Audience Theory 2

 Theory questions and your opinion

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence?
I think that media normalises violence so it's part of the reason.

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.
young people look up to role models on social media and want to be similar to them because they like them

3) Research three examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics?

• immigration
• HIV/AIDS
• religion

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society? If the link is blocked in school, you can access the text here.
While cyberspace has its fair share of troubles and troublemakers, there is no evidence that the Internet is leading to greater problems for society than previous technologies did. That has not stopped some from suggesting there are reasons to be particularly fearful of the Internet and new digital technologies. There are various individual and institutional factors at work that perpetuate fear-based reasoning and tactics.

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
yes but it's hard to regulate it all as there's just too much

6) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse? Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? Write a paragraph discussing these ideas.
I think that we are all desensitised to violence, gore, and abuse. These days bullying, cyberbullying and online abuse has become incredibly normalised which is not good.
Many people like models make big expectations of perfect bodies that young girls feel like they have to achieve which is just unrealistic.

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. You can also access it via your school Google login here.

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')
no, yes, yes

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

• direct effect theories 
• diffusion theories
• indirect effect theories
• pluralist approach

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 
Marlin Manson, and the columbine school shooting

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
It was the deadliest school shooting that gained a lot of media attention

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

• The ease of access to firearms and the social acceptance of gun ownership
• The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though they did not fit in
• The hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment was high and was economically disadvantaged
• The general desensitisation caused by access to a range of violent images: film, TV, the news, the internet

6) How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?
This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. The media is seen as part of our socialisation process, communicating ‘appropriate’ attitudes and the norms and values of the culture. According to this theory, while any one media text does not have too much effect, repeated exposure to certain ideas and values may make the audience less critical of the ideas presented as they appear ‘normal’.

7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
Things get more complicated when you consider this is all down to perspective. Is it good if a villain kills someone to protect his family? Is it acceptable to act violently if someone threatens a state they think is corrupt? Is it alright to steal from someone who has been violent towards you?

8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

• Direct effect theories - Too simplified
• Diffusion theories - Opinion leaders can come in many forms
• Indirect effect theories - Times have changed and so have peoples values
• Pluralist approach - Based on unrealistic assumptions 

9) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

Love Thy Neighbour appears to many modern viewers, racist and offensive. Times have changed and so have people’s attitudes and values. What was acceptable as the topic for comedy some decades ago, no longer is.

10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings

• preferred - when the intended meaning is accepted by the audience
• negotiated - a broad acceptance with some personal modifications
• oppositional - when the intended meaning is rejected by the audience