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 the media could be a possible factor for anti-social behaviour and violence because it is a very influential platform. People become to involved with the world they have within social media they become outsiders to the real world. I wouldn’t say the media is responsible for violence because as people we are able to tell what is right and wrong so we it wouldn’t only take the media to influence someone to commit violence it would include other factors.

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 to the digital age because many people are influenced by what they see online and will try to replicate it in real life. This happens mostly within young people.

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?

- Mods vs Rockers. Mod's rode scooters, listened to R&B and wore suits. Rockers rode motorcycles, listened to rock music and wore leather jackets. in 1964, Mods and Rockers would fight on the streets leading to widespread fear about "the youths" undermining traditional values and law and order.

- The War On Drugs. It argued that the war on drugs is a moral panic due to the exaggeration of the issue and hostility towards recreational drug users. This flowed through to punitive drug laws that led to decades-long imprisonment for minor offences.     

- Immigration. Media are quick to jump on issues of migrants diluting national identities, committing crimes and putting a burden on welfare systems. In the 2018 midterm elections in the U.S, widespread fear of migrant caravans heading north from Central America. Fear of Polish immigrants in the UK 2006.

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.

- Cyberspace.

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

- I don't think the internet should be regulated as we should be free to search what we want but I think the government should control things that aren't appropriate or harmful to viewers.

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 wouldn't agree with the fact that we are becoming desensitized to online, threats, trolling and abuse because as much as it happens it can still affect people. I don't think the internet is creating a fearful population because although we view a lot of violent film and images nowadays I don't think people will become too influenced to the point where they physically try to replicate what they see. Like Gerber said their attitudes and beliefs may change but not their behaviour.

The Effects Debate: Media Factsheet

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

- I do watch violent film/tv but i am not violent in real life. 

- Sometimes.

- No because i don’t ever watch documentaries.

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

- Direct Effect Theories

- Diffusion Theories

- Indirect Effect 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 factsheet.

- It was a school shooting and attempted bombing leaving 15 dead, including the two students responsible for the attack. It was one of the deadliest school shooting incidents in American history.

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

- The Columbine High School shooting occurred due to a complex relationships between the ease of access to firearms and social acceptance of gun ownership, the alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though they didn’t fit in, the hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment was high and economically disadvantaged and the general desensitisation caused by access to film, TV, news and the internet.

6) How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?

- It considers the way media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. The key ideas are that through repetition attitudes, ideas and values may become normalised or naturalised; they are accepted rather than cosnidered.

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

- 

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

- This theory is largely discredited as it makes simplified judgments about the audience.

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?

- It would be considered controversial because it used appalling racist language and slurs. This would be offensive due to there still being those kind of issues worldwide for example the BLM movement.

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

- Preferred -  an acceptance of the intended meaning.

- Negotiated - a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with personal modification,

- Oppositional - an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual.