Media Theory Flashcards
What does Blumler and Katz suggest are the main functions of the media in their Uses and Gratifications theory?
Escape Entertainment Education and Information Social Interaction Identification
What’s Young and Rubicams Audience Classification system the 4C’s?
Explorer - Discovery Aspirer - Status Succeeder - Control Reformer - Enlightenment Mainstreamer - Security Struggler - Escape Resigned - Survival
What does Strauss propose makes a good story?
Conflict between binary opposites
What are Barthes Semiotic codes?
Semantic code Symbolic code Hermeneutic code Proairetic code Cultural code
What are the 6 character types in Vladimir Propp’s theory?
Hero Villain Dispatcher Donor Helper Princess/Damsel
What cycle of change does Steve Neale suggest in his Genre Theory?
Form finds itself Classic Pushes the boundaries Homage Parody
How can people perceive the media in Stuart Hall’s Reception theory?
Preferred Reading
Negotiated Reading
Oppositional Reading
What is the main belief Stuart Hall has in his Representation theory?
That media often contains stereotypes, which reduce groups of people to a few, often negative characteristics
What does David Gauntlett state in his Identity theory?
Audience use the media to help construct their own identities
In the past, media products tended to portray very straightforward singular representations of identities eg men and women
Now we see in more modern products, the diverse, pluralistic, ranges of identities
What does Liesbet Van Zoonen suggest about the difference in portrayal of men and women in the media?
Women are often objectified in a voyeuristic manner, and that this is part of western patriarchal culture
Males are represented as ‘spectacles’ rather than ‘objects’
What does bell hooks’ believe in her feminist theory?
Feminism should be a political commitment
Believes that the exploitation / discrimination / oppression of women / men is closely tied to ethnicity and class as well
What does Paul Gilroy state about the difference between representations in western nations and ethnic minority countries?
Western countries are represented as being dominant and civilized whilst ethnic minority countries are represented as being uncivilized, needing to be controlled and feared
What is Gerbner’s idea about media cultivation?
If you see something represented enough times, eventually we don’t notice it, or aren’t bothered by it any more.
What factors does Hesmondhalgh state that help media companies to minimize risk and maximize profit?
Vertical and Horizontal integration Using stars Popular genres Franchises Schedule
What does Curran and Seaton state in their Theory of Power and Media Industries?
The media is controlled by a small number of companies that revolve around profit and power and that this concentration of ownership limits creativity and diversity
