Models of media (active audience) Flashcards
What does the two step flow model suggest?
Media messages are passed from producer to audience through opinion leader who filters and interprets the message.
What are opinion leaders?
influential individuals within a social network who interpret media messages and pass them on, shaping how others receive them.
Give an example of a modern opinion leader.
Richard Arnold on GMTV
morning
reviews of TV over the weekend
What is a criticism of the opinion leader?
may still be influenced by media effects like desensitisation or imitation
Who are most likely to be influenced by opinion media and what is wrong with that?
Socially isolated individuals who may not have access to opinion readers as they are not apart of any social media network.
What is a problem with some opinion leaders?
They may not influence individual in healthy way
eg Andrew tate
What is the selective filter model?
Media has to pass through filters before reaching the audience.
What are the filters according to Klapper?
Selective Exposure – Choosing what media to engage with.
Selective Perception – Accepting or rejecting media messages.
Selective Retention – Remembering messages that align with personal beliefs.
According to Postman, why is selective retention especially relevant today?
3 minute culture
the average person in society has an attention span of 3 minutes
What is a strength of the selective filter model?
It challenges the hypodermic syringe model by showing that media impact isn’t automatic and audience response varies.
What is the uses and gratification model?
examines what audiences do with media and how it fulfills individual needs.
What are the four needs for the uses and gratification model according to McQuail and Blumner?
Information/Surveillance – Staying informed (e.g., blogs, TED talks)
Personal Identity – Understanding ourselves
Personal Relationships – Substituting or supporting relationships (e.g., soaps)
Entertainment/Diversion – Escapism and relaxation (e.g., Fifty Shades)
Why do postmodernists support the uses and gratification model?
They argue that in a media-saturated society, individuals have diverse and personal needs, and the media caters to that plurality.
What are the criticisms of the uses and gratification model?
Lacks sufficient research on how people actually gratify themselves.
Depends heavily on researchers’ interpretations.
Overestimates audience freedom (as Marxists argue).
Ignores how social factors like age and class influence interpretation.
What is the Marxist critique of the uses and gratification model?
exaggerates audience choice; the media agenda is already set, making it difficult for people to interpret content outside of dominant ideologies (GUMG argument).
