Audience theory 1: blog tasks

 1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

• This article states that all violent videogames cause people to become violent claiming that this is what scientists have been saying which helped to cause the massive panic towards videogames in the past as they believed these articles and the scientists without looking deeper to see if it might not be the truth.

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

• The article claims that he is a violent video game addict and that is why he committed this crime, this links to the hypodermic needle theory as it is also trying to push the idea that violent videogames cause violent crimes which many people in the audience accept as they want to have something to blame for their kids violence without having to consider other possibilities such as learnt behaviour from them.

3) What do you think of the hypodermic needle theory? Do audiences believe everything they see in the media?

• I believe that the hypodermic needle theory applies to some audiences in modern day but as people get more accustomed to the internet and social media it becomes less and less applicable as people are able to get their information from multiple different sources which could have contrasting views causing them to question what is true and possibly research it themselves. Despite this many people in modern day do accept what they see at face value especially if it aligns with their beliefs or if it makes them feel better than if they were to know the actual truth as seen in the previous example where people readily accepted that the teen hacked into TalkTalk because he played violent videogames instead of seeing if their were other things going on in his life that could have caused him to commit the crime like a bad home life.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. What is an opinion leader?

• Audiences are influenced by 'opinion leaders' who mediate how the audience reacts to media, the theory suggests that media is not all powerful and social factors are important.

2) How do influencers like Zendaya fit into the two-step flow model? 

• Influencers fit into the two-step flow model as 'opinion leaders' who influence the audience with their beliefs as many people look to influencers to see what their opinion on something is before deciding what they believe on a situation. 

3) In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

I believe that the two-step flow model is extremely relevant today as people are always looking at influencers as opinion leaders and copying what they say and do especially when it comes to young children who are more impressionable with what they see.

Uses and Gratifications theory

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text (e.g. film, TV programme, newspaper etc.) that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points. The first one is done for you.

Diversion: Film - Blinded By The Light. Entertaining and offering escapism for fans of Bruce Springsteen or anyone that enjoys coming of age films or culture-clash comedies.

Personal Relationships: The good place. Has a large cast of characters that the audience can connect with and can develop an emotional attachment to the characters or the show.

Personal Identity: Educating Yorkshire. Some people might identify with some of the issues the students go through and are able to help themselves face those struggles as they know they aren't alone in facing them and other people also have to go through the same issues.

Surveillance: BBC news (weather). Provides information on the weather in the UK

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view?

• I do believe that people have become more dependant on media as they have access to a lot more information then in the past causing them to not think long about something and just let the media and the general reaction of others influence their beliefs.

2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem?

• The growth of new digital technology has made it so that media is more easily accessible by the people meaning that the media is able to influence more peoples opinions than before but the rise of new technology also made it so that their is a greater number of things competing to be the main media source that people go to with traditional news papers and stations now having to compete with people on social media apps who people believe to be more credible as news is something that many people know can be influenced and used as propaganda while they also believe that the smaller journalists who are not tied to something larger that forces them to write a specific story would have more journalistic integrity and not try to falsify stories. I don't believe this is a new problem as in the past people would only be able to get their information from different newspapers which means there was less competition meaning that the information they got could have been similar causing the audience to just accept what they see.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and well-being? Why?

• I believe that for me, my media consumption mainly leads to me feeling both positive and negative emotions depending on what it is that I'm doing, for example if I was watching a comedy it would lead to me feeling good while watching a tragedy might lead to a feeling of catharsis.