MIGRAIN: Audience theory 2 - the effects debate

 

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 believe that media is only partly responsible in social behaviour and violence because mostly crime is based off someone's own mental health and persona. However, the media can influence/alter someone's persona.

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. People are adapting the behaviour they see online to their real life personas. For example, Andrew Tate influences young teenage boys into believing his misogynistic views towards women. 

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? 3 examples are pedophiles, terrorists and abuse towards women. The media consistently barged these topics onto the top of headlines. It is justified to a extent but the media has gone too far.

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. Video game is a example of a technopanic in society since videogames is constantly blamed for violent acts within society.

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online? No I think the internet should not be regulated. Government should not be able to access and control what we access because it destroys the freedom of the internet.

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 the internet has spread too much fear then is indeeded onto society. For example, people view teenagers as violent and rebels however most teenagers in real life are quite sensible. Only the select few actually follow this negative stereotype. 

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. You can also access it via your school Google login here.

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?')
I do play violent video games while not displaying any violent activity in real life.
2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?
Direct Effects

Diffusion

Indirect Effect

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

One example is Marilyn Manson who caused the attack. The other example was the murder of Jamie which can convey some people are natural born killers.

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 on a high school involving 15 deaths.

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

The people felt very distant from the society around them and may felt like outcast so may have thought guns and crime is a form of escaping their misery.

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

Repeated acts makes things turn normalized which can make society in general more violent and brainwashed.

7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence? Action film heavily reinforce and support violence mainly because there is evil to stop and destroy.

8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet? It doesn't take in any external factors that contribute to influencing an 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?

Love Thy Neighbour can be seen has very offensive and racist towards to the modern audience. This tells how much society views have changed overtime.

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

The Guardian and Sun.