Theories Flashcards

Question

Semantic codes

Answer 1

- The parts of a media product that we understand have a hidden meaning/ have a connotation e.g. hugging the product shows how much they love it

Answer 2

Elements of a media product that signify that something will happen as a result e.g. grabbing a gun ... someone will get shot

Answer 3

- References that a certain group or culture will understand - This may exclude some audiences

Answer 4

Culmination theory posits that long-term exposure to media shapes how consumers perceive the world and influences their behaviour. It suggests that people who watch more television tend to hold views of reality that align with television’s depiction. The way in which the media can influence people's perceptions of social reality. The idea that exposure to repeated patterns of representation over long periods of time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world around them. The idea that cultivation reinforces mainstream dominant ideologies. According to this, while any one media text does not have too much effect, years and years of watching more violence will make you less sensitive to violence.

Answer 5

The female gaze is a feminist theory term referring to the gaze of the female spectator, character or director of an artistic work, but more than the gender The concept of the ‘female gaze’ could be seen as a response to feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey’s term, the ‘male gaze’, which represents the gaze of a heterosexual male viewer along with the male character and the male creator of the film. According to Time Out’s global film editor, Phil de Semlyen: “I find the female gaze easier to define in terms of what it isn’t than what it is: it’s not about objectifying the female form or replacing fully-realised female characters with loose avatars for male sexual fantasy; it’s not framing sex scenes with tropes common to pornography aimed at men; it’s not about automatically relinquishing power and control to men in storytelling.”

Answer 6

The theory is that gender is not based on what we are (i.e. whether we were born male or female) but how we choose to act. Women can display typical masculine traits; men can display typical feminine traits you have masculine and feminine traits regardless of your gender.

Answer 7

Women can sometimes present what is known as post feminist representation. They can have a provocative, sexualised representation (common in the male gaze) but also be portrayed as strong, empowered, and in control (male traits - Queer Theory)

Answer 8

The theory defines masculinity as the ‘macho’ personality. Hypermasculinity is a psychological and sociological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression and male sexuality. It consists of four aspects: The belief that violence is manly, danger is exciting. Derogatory attitudes towards women, emotional self control.

Answer 9

He studied the way in which ethnic minorities are represented in the media. He suggested that there are a few common stereotypes that exist including: Dangerous: Gangs and violence Exotic: Often in the media, representations of Eastern ethnicity fall under the ‘exotic’ category of this theory. We often see elements of cultures presented that make them seem different to our own, such as costume, traditions and cuisines. Although not as negative as the ‘dangerous’ stereotype the ‘exotic’ does create the sense of the ‘other’. Pitied: In certain texts ethnic minorities are stereotyped as vulnerable and victims. This is true of many newspaper and TV reports of developing countries; this is largely because the only time certain countries appear in the news is when they are linked to disasters such as famine and earthquakes. Similar representations are used for charity campaigns in order to shock the audience into action.

Answer 10

Narrative theory is a field of study that explores how humans use stories to make sense of their experiences and the world. Narrative theory examines the distinctive nature and features of narrative, such as its structure, elements, uses and effects. Narrative theory is also known as narratology a term coined by Tzvetan Todorov, who proposed a formula for the chronological order of narratives: The narrative begins with the equilibrium, where there is a state of balance Conflicts occurs, either due to character or circumstance, and this disrupts the equilibrium There is a quest to restore the initial equilibrium A climax is eventually arrived at A form of resolution occurs, and equilibrium is restored

Answer 11

Semiotics is the study of signs and meaning. The idea that texts communicate their meanings through the process of signification. The idea that signs can function at the level of denotation, which involves ‘literal’ or common sense meaning of the sign, and the level of connotation which involves the meanings associated with or suggested by the sign. The idea that constructed meanings can come to seem self-evident achieving the status of myth through the process of naturalisation. E.g. the apple logo - Denotation: A piece of fruit or a literal apple, Connotation the company Apple and its whole brand Barthes Codes: Enigma codes: these set up a question to be answered later Simic codes: How characters, actions, events, settings, take on meaning within culture Symbolic code: Binary oppositions or psychological symbols Action code: an understood cross reference to other narratives in our culture Cultural codes: understood through our interaction with the wider world and popular culture

Answer 12

According to Neale, genre is constructed through repetition of similar features but also marked by change and difference to keep the audience interested. Genre is constituted by ‘specific systems of expectations and hypotheses which spectators bring with them to the cinema, and which interact with the films themselves during the course of the viewing process. Much of the pleasure of popular cinema lies in the process of ‘difference in repetition” - recognition of familiar elements and the way in which those elements might be orchestrated in an unfamiliar fashion or in the way that unfamiliar elements might be introduced. He adds that ‘difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre; mere repetition would not attract an audience. Genres change, develop and vary, as they borrow from and overlap with one another. Genre exists within special economic, institutional and industrial contexts.

Answer 13

Media effects theories are concerned with the effects that the media may have on audiences. Albert Bandura is a psychologist whose research explores the way in which the media can influence social behaviour. The main principles of his ‘social learning theory’ include: The idea that the media can implant ideas in the mind of the audience directly The idea that audiences acquire attitudes, emotional responses and new styles of conduct through modelling The ideas that media representations of transgressive behaviour, such as violence or physical aggression, can lead audience members to imitate those forms of behaviour.

Answer 14

The internet and digital technologies have had a profound effect on the relationship between media and individuals. The idea of audience members as passive consumers of mass media content is no longer relevant in the age of the internet, as media consumers have now become producers who ‘speak back to’ the media in various ways, as well as creating and sharing content with one another.

Answer 15

Roland Barthes’ Semiotics Theory is the study of signs and symbols and their interpretation. Barthes expanded the idea of language beyond words, asserting that everything in our cultural environment communicates meaning through signs. According to Barthes, anything in culture can be a sign and send a specific message. Barthes’ Semiotic Theory broke down the process of reading signs and focused on their interpretation by different cultures or societies.

Answer 16

Maternal: Appealing to mothers and their maternal instincts Conformity: Wanting to fit in and be like others Emotional Appeal: Envy/ Personal Success: Playing on fears

Answer 17

Argues that feminism is a struggle to end patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination, and that the position of the underrepresented is by class and race as well as gender. “Women in lower class and poor groups, particularly those who are non-white, would not have defined women’s liberation as women gaining social equality with men since they are continually reminded in their everyday lives that all women do not share a common social status.” the idea that feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination the idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice (you need to be active) the idea that race and class as well as sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed.

Answer 18

Van Zoonen explores communication methods, theories, and models to highlight the ways in which feminist research strategies offer a challenge to traditional assumptions about media and communication that ignore the influence of gender in the production, representation, and consumption of media. Van Zoonen argues that there is a “variety of feminist discourse” and identifies, in her essay “Feminist Perspectives on the Media” 3 distinct perspectives. Liberal feminist perspective Radical feminist perspective Socialist feminist perspective