Media audiences Glossary and Theorists

Question 1

Media effects

What are uses and gratifications in a media text?

Answer 1

Media audiences have set needs which the media gratify- they take active use of what is offered to them

Question 2

Media effects + War of The Worlds

What is the hyperdermic needle theory?

This theory is now outdated

Answer 2

Messages from the media are directly injected into the minds of passive audiences

They respond immediately to direct influence from the media

Can be applied to War of the Worlds

Question 3

Media effects

What is meant by moral panic?

Answer 3

The media stir up intense feelings on a particular event, making it seem worse than it really is, making audiences worry and panic

Can be applied to War of the Worlds

Question 4

Media effects

What is cumulation?

Answer 4

A process during which numerous effects accumulate over time due to repetition of media content

Question 5

Media effects

What is media literacy?

Answer 5

• The ability to access, analyse and understand media
• Media literacy allows a better understanding of the complex messages received via the media

Question 6

Bandura

What is social learning/ imitation?

links to Bobo doll experiment

Answer 6

Behaviours are learnt and copied as a result of social/ peer influence

Can be applied to War of the Worlds

Question 7

Cultivation theory

What is socialisation?

Answer 7

The process of learning social norms and values of our culture

Media has an active influence on this

Question 8

Cultivation theory

What is standardisation?

Answer 8

How the repetition of ideas/ behaviours/ attitudes can normalise them

Question 9

Cultivation theory

What is the bardic function according to Gerbner?

Answer 9

The nature of media as a story-teller and information provider within cultures

Question 10

Gerbner and cultivation theory

What is a cultivation differential?

based on social reality media is able to create

Answer 10

The margin of ‘heavy’ viewers over ‘light’ viewers when looking at perceptions of social reality that media creates

Question 11

Gerbner and cultivation theory

What is enculturation?

1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms

Answer 11

People’s attitudes and values are made to align with the cultural hegemony of society they belong to

Question 12

Gerbner and cultivation theory

What is resonance?

1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms

Answer 12

audiences see aspects of TV as representative of their own lives/ experiences- this affects their perception of the world (and could result in ‘mean world syndrome’

Question 13

Gerbner and cultivation theory

What is mainstreaming?

1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms

Answer 13

TV encourages attitudes and values of audiences to sync with what is presented in the media

reflects dominant cultural norms

Question 14

Gerbner and cultivation theory

What is mean world index/ syndrome?

Answer 14

Mass media can have a huge influence of people’s general perception of the world- it makes them think it is more dangerous and violent than it actually is

Question 15

Reception theory

What is agenda setting?

associated with reflecter producer’s values

Answer 15

Values of a media institution prioritise selected stories- these stories recieve more coverage as they’re deemed ‘most important’, and therefore reflect news provider’s values

Question 16

Reception theory

What is framing?

Answer 16

Organisation of media language acts to present a message in a specific way reflecting the agenda of the institution

Question 17

Hall and reception theory

What is the difference between encoding and decoding?

one is audience perception, other is communication of message intended

Answer 17

-encoding: ideas are communicated through systems of signs
-decoding: process through which audiences interpret a message

Question 18

Hall and reception theory

What is a preferred reading?

Answer 18

Audience take producer’s intended meaning/ message and accept this as the truth

Can be applied to War of the Worlds

Question 19

Hall and reception theory

What is a negotiated reading?

Answer 19

Audience accept some intentions, whilst rejecting others

Question 20

Hall and reception theory

What is an oppositional reading?

Answer 20

Audiences refuse to accept/ reject producer’s intention and may form their own interpretation instead

Question 21

Fandom

What is a prosumer?

Answer 21

• A merging of producer and consumer
• Describes those people who create, and adapt existing media content and then distribute it via social media and the internet

Question 22

Fandom

What is interactivity?

Answer 22

Interactivity is when media audiences take an active involvement in/with the media text

Question 23

Jenkins and fandom

What is a participatory culture/ media?

Answer 23

Referring to the audience’s role in creating, producing and distributing media content

Question 24

Jenkins and Fandom

What is textual poaching?

Answer 24

The repurposing of media texts by fans to create new media products

e.g. memes, fan-fiction, parody videos etc

Question 25

End of audience

What are digital natives?

Answer 25

A person who is brought up with digital technology from an early age so using it comes naturally to them

Question 26

End of audience

What is meant by “We the media”?

Question 27

End of audience

What is web 2.0?

Answer 27

A phase in the history of the internet where it involved interactivity, user participation and collaboration

Question 28

Shirky and End of Audience

What is mass amateurisation?

Answer 28

The capabilities that new forms of media have given to non-professionals and the way the non-professionals have used these capabilities to create and distribute media content

Question 29

Shirky and end of audience

What is cognitive surplus?

Answer 29

The cultural context of increased leisure time allowing for more sharing, collaboration and creativity using online platforms