Topic 5 : Audience Effects Models Flashcards
Methodological problems of researching media effects on audiences
Difficult to establish causality
How do we work out the extent of media impact relative to other factors
It is hard to know the counter-factual - what someone would have thought if they hadn’t been exposed to certain media
Hypodermic syringe model = Marxist = passive audience
Audiences are entirely passive as content is injected into them and they cannot resist it
The media fills audiences with the dominant ideology and the audience then act in accordance to this
= EG Dworkin - watching pornography influences men to abuse women
Advertisers spend so much money on advertising so it can be believed that the media can directly impact our behaviour
Hypodermic syringe model AO2
Orbach and Wolf - such portrayals of women encourage eating disorders
= thin youthful bodies seen as the norm and audience passively aims to reach this goal
Marcuse (mx) - mass culture is injected into our minds to divert their attention away from the RC and from their own problems
Norris - media coverage of politics can influence voting
Hypodermic syringe model AO3
Assumes the entire media audience is homogenous and will respond in the same way
Assumes audiences are passive
Assumes media can override all other factors influencing views and behaviour
How is the 2 step flow model different to the HDS model
Sees audience as active, and part of different CAGEDS groups which will influence how we interept media
Does not see the media AS powerful as the HDS model does, but still quite influential
Recognises active individuality and other factors
Recognises the role that influential people have in shaping our view of the world
Two step flow model - Katz and Lazarsfeld - Active audience
The media produces something - opinion leaders listen to them
Instead of media going directly to the audience (like HDS) opinion leaders interpret and filter the news and form their own opinion on it
Then pass this opinion onto their social group
The social group you belong to will impact the way you interpret the media based on opinion leaders
2 step flow AO2
IPCC publishing warnings about climate change
Greta thunberg interprets this negatively and starts protesting
Other young people follow her views and protest too
2 step flow AO3
Too simple : there could be more than 2 steps and overlapping groups could be in conflict
What perspective does the cultural effects model link with
Neo Marxist view
Cultural effects model AO1
Because the media is strongly influenced by owners, most content will be encoded with messages which are in support of the dominant ideology (capitalism, patriarchy etc.)
The majority will end up agreeing with the encoded messages as it is constantly fed to them (drip drip)
This LEADS to the dominant ideology view becoming common sense to the majority of viewers
This LEADS to the cultural hegemony of the RC
Cultural effects model - what does it recognise
Recognises that audiences are able to actively interpret the media and some may reject it
Whether the reject the dominant ideology or not depends on specific circumstances and CAGEDS background
EG - women may reject gender stereotypes
White people living in diverse areas may reject racial stereotypes
Debate within the cultural effects model
Interpretivists = stronger audiences (emphasises the audiences ability to interpret media content and reject it based on knowledge or experience)
Philo + GMG = stronger media (audience’s autonomy is exaggerated. Media plays a very strong role in shaping the world view of most of the audience)
Interpretivist view of the cultural effects model - 2 names
Morley - audiences can decode content
Klapper - audiences can filter content
Morley
Audiences are given media that is encoded with dominant ideology messages, however, they decode these messages in one of three ways:
- Preferred dominant reading (most) - audiences interpret media the way producers intended them to
- Negotiated reading (some) - audiences generally accept the preferred reading but find exceptions to fit their own beliefs
- Oppositional reading (fewer) - audience reject the dominant reading
The way you decode is based on CAGEDS and ability to access alternative knowledge
Klapper
Audiences filter news - the way they filter depends on CAGE and knowledge
3 ways to filter:
1. Selective perception -people choose which parts of media they accept / reject depending on their views
2. Selective exposure - audiences choose to consume media which aligns with their views
3. Selective retention - audiences forget content that doesn’t align with their views
