Media Models Flashcards
The Hypodermic Syringe Model
POINT: The media directly influences the audience
EXPLAIN: The media is so powerful that its message directly influences the individual, and they’re powerless to resist or reject the message; all individuals are affected the same way
EVIDENCE: 1938- Orson Wells, “The War of The Worlds” radio production.
- Orson wells recorded a radio broadcast telling a story in which Martians invade the earth, however some listeners believed this to be true and panicked.
[this was used as evidence of the dangerous and direct power of the media]
Criticisms of The Hypodermic Syringe Model
- Some sociologists argue that this model is too simplistic to explain how adults view media
- Assumed people are passive and very easily led
Two Step Flow Model
POINT: The media is interpreted and passed on by key individuals
EXPLAIN: 1.) the media reaches an audience member
2.) how their understanding is shaped by social interaction with other audience members
- Katz and Lazarsfield said that in each community, there were “opinion leaders” who openly expressed their opinion, and others followed
EXAMPLE: Katz and Lazarfield studied the influence on American Voters.
- They concluded that most people followed the opinion leaders views on who they should vote for
Criticisms of the Two Step Flow Model
It doesn’t just have to be two steps, more often than not a message can go through multiple stages of interpretation.
Cultural Effects Theory
POINT: the audience interprets the media in context of the culture they already belong to
EXPLAIN: the effects of the media is quite complex because its not the same for everyone
EXAMPLE: An individuals response to Birmingham winning the cup will depend of if they support that team, however the audience response to England winning the world cup would be broadly similar as there is a shared cultural norm of supporting your countries football team
