Audience theory 2: Blog task
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 believe that it may be a collection of factors that influence anti-social behaviour rather than being the direct factor for it as not everything can be put in such a reductionist manner as to say media is wholly responsible without first looking at the other factors that may have had greater influences on that behaviour than at first glance.
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.
Social learning theory is relevant as if a person imitates the actions of their role model ( that being someone they look up to or trust ) will mean that certain actions that occur online and through specifically the media can be adopted by others, especially those who are much younger, and cause for heightened aggression in some cases. For example, if someone was to watch a very violent film with the main protagonist being the one to commit most of this violence, a consumer may imitate this behaviour on others in order to seem more like that character.
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?
Fortnite (Video game violence) in Australia
5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
I think to some extent, as there are places that some people should definitely avoid in order to stay lawful, for example the 'Dark Web' which although is notorious for being difficult to manage on the internet, can still be accessed by anyone and so as to avoid the use of such places i believe that the government should have some control however if it is not against the law then media of any kind should be available to all as long as its appropriate.
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 believe that it may be a collection of factors that influence anti-social behaviour rather than being the direct factor for it as not everything can be put in such a reductionist manner as to say media is wholly responsible without first looking at the other factors that may have had greater influences on that behaviour than at first glance.
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.
Social learning theory is relevant as if a person imitates the actions of their role model ( that being someone they look up to or trust ) will mean that certain actions that occur online and through specifically the media can be adopted by others, especially those who are much younger, and cause for heightened aggression in some cases. For example, if someone was to watch a very violent film with the main protagonist being the one to commit most of this violence, a consumer may imitate this behaviour on others in order to seem more like that character.
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?
Fortnite (Video game violence) in Australia
Use of the internet and chat rooms (Stranger danger)
Dungeons and Dragons (Satanism)
For two of my examples I would say that for video game violence and the DND satanism craze was definitely responsible for these moral panics as the media associated these acts with the types of things that these people were doing without looking at any other factors and so this association between online and board games created unrealistic expectations of what would happen if you played them and were later debunked easily. However when it comes to Stranger danger i think it wasn't entirely the media but a collective concern for online safety as no one will know for sure who is on the other side speaking to them and so i feel that the moral panic was more due to an unfamiliar technology that introduced relatively obvious dangers that were then expanded upon, if not for safety, by the media.
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on techno panics. What examples are given of techno panics that create fear in society? If the link is blocked in school, you can access the text here.
For two of my examples I would say that for video game violence and the DND satanism craze was definitely responsible for these moral panics as the media associated these acts with the types of things that these people were doing without looking at any other factors and so this association between online and board games created unrealistic expectations of what would happen if you played them and were later debunked easily. However when it comes to Stranger danger i think it wasn't entirely the media but a collective concern for online safety as no one will know for sure who is on the other side speaking to them and so i feel that the moral panic was more due to an unfamiliar technology that introduced relatively obvious dangers that were then expanded upon, if not for safety, by the media.
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on techno panics. What examples are given of techno panics that create fear in society? If the link is blocked in school, you can access the text here.
Child safety, Digital privacy and cyber security
5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
I think to some extent, as there are places that some people should definitely avoid in order to stay lawful, for example the 'Dark Web' which although is notorious for being difficult to manage on the internet, can still be accessed by anyone and so as to avoid the use of such places i believe that the government should have some control however if it is not against the law then media of any kind should be available to all as long as its appropriate.
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 desensitisation may be becoming a real problem facing society today, as many of the things that are taken in by the consumer/audience definitely warps the perception of some of the things that media includes and can definitely make something seem much more normal than it is in reality such as abuse online which by some may be seen as completely natural in the online-scape but in the real world abuse is absolutely intolerable and unthought of, which could make interactions between some people much more uncomfortable or could lead to situations where someone believes that certain thinks are okay to do when they are not. In terms of becoming a fearful society I do think that because media focuses on getting the biggest stories out quick and finding variety within those stories can provide the idea to a consumer that, in the case of crime, that violence is everywhere and that people are being killed all around them, which may be true in some sense but it completely blows the reality of the situation out of proportion and causes unnecessary stress that then leads to paranoia and fear of the outside world due to the medias interpretation and delivery of this information.
