Media And Its Audience Flashcards
What is the hypodermic syringe model?
The media injects its message into the mind of the audience. The idea is that the media is so powerful, its message directly influences the individual and they’re powerless to resist the message or reject it
This theory says that all individuals in the audience are affected in the same way
Give an example that supports the hypodermic syringe model?
Orson Welles’ radio production of The War of the Worlds panicked listeners, believing it was true
How is the hypodermic syringe model criticised?
Too simplistic to explain how adults view media content. Treats people as passive and very easily led
Not all audience members react in the same way to the same pieces of media
Stayed popular as a theory of how media can influence children
How does the growth of new media mean that audiences can directly influence the media?
During the refugee crisis the photo of a 3 year old Syrian washed up on a Turkish beach was shared on social media. They used the image to criticise the European government for their approach to the crisis. After this, mainstream media messages became more sympathetic- they fell in line with the attitudes the audience had shown
What is the two step flow model?
It says that the media does influence people, but not everyone is influenced directly.
The first step is the media message reaching an audience member.
The second step is how their understand ion of the message is shaped by social interaction with other audience members. Eg if they discuss a soap opera then their opinions of the characters and plot is affected
What do Katz and Lazarfield say?
There were key individuals in each community whose reaction directly influenced others- ‘opinion leaders’.
They studied the American election and found people voted for the opinion leaders view but they got their ideas straight from media messages
What is the cultural effects theory?
Introduced the idea that social context is important when looking at the effects of the media. Different people interpret the media in different ways
They interpret in the context of the culture they already belong to eg Arsenal winning a game would have different reactions depending on whether the individuals support Arsenal
How is war of the worlds seen from a cultural effects viewpoint?
The response was caused by the cultural context in which it was Howard. It wouldn’t have the same reaction now
There was insecurity in America at the time and there was general expectation of bad news
What does Cohen argue?
Media reporting of expected trouble could create create a moral panic
Mods and rockers. The public panicked over how many people turned up to fight
How can media effects build up over time to create or reinforce cultural norms?
Images of women in the media create the stereotypical images. There’s been a long runnning campaign to remove picture of topless women ‘page 3 girls’ from national newspapers because it reinforces the dominant view that it’s okay to objectify women
What was the Bandura study?
Played children a film of a man hitting a doll. They then left the children to play with the doll they’d seen. The children who’d seen the violence on film hit the doll and the others didn’t. Bandura said this how’s that violent media could cause violent behaviour
This was criticised by Gauntlett arguing that the lab experiment is artificial. Myth that children are powerfil puppets of the media
What evidence of the hypodermic syringe model is there in shootings?
A gunman killed people at a screening of batman. He was dressed like the joker. This caused the media to suggest that the gunaman was directly influenced
What did GUMG find when researching media effects?
There wasn’t as much violence as the media suggested at a miners strike but the audience believed what the media told them
How has the idea that violent media normalise violence been criticised?
No clear evidence of the link
Violent media creates catharsis, letting the aggression out in a positive way -Tarantino
