Audience theory 2

audience theory 2:

→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 on most occasions media is not to blame for anti-social behaviour and violence. Although sometimes I do believe it could influence younger audiences I don't this it would encourage them o become violent.

→How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.

In this interactive social media world, the application of social learning theory presents an opportunity to promote leaps in student achievement, as cognitive concepts of attention, memory, and motivation (Social Learning Theory, 2014) are encouraged by social media.

→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?
→The War on Drugs. The War on Drugs is one of the most long-standing American moral panics

• →immigration
• →HIV/AIDS

I think media is mostly to blame for all of these moral panics as we always hear about them on the news causing people to panic about them and think negatively.

→Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?

I think the government should be able to control some websites like the dark web so that children don't accidentally see something that might traumatise them for life.

→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.

The fastsheet describes Gerbner's cultivation theory as a theory that considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. Through repetition attitudes, ideas and values may become normalised or naturalised; they are accepted rather than considered.

Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

→What are the four categories for different effects theories?

• direct effects theory
• diffusion theories
• indirect effect theories 
• the pluralist approach 

→What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds by Orson Welles on Halloween of 1938. In this episode of a radio drama series aired by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the programme was “interrupted” by an urgent announcement of a Martian invasion in progress.

→What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

The 1999 columbine massacre was a school shooting and attempted bombing that occurred on April 20th 1999. The perpetrators were 12th grade students who murdered twelve students and one teacher. Twenty-one additional people were injured by gunshots, and gunfire was also exchanged with the police.

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

The reasons to possibly explain the massacre could be the ease of access to guns in the USA and the social acceptance of gun ownership, the alienation of teenagers who felt as though they didn't fit in, the disadvantage and the general desensitisation caused by the range of violent imagery.

→How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?

Describes his cultivation theory as a theory that considers the way media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. Through repetition attitudes, ideas and values may become normalised or naturalised; they are accepted rather than considered.

→What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

The factsheet suggests that action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced in regards to violence that violence for a ' good ' reaon is acceptable, whereas violence for a bad reason is unacceptable.  

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

direct theories may assume that the audience is passive and forms all their opinions solely on the media they witness.

 

→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?

Controversy. Since 1972, when Love Thy Neighbour was first transmitted, it has been criticised for its poor handling of issues of racism. It was made in an era when Britain was struggling to come to terms with mass immigration, and Love Thy Neighbour was said to exemplify those difficulties.

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

Example provided for Hall's theory for preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings are ' the sun ' and ' the guardian'.