audience theories

Question 1

cultivation theory - gerbner

Answer 1

the idea that heavy consumers of media will begin to align their views and values with those that are conveyed to them via the media

• if people consume a lot of one singular source of news and information, then their own beliefs would echo those that they were consuming
• messages and ideologies conveyed through TV and other media is more subtle
• media has the ability to shift how we perceive the world around us and our attitudes towards other people
• mainstream ideas and beliefs are the ones which are repeatedly represented and conveyed and conform to social norms

Question 2

media effects - bandura

Answer 2

• the bobo doll experiment showed that children are susceptible to the influence of what they see in recorded media and film and TV have the potential to shape the behaviour of young people’s brains
• recorded violence can ben influential, causing children to imitate transgressive behaviour because they model their behaviour on what they see
• this has implications when it comes to what is ‘safe’ for children to consume and whether or not being exposed to media that is harmful could directly impact their behaviour
• this causes media producers to have moral responsibility when it comes to the level of transgressive behaviour they showcase in their content
• this theory, like the hypodermic needle theory has been criticised for being overly-simplistic as critics argue that it overlooks other factors that may influence how a toddler acts

Question 3

hypodermic needle theory

Answer 3

states that the media injects information directly into the passive minds of an audience who simply accept everything as true - hall’s reception theory disproves this

Question 4

fandom - henry jenkins

Answer 4

• an audience must be active to fall under the notion of fandom
• jenkins outlines how fans will form social connections that are based on or supported by this shared, common interest
• fandom contributes to someone’s sense of self and the outward identity presented to the world - it’s a reflection of their personality and a sense of individuality
• audiences take original content and alter it for themselves - fan art, fan fiction and other fan created content = textual poaching
• opportunities for fans to place themselves in the fictional world, change or add things that they felt were lacking or explore their feelings about the characters or dynamics
• a large proportion is sexual or romantic in nature - some of which is harmless but equally some can be controversial
• can be affirming, uplifting and supporting but also if fans are obsessive or make fan art that you object to, then this can become a problem
• the media has encouraged fandoms to explode into something much more persuasive (eg. some have social media stan’ accounts and some make money from selling fan art

Question 5

stuart hall’s reception theory

Answer 5

• hall suggests that there are three types of audience reading, which depend on the level of understanding and acceptance that the audience get from the text which closely aligns with the intended meaning of the producers
• dominant hegemonic/ preferred: the intended meaning that the producers have encoded has been fully decoded, and they agree with the ideologies of the producers
• negotiated: when the process of encoding and decoding is only partially achieved and there is a compromise between audience and creators
• oppositional: cannot decode the text at all

Question 6

end of audience - clay shirky

Answer 6

• the invention of the internet has been a turning point and now audiences have the power to directly and openly interact with media creators online and through social media
• the power of audience feedback has inspired social media backlash, online fan communities, direct communication between producers and audience members which are all aspects of the two way flow of content that exists now
• amateur creators have more opportunities to produce and distribute media on a much more competitive footing than ever before
• audience members can now become creators in their own right thanks to the evolution of digital technology and platforms
• the playing field is not exactly level, but it’s more than it once was as barriers of cost, accessibility and communication between audiences and producers have been broken down, and the dynamic of the digital media landscape forever changed