Media audiences Glossary and Theorists Flashcards
media effects, cultivation, reception, fandom, 'end of audience'
Media effects
What are uses and gratifications in a media text?
Media audiences have set needs which the media gratify- they take active use of what is offered to them
Media effects + War of The Worlds
What is the hyperdermic needle theory?
This theory is now outdated
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
Media effects
What is meant by moral panic?
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
Media effects
What is media literacy?
- The ability to access, analyse and understand media
- Media literacy allows a better understanding of the complex messages received via the media
Bandura
What is social learning/ imitation?
links to Bobo doll experiment
Behaviours are learnt and copied as a result of social/ peer influence
Can be applied to War of the Worlds
Cultivation theory
What is socialisation?
The process of learning social norms and values of our culture
Media has an active influence on this
Cultivation theory
What is standardisation?
How the repetition of ideas/ behaviours/ attitudes can normalise them
Cultivation theory
What is the bardic function according to Gerbner?
The nature of media as a story-teller and information provider within cultures
Gerbner and cultivation theory
What is a cultivation differential?
based on social reality media is able to create
The margin of ‘heavy’ viewers over ‘light’ viewers when looking at perceptions of social reality that media creates
Gerbner and cultivation theory
What is enculturation?
1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms
People’s attitudes and values are made to align with the cultural hegemony of society they belong to
Gerbner and cultivation theory
What is resonance?
1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms
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’
Gerbner and cultivation theory
What is mainstreaming?
1/3 of Gerbner’s key terms
TV encourages attitudes and values of audiences to sync with what is presented in the media
reflects dominant cultural norms
Gerbner and cultivation theory
What is mean world index/ syndrome?
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
Reception theory
What is agenda setting?
associated with reflecter producer’s values
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
Reception theory
What is framing?
Organisation of media language acts to present a message in a specific way reflecting the agenda of the institution
Hall and reception theory
What is the difference between encoding and decoding?
one is audience perception, other is communication of message intended
-encoding: ideas are communicated through systems of signs
-decoding: process through which audiences interpret a message
Hall and reception theory
What is a preferred reading?
Audience take producer’s intended meaning/ message and accept this as the truth
Can be applied to War of the Worlds
Hall and reception theory
What is a negotiated reading?
Audience accept some intentions, whilst rejecting others
Hall and reception theory
What is an oppositional reading?
Audiences refuse to accept/ reject producer’s intention and may form their own interpretation instead
Fandom
What is a prosumer?
- 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
Fandom
What is interactivity?
Interactivity is when media audiences take an active involvement in/with the media text
Jenkins and fandom
What is a participatory culture/ media?
Referring to the audience’s role in creating, producing and distributing media content
Jenkins and Fandom
What is textual poaching?
The repurposing of media texts by fans to create new media products
e.g. memes, fan-fiction, parody videos etc
End of audience
What are digital natives?
A person who is brought up with digital technology from an early age so using it comes naturally to them
End of audience
What is web 2.0?
A phase in the history of the internet where it involved interactivity, user participation and collaboration
Shirky and End of Audience
What is mass amateurisation?
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
Shirky and end of audience
What is cognitive surplus?
The cultural context of increased leisure time allowing for more sharing, collaboration and creativity using online platforms
