners
-alternatively, Denmark (2007) concluded pornography actually led to improved sex lives, sexual knowledge & attitudes towards opposite gender
what are some criticisms of the hypodermic syringe model?
-it’s deterministic
-assumes audiences are homogenous, it doesn’t take into account differences between social groups
-assumes the media have enormous power and influence
-assumes people are gullible and easily manipulated
-little evidence to support the model
how do some sociologists criticise the hypodermic syringe model?
-jack young (1981) put forward idea that seeing the effects of violence & pain it causes makes us less likely to do it
-gauntlett (2008) argues that ppl, esp children don’t behave as naturally under lab conditions as they would in their everyday environment
-cumberbatch (2004) looked at over 3500 research studies into effects of screen violence, concluded there’s no conclusive evidence that violence shown in media changes peoples behaviour
what are active audiences?
-active audience models of media effects see the media as less influential than passive approach of the hypodermic syringe model.
-they believe that audiences vary in terms of social characteristics like age, gender, social class, ethnicity, etc. these factors will influence their choices in the way they use the media, what they use them for, and the ways they interpret media texts
what is the two step flow model?
-suggests the media still has strong effect on audience, will respond in variety of ways
-influence of ‘opinion leaders’ in social networks- members of social group who get info & form views from media, lead opinion in group
-suggests opinion leaders select, interpret & filter media texts before they reach mass audience (step 1)
-opinion leaders selectively pass on messages to others in social group (step 2)
what are some criticisms of the two step flow model?
-probably more than two steps in the media influence- ideas get passed around in discussions creating more steps
-people very vulnerable to influence & manipulation by opinion leaders
-suggests audience divided into ‘active’ viewers (opinion leaders) & ‘passive’ viewers who are influenced by leaders
what is the cultural effects model- drip drip?
-suggest media has an influence on audience
-recognises media is owned & heavily influenced by dominant most powerful groups in society
-accepts audience may respond in different ways depending on their social characteristics
-suggests media gradually influences audience over period of time
what are some criticisms of the cultural effects model- drip drip?
-assumes media personnel like journalists work within the framework and assumptions of the dominant ideology
fails to recognise journalists do have some independence in their work
what is the cultural effects model- encoding/decoding & reception analysis?
-hall (1980) suggests media texts are ‘encoded’ by those who produce them & may contain an intended meaning called the hegemonic viewpoint
-halls approach was applied by Morley who suggest people might read media in 1 of 3 ways:
•dominant reading
•negotiated reading
•oppositional reading
what is a criticism of the cultural effects model- encoding/decoding & reception analysis?
-exaggerate the active role of media audiences
what is the cultural effects model- selective filtering?
-klapper (1960) suggested that ppl have their own experiences, make choices, interpret & filter what they see and hear in the media
-3 filters ppl apply to interpretations of media:
•selective exposure
•selective perception
•selective retention
what are some criticisms of the cultural effects model- selective filtering?
-suggests the audience can, through selective filtering, have some control over their responses to media output, but long-term socialisation by the media through repetitive messages may limit ability of audience to filter those messages
what is the cultural effects model- glasgow media group?
-philip (2008) critical of selective filtering approaches that audiences can make their own interpretations.
-media has effect on house ppl view the world, audience relies on traditional news to form beliefs
- media play key role in focusing public interest on subjects through agenda setting
