theorists Flashcards
what is steve neale’s theory?
GENRE
- genre is made up of repeated elements called codes and conventions.
- genre must evolve over time with new ideas to keep the audience interested.
what is george gerbner’s theory?
CULTIVATION
- repetition and regulation subtly influences audiences perception of reality
- tv influences viewers to extent that their world view and perceptions start reflecting what they repeatedly see.
- long term exposure to violent media makes audience less likely to be shocked by violence
what is levi strauss’ theory?
STRUCTURALISM/BINARY OPPOSITION
- stories need some level of conflict in order to produce meaning.
- the conflict between binary oppositions drives forward the narrative
what is judith butler’s theory?
GENDER PERFORMATIVITY
- gender is a social construction, it’s fluid and not fixed.
- gender behaviours are performative; performances are like rituals.
- GENDER RITUALS = repeated performances of behaviours once constructs gender
what is stuart hall’s theory?
(MEDIA REPRESENTATION)
RECEPTION
- media language is used to create representations.
- stereotypes reduce people down to oversimplified cliches
- dominant reading - text will be read as it is sent. preferred reading
negotiated reading - partly believes and broadly accepts the preferred reading. reader modifies the text to fir their own view. - oppositional reading - text will be rejected
- aberrant reading - text is read incorrectly
what is paul gilroy’s theory?
POST COLONIALISM
- we can still see the effects of colonialism in the media today.
- non white groups are part of a diaspora
- media is largely controlled by white men targeting a white audience.
- non western problems need western intervention to sort them out - ‘white saviour’ narrative.
what is roland barthes’ theory?
SEMIOLOGY
- all element of a media text are codes that need to be read.
- they can be understood as a signifier (denotation) and the signified (connotation)
- enigma codes - questions or mysteries by unanswered narrative devices
- action codes - action that implies further action
- symbolic codes - when semantic meaning is transformed into something more cohesive and ideological
- semantic codes - anything in a text that can add meaning through connotation
- cultural codes - shared knowledge informs our understanding
what is david hesmondhalgh’s theory?
CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
revisit this
what is bell hooks’ theory?
INTERSECTIONALITY/FEMINISM
- feminism is an ongoing struggle to end patriarchy and the oppression of women
- white, male, upper class ppl control the media industries + their values/beliefs are the ones we see in majority of media products
- black women are seen as the lowest status in media representations because of their ethnicity and gender - misogyny and racism
- black women should develop an ‘oppositional gaze’
what is jean baudrillard’s theory?
POSTMODERNISM/HYPER REALITY
- we’ve moved away from reality and now live in a world of artificial copies that’s impossible to tell from reality
- understanding of the world is made up from images of reality constructed through the media
features of postmodern product:
- bricolage
- intertextual references
- fragmented narrative
- self reflexivity
what is david gauntlett’s theory?
IDENTITY
- the media people consume can impact the way they view themselves
- the media becomes a mirror and we see ourselves through the eyes of media producers
- media industries use identity to promote their products. advertising often uses ideas of identity as a persuasive technique.
- modern views see identity as fluid and changeable; something an individual can CONSTRUCT and change.
what is henry jenkins’ theory?
PARTICIPATORY CULTURE/FANDOM
revisit this
what is clay shirky’s theory?
END OF AUDIENCE
- audiences are no longer passive and want to interact with the media
revisit this
what is curran and seaton’s theory?
POWER/MEDIA INDUSTRIES
- media is controlled by a small number of big companies (e.g Disney)
- these companies are driven by the logic of profit and power. they want to minimise financial risk and maximise profit
revisit this
what is liesbet van zoonen’s theory?
FEMINIST
- men and women are represented differently in the media
- women are objectified as a result of western culture
- the media portrays images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views
- representation of men/women = different because of the patriarchal society where white men have the most power