6) How does the fact sheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?
The key ideas are that through constant repetition of attitudes, ideas and values become normalised or naturalised and are accepted rather than considered while the audience also becomes more desensitised to negative and violent representations within the media.
10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and op-positional readings?
The effects debate: Media Fact sheet
Complete the following tasks using Media Fact sheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Fact sheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Fact sheets. You can also access it via your school Google login here.
Read Media Fact sheet 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?')
I do play video games and watch violent films yet in 'real life' I would think that i am almost the complete opposite of violent.
Complete the following tasks using Media Fact sheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Fact sheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Fact sheets. You can also access it via your school Google login here.
Read Media Fact sheet 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?')
I do play video games and watch violent films yet in 'real life' I would think that i am almost the complete opposite of violent.
Yes I have bought a product that has been advertised online
I have watched many documentaries and they have influenced me to focus a lot more on not just the natural world and the importance of it but also society and politics.
2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?
3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events?
4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the fact sheet.
A high school shooting that took place in Columbine high school, in Colorado in 1999 April 20th, where by 2 students after a failed bombing entered the school and had murdered 14 students and 1 teacher before then committing suicide. The media had blamed violent movies for causing this shooting as after this event similar situations took place across the country in different high schools and was dubbed the 'columbine effect'.
5) What are the reasons listed on the fact sheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?
'Listening to Marilyn Manson caused teenagers to open fire on students and teachers'
2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?
- Direct Effects theories
- Diffusion theories
- Indirect Effects theories
- The pluralist approach
3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events?
- Child's play- murder of Jamie Bulger
- Marilyn Manson- The columbine high school shootings
- Natural born killers- A number of murders committed by romantically linked couples
4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the fact sheet.
A high school shooting that took place in Columbine high school, in Colorado in 1999 April 20th, where by 2 students after a failed bombing entered the school and had murdered 14 students and 1 teacher before then committing suicide. The media had blamed violent movies for causing this shooting as after this event similar situations took place across the country in different high schools and was dubbed the 'columbine effect'.
5) What are the reasons listed on the fact sheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?
'Listening to Marilyn Manson caused teenagers to open fire on students and teachers'
Complex relationship between:
- The ease of access to firearms and social acceptance to gun ownership
- The alienation felt by the students who felt as though they did not fit in
- The hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment is high and was economically disadvantaged
- The general desensitisation caused by access to a range of violent images, film, TV, news, Internet (argument in Bowling for Columbine)
6) How does the fact sheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?
The key ideas are that through constant repetition of attitudes, ideas and values become normalised or naturalised and are accepted rather than considered while the audience also becomes more desensitised to negative and violent representations within the media.
It is also a theory that states that media affects attitudes towards certain ideas and values rather than affecting our behaviour as repeated exposure to these ideas make them seem 'Normal'.
7) What does the fact sheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
Violence for a good reason should be accepted while violence for a bad reason should be punished.
8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the fact sheet?
The audience/consumer is assumed to be passive and not self aware while also labelling things like video games as influencing normalisation of violence yet do no think the same towards 'high art' such as the highly violent plays of Shakespeare.
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 is seen as more controversial today as the comedy within the sitcom is seen as being racist and offensive.
7) What does the fact sheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
Violence for a good reason should be accepted while violence for a bad reason should be punished.
8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the fact sheet?
The audience/consumer is assumed to be passive and not self aware while also labelling things like video games as influencing normalisation of violence yet do no think the same towards 'high art' such as the highly violent plays of Shakespeare.
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 is seen as more controversial today as the comedy within the sitcom is seen as being racist and offensive.
That with time social changes create ideas that become more or less accepted in society and so the way we perceive a piece of media is ultimately influenced by societies contemporary views in conjunction with personal views.
Info is encoded
Consumers decode it (interpret)
External factors like life experiences can affect the way the text is decoded
10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and op-positional readings?
Dominant - Acceptance of intended meaning
Negotiated - A broad acceptance of meaning with own personal modification
Op-positional - An understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual
Someone who is prone to violent behaviour may find that violent images may stimulate that side of them and people who have weak control over their impulse for chocolate may go and buy some after watching an advert
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