MEDIA EFFECTS Flashcards
DIRECT EFFECTS
Hypodermic syringe model/magic bullet theory
Suggests that the audience passively accepts the messages ‘injected’ into mass media. The direct effects do not acknowledge differences between members of the audiences and therefore they are seen as homogenous (all the same).
DIRECT EFFECTS
Newson
Argued that children’s exposure to media violence has a desensitising effect and that, as a result, they are more likely to commit acts of violence in reality if they have been exposed to violence in the media.
DIRECT EFFECTS
Bandura
Explored the media effects on violence and found that children can act more aggressively when given the opportunity to do so. Bobo doll experiment- showed three groups of children real, film and cartoon examples of a boba doll being beaten with a mallet. A further group of children were shown no violence. Then they were taken into a room with a mallet and a bobo doll the children who saw violent examples imitated vice versa.
DIRECT EFFECTS
Anderson et al
Research into the direct effect of music on an audience. They studied the effect of violent song lyrics on the attitudes and emotions of 500 college students who were asked to listen to violent and non violent songs. The research indicated a clear pattern of increased aggressive thoughts and feelings of hostility following on from listening to violent song lyrics. Example - shoot em up (cypress hill “mother f*cking robbery”. His results indicate a relationship between violent song lyrics and increased aggressive thoughts and feelings of hostility.
IT HAS A DIRECT EFFECT BUT CAN BE POSITIVE
Fesbach and Singer -
Found that screen violence can actually provide a safe outlet for people’s aggressive tendencies - catharsis. Watching an exciting film releases aggressive energy into safe outlets the viewers immerse themselves in the action so they won’t act aggressively irl.
IT HAS A DIRECT EFFECT BUT CAN BE POSITIVE
Young
Provides a critique of Newson in how they see violence in the media can have a direct impact on audiences. They argue that seeing the effects of violence and especially the pain and suffering that it causes to the victim and their families, may make us more aware of its consequences and so less inclined to commit violent acts in this sense it has a sensitising effect (as opposed to desensitising) Tv show adolescence.
INDIRECT EFFECTS
Two step flow model: (Katz and Lazarsfeld)
People modify/reject media messages rather than accepting it because of personal relationships and conversations with significant others, such as family members,friends and teachers. Opinion leads dominate social networks, they are made up of people who expose themselves to more and more types of media and form an opinion they are ‘experts’ in specific patterns and their interpretations are then passed on to other members of their social circle. Media messages go through two stages before reaching its audiences. Step 1- The opinion leader is exposed to the media content/messages. Step 2- Those who respect the opinion leader internalise their interpretation of that content and transmit these messages forward.
INDIRECT EFFECTS
Marxist cultural effects model:
(Gramsci)
Sees the media as a very powerful ideological influence that is mainly concerned with transmitting capitalist cultural values and norms. Marxists such as gramsci argue that media content contains strong ideological messages that reflect the values of those who own, control and produce the media. Hegemony refers to the notion that ruling class, capitalist ideologies are presented as common sense in the media. Marxist believe that TV has been deliberately dumbed down. False consciousness- led to accept capitalism.
INDIRECT EFFECTS
‘DRIP DRIP’ effect model
The media indirectly affects people by slowly influencing them over time. It has a more subtle effect: the more ideology is “dripped” into society by the media, the more people believe it and accept its truth. The model suggests that over time our normas are changed by viewing certain media content. Similar to newsons however, this takes place over a long period of time. Some examples of news stories we have become desensitised too are vaccines for covid or the russia and ukraine war.
ACTIVE AUDIENCE MODELS
Use and Gratifications model
The uses and gratifications(satisfy a need) model suggests that the audience is an active agent when using the media as they are using it for its own purposes and to satisfy their needs. ‘What people do with the media’- they don’t directly discuss media effects. Active audience theorists argue that individual characteristics may influence how and why people access the media to gratify their needs based on social class, gender ethnicity and age.
ACTIVE AUDIENCE MODELS
Supporting study 1 - Zillman
Shown that a person’s mood may influence media choice, for example boredom might encourage the choice of exciting content, whereas stress might encourage the choice of relaxing content. She explains that the same TV programme may satisfy the needs of individuals differently for example individual personalities, stages of maturation, backgrounds and social roles.
ACTIVE AUDIENCE MODELS
Supporting study 2 - McQuail
People are active in their use of media as they choose what to access based on a set of common reasons for use. The reasons are information- finding out about relevant events or advice. Personal identity- reinforcement for personal values or behaviour. Integration and social integration - insight into circumstances of others and identifying with them. Entertainment - Escaping or being diverted from problems, relaxing.
ACTIVE AUDIENCE MODELS
Coding/Decoding model (Hall)
Neo- marxist explored how people make sense of media texts and claimed audiences were active not passive. Coding- media messages are produced or coded by media professionals in ways that support the power structures of society. Decoding - hall also argues that audiences are able to understand and decode these messages in a way that reflects their social background and ideas. Hall suggests that there are 3 different ways of reading media messages- Dominant/hegemonic reading e.g the voice uk or x factor. Negotiated reading when the audience mixes the original(dominant) message with additional ideas meaning that the intending message is slightly altered. Oppositional reading - audience constructs a meaning that is completely different to its intended meaning e.g a party political broadcast that then pushes a voter to vote for an opposing party. An active audience engages, interprets and responds to a media text in different ways and is capable of challenging the ideas encoded in it. A passive audience is more likely to accept the messages encoded in a media text without challenge and are therefore more likely to be directly affected by the messages.
ACTIVE AUDIENCE MODELS
Selective Filter Model (Klapper)
Developed the selective filter model and argues that audiences are passive receptors of media propaganda but that the media reinforces already held beliefs and attitudes. He stated that for a media message to have any effect it must pass through 1- selective exposure where the audience must choose to view, read or listen to the content of specific media. 2- Selective perception when the audience may not accept the message e.g a smoker may reject an anti smoking message. 3 - selective retention of the messages have to ‘ stick’ in the mind of those who have accessed the media content. Research indicated that people only remember things they agree with.
