5. Media Audiences Flashcards
Media effects
-There are different views on how much influence media has on the ways ppl think and behave
-Ppl might not accept everything they see in the media or may respond in different ways
-Media is polysemic, can be interpreted in different ways
Methodological problems of researching media effects
1) Difficult to establish if it’s media or other social factors that cause any alleged effects. May not be watching violent TV shows that lead to violence but their social situation
2) Hard to establish with spread of new media which media causes alleged effects
3) Practically impossible to establish what peoples values and behaviour might have been without media influence
4) We live in media saturated society, everyone is exposed to media in some way so can’t compare to ppl who haven’t
Media effects model
Range of media effects models with differences between them based around 2 key and related questions:
1) How passive or active are the audiences? This is about the extent to which media audiences engage with the media they consume. Do they simply accept what they consume or criticise and think about it
2) How powerful are media in influencing audiences? How influential are media compared to other influences such as their own experiences or influence of other agents
Active audience models
-Active audiences see media as less influential than passive audiences
-Believe audiences are not homogenous and vary in terms of social characteristics and personal experiences
-These factors influence choices in way ppl use media
Two Step Flow model (ACTIVE)
Katz and Lazarsfeld suggest social networks are dominated by opinion leaders. These are ppl with influence because other members of social networks respect them and their opinion
-Opinion leaders consumer differing types of media and form opinions on them, it therefore goes through two stages before audience effect:
1. Opinion leader exposed to media content. They then interprets and filter these media texts and form opinion on them
2. They then pass on their opinion to others in their social groups, who are influenced by that interpretation
-Therefore means audiences recieve mediated messages from opinion leaders, see audiences as not isolated groups but social groups
Two Step Flow Model: criticisms
-Probably ore than two steps in media influence, media could be interpreted by different individuals in different groups. More than one opinion leaders in groups have different opinions
-Suggests ppl vulnerable to manipulation by opinion leaders. Doesn’t take into consideration that ppl may have views and experiences of their own which affect their interpretations
-Doesn’t explain why opinion leaders are influenced by media when others are not
Selective filtering (ACTIVE)
This is an interpretivist approach. Klapper suggested ppl make choices and interpret what they see in the media.
Klapper suggests there are three filters ppl apply:
1) Selective exposure: ppl must first choose what they wish to consume and they may choose only media messages that fit in with their existing views and interests, e.g. they may refuse to watch a programme that doesn’t fit with their views
2) Selective perception: ppl will react differently to the same message and may choose to accept or reject a message depending on wether it fits their views and interests, e.g. people may ignore parts that don’t match their views
3) Selective retention: ppl forget material that isn’t in line with their views and only remember media messages with which they generally agree
-An example of this would be when Daily Mirror opposed war in Iraq, but half viewers were in favour of it
Hypodermic Syringe model (PASSIVE)
-Developed by Frankfort School of Marxists who saw media as an agent of ideological control. Most commentators would now regard it as an old fashioned and inadequate view of the relationship between media content and audiences
Passive audiences
-Suggests media acts like a syringe injecting media texts into media audiences.
-Audiences seen as unthinking, passive receivers of media texts. In this view, media messages fill audiences with the dominant ideology, sexist and racist images, scenes of violence or other content and audiences immediately act on this. Assumes audience is homogenous (react same way)
Link to moral panics
-This model explains many moral panics over effects of media in behaviour
-Partly used to explain London riots with some claiming social media fuelled riots
-On occasions ppl react directly to what they see in the media, e.g. copycat crimes.
-Advertisers spend millions on advertising which has effect on consumers and sales suggesting media effects ppl passively
Imitation
-Banduras bobo doll exp demonstrated that when children observed acts of violence they were more likely to be violent themselves
-The group who had observed violence demonstrated violence themselves
-McCabe and Martin argue media convinces children that in some social situations, discussion and negotiation can be replaced with violence. This is because violence dominates media content
Desensitisation
-Newson argues exposure to media violence encourages young ppl identify with violent perpetrators rather than victims
-Argued children and teenagers are subject to thousands of acts of violence through exposure to media and this may have a drip effect where they become desensitised and see violence as a norm
-Found ppl who watched more violent shows at an early age more likely to show signs of aggression in 20’s
Links to marxism
-Marxists believed the media transmitted a mass culture which made audiences more vulnerable to ruling class ideology
Evaluation
Sensitisation: Ramos found that participants in their research were more empathetic towards victims suffering when they knew they were watching real violence. Sensitises audience to violence and its consequences
Methodological issues: Banduras exp criticised as it took place in a laboratory. Therefore it lacked ecological validity as children not in natural environment. Couldve affected results.
Violence and media
-More ppl exposed to violence than ever before due to media
-Impossible to control and is even interactive through video games
-Question is whether media causes real life violent behaviour
-Some research has shown there is a correlation
-On the other hand, a report from Broadcasting Standards commission found children are sophisticated media users and are aware they are not watching reality
