Audience theory 2 - blog tasks

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 is only partially responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence but it is mainly caused by their nature and the environment they grow up in as someone who grew up in an abusive home may think that harming others is natural which means when they see it in media it reinforces their previous views.

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 in the digital age as young people are watching influencers do things and then they copy that behaviour, for example on apps like Tik Tok younger people do dangerous things because they saw that it was trending and wanted to be like their favourite influencers.

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?

1. Comics (USA 1950s) - Public officials looking to lower juvenile delinquency felt concerned that the "disturbing and deviant" subject matter primarily found in the horror or crime genres could have been negatively impacting the youth. Official scrutiny of comics spawned a myriad of reports, articles, and committees. The book 'The Seduction of the Innocent' by psychiatrist Frederic Wertham who claimed that there was a proven connection between teens reading comic books and violent, anti-social behaviour. This lead to an even greater media response forcing the CMAA to create a voluntary organisation to oversee a self censorship effort to dispel the negative perception people had of them which lead to the Comics Code Authority (CCA) which would then go on to regulate a majority of the comic industry (as some chose not to adhere to it) until the early 21st century where the last few major publishers who still followed it broke with the CCA in 2011.
2. D&D (Satanic panic - USA 1980s) - Religious activists believed that D&D was the cause of multiple deaths and suicides that took place around the 1980s. After her son committed suicide Patricia Pulling formed Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD) in 1983. She believed that D&D promoted demonology, suicide, rape, homosexuality and more. BADD launched an intesive media campaign through conservative Christian channels as well as main stream media. The concern was largely unjustified as most of the deaths and suicides were caused by other factors in their lives that caused them to take their lives. Not much has changed due to this moral panic as most of these beliefs were unfounded and so when nothing happened people stopped believing that D&D was a threat to the youth.
3. Horror movies (Video Nasties - UK 1980s) - The term 'video nasty' was popularised by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the United Kingdom to refer to films (typically low budget horror/exploitation films) that were criticised for their violent content. These movies were released without going through the British Board of Film (BBFC) Classification resulting in the uncensored videos being released to the public. The main groups who were against the video nasties included the press who would have been responsible for a majority of the public's outrage as they would have got all of their information from the news. This situation lead to Parliament passing the 'Video Recordings Act 1984' which required certification of video releases by the BBFC. As time went on the stricter requirements have been relaxed.

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.

• New digital technology and the internet

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

• I think that it is extremely difficult for the government to be able to manage what everyone can access online however i do believe that their should be attempts to keep younger people away from things that would be inappropriate for them to see and also preventing criminal acts from taking place online.

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.

• Using Gerbner's theory in relation to new and digital media shows that people would become more fearful as they have easier access to different forms of media meaning that they would be affected by the mean world syndrome making them believe that the world is a more dangerous place than it truly is. Furthermore they would become desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse as they will be exposed to it often making them slowly believe that it is a natural thing that happens in everyday life.

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

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?')

1. Yes I play violent video games and watch violent films but I am not violent in real life.
2. Yes I have wanted to buy some products after watching an advert for it
3. No I have not watched a documentary which drew my attention to a new issue I didn't already feel strongly about.

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 – The 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.

• The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting and attempted bombing that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States.

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

• Listening to Marilyn Manson
• 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. Media is seen as part of the norms and values of the culture in society. The key ideas are that ideas and values may become normalised or naturalised through repetition; they are accepted rather than considered. Through repetition the audience may become desensitised towards negative / violent representations.

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

Violence for a ‘good’ reason is acceptable.

Violence for a ‘bad’ reason must be punished.

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

• Both theories have an elitist element as a judgement is being made about the mass audience who they assume to be easily led and not perceptive or self-aware. The individual nature of the audience members is not taken into account.
• This theory identifies the media as being a negative influence but considers forms of 'high art' as different. e.g. some of shakespeares plays are extremely violent but are not seen to be a problem while other forms of media like games and TV are open to criticism.

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 modern audiences as offensive and racist. This tells us that what one audience might find to be an acceptable topic for one group may not be viewed the same way in other groups.

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

• The Sun and The Guardian may report the same ‘facts’ very differently
• Dominant reading: an acceptance of the intended meaning
• Negotiated reading: a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with some personal modification
• Oppositional reading: an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual