cover work
1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')
Yes I play violent video games but it does not make me violent as I am able to control what I do
Do you ever see a product advertised on TV or on the internet and decide you want to buy it?
yes if I have an interest in the product type being advertised
Have you ever seen a documentary which has drawn your attention to an issue which you now feel strongly about?
no as if I watch a documentary i will already have a strong view on the topic and it may weaken or emphasise my original idea.
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?
Some texts which have been blamed for specific 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. in one case, the director was sued
for inciting violence although the court case was later dismissed
4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
On April 20, 1999, two teens went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. The crime was the worst high school shooting in U.S. history and prompted a national debate on gun control and school safety, as well as a major investigation to determine what motivated the gunmen, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. There was speculation that the two committed the killings because they had been bullied, were members of a group of social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture, or had been influenced by violent video games and music; however none of these theories was ever proven.
5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?
The Hypodermic Syringe Theory,Ideology, Attitude or Value from text,Audience belief or behaviour, the belief that audiences are controlled and shaped by the media as the theory states that audiences believe everything the hear and see from the media. in this case it would mean if the boys were playing violent video games them the video games are to blame as they saw the killing in games and it gave them the idea to carry out the action in real life.
The Columbine High School shootings occurred due
to a complex relationship between:*
o The ease of access to firearms and the social
acceptance of gun ownership
o The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though
they did not fit in
o The hopelessness caused by living in an area where
unemployment was high and was economically
disadvantaged
o The general desensitisation caused by access to a
range of violent images: film, TV, the news, the
internet
[* This is the argument offered by Michael Moore in
his film Bowling for Columbine]
6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest?
7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory? The Mail Online version of the story is here.
due to advancing technology younger people are now able to access technology more easily and this is why very young children are also able to access it as their parents may give them a tablet to use or put the TV on to keep them entertained but as we hear more and more people talking about this topic we start to evaluate how much time young children spend looking at screens and when the media constantly presents this negatively it may begin to change the way mothers deal with their children as they may begin to lessen the hours they let their children spend on tablets or watching TV as they feel the time spent on screens is too much due to how the media has presented the topic.also due to this topic being a main headline it shows the importance of the discussion and how important it may be to audiences such as mothers its also in the daily mail which may be aimed towards right wing supporters mainly however its quite mixed so many mothers who may have disposable income and are able to buy tablets for their children will see this and may have a change in attitude due to the news story.
8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
Although cultivation theory goes beyond a simple ‘cause and effect’ approach to audience effects, critics see both these direct theories as having an elitist element suggesting a judgement is being made about the mass audience as they are assumed to be easily led and not perceptive or self-aware. The individual nature of the members of the audience is not taken into account. This theory identifies the media as being a negative influence but does not consider forms of ‘high art’ in the same way. Some of Shakespeare’s plays are extremely violent but are not seen to be a problem whereas games and television programmes are open to
criticism
9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?
Two-Step Theory (Katz and Lagerfield) This theory acknowledges that we often access media texts with others or, if alone, we may well talk about our media experiences with our friends and family later. One argument is that these kinds of conversations have more influence on potential behaviour than the media text itself. A theory that springs from this idea is called the two-step theory which says that, whatever our experience of the media, we are likely to discuss it with others. If we respect their opinion (the theory calls these people opinion leaders), the chances are that we may be affected by the opinion leaders’ responses as well as by the text itself.
10) 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?
Some texts from the past seem very strange to us. A very popular sitcom in the 1970s called Love Thy Neighbour appears to many modern viewers, racist and offensive. Times have changed and so have people’s attitudes and values. What was acceptable as the topic for comedy some decades ago, no longer is.
11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?
Potential readings can, therefore, be:
• the dominant reading
an acceptance of the intended meaning
• a negotiated reading
a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with
some personal modification
• an oppositional reading
an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual
Clearly then, some people may be affected negatively by the media. Someone who is prone to violent behaviour may find that violent images stimulate that side of them and someone who has a weakness for chocolate may be tempted to buy some after watching an advert. This theory acknowledges that media images do not necessarily create these behaviours. Reception theory tries to bear in mind that audience members are all individuals. This can be seen as a strength of the theory as it attempts to take personal differences into account rather than generalise as to how the media affects us all in the same way. At the same time the theory has a weakness – your response to a text may be influenced by context of everyday life. Reception analysis does not take this into account.
12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why?
halls theory of preferred , negotiated and oppositional readings is the most convincing to me as not everyone will have the same reading or view of the media they see as everyone has different opinions and they are open to change as their is not one set opinion, also media producers do have a preferred reading when they release media products as they want people to think a certain thing about the product being produced but its not always the case as people can see the whole opposite in the media being produced and this is whats known as the oppositional reading.
Yes I play violent video games but it does not make me violent as I am able to control what I do
Do you ever see a product advertised on TV or on the internet and decide you want to buy it?
yes if I have an interest in the product type being advertised
Have you ever seen a documentary which has drawn your attention to an issue which you now feel strongly about?
no as if I watch a documentary i will already have a strong view on the topic and it may weaken or emphasise my original idea.
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?
Some texts which have been blamed for specific 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. in one case, the director was sued
for inciting violence although the court case was later dismissed
4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
On April 20, 1999, two teens went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. The crime was the worst high school shooting in U.S. history and prompted a national debate on gun control and school safety, as well as a major investigation to determine what motivated the gunmen, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. There was speculation that the two committed the killings because they had been bullied, were members of a group of social outcasts that was fascinated by Goth culture, or had been influenced by violent video games and music; however none of these theories was ever proven.
5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?
The Hypodermic Syringe Theory,Ideology, Attitude or Value from text,Audience belief or behaviour, the belief that audiences are controlled and shaped by the media as the theory states that audiences believe everything the hear and see from the media. in this case it would mean if the boys were playing violent video games them the video games are to blame as they saw the killing in games and it gave them the idea to carry out the action in real life.
The Columbine High School shootings occurred due
to a complex relationship between:*
o The ease of access to firearms and the social
acceptance of gun ownership
o The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though
they did not fit in
o The hopelessness caused by living in an area where
unemployment was high and was economically
disadvantaged
o The general desensitisation caused by access to a
range of violent images: film, TV, the news, the
internet
[* This is the argument offered by Michael Moore in
his film Bowling for Columbine]
6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest?
This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. The media is seen as part of our socialisation process, communicating ‘appropriate’ attitudes and the norms and values of the culture. According to this theory, while any one media text does not have too much effect, repeated exposure to certain ideas and values may make the audience less critical of the ideas presented as they appear ‘normal’.
The key ideas here are that:
• Through repetition attitudes, ideas and values may become
normalised or naturalised; they are accepted rather than
considered
• Through repetition the audience may become desensitised
towards negative and/or violent representations
Often more vulnerable groups are a main consideration within this
approach. For example, children are often seen to need protection
from the cultivation of certain ideas and values. This concern has
led to the banning of fast food advertising during children’s TV
programming, responding to recent concerns regarding nutrition
and childhood obesity. The limiting of media images has removed
the representation of a positive attitude towards fast-food from the
media. Similarly restrictions are placed on how alcohol can be
represented in advertising
7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory? The Mail Online version of the story is here.
due to advancing technology younger people are now able to access technology more easily and this is why very young children are also able to access it as their parents may give them a tablet to use or put the TV on to keep them entertained but as we hear more and more people talking about this topic we start to evaluate how much time young children spend looking at screens and when the media constantly presents this negatively it may begin to change the way mothers deal with their children as they may begin to lessen the hours they let their children spend on tablets or watching TV as they feel the time spent on screens is too much due to how the media has presented the topic.also due to this topic being a main headline it shows the importance of the discussion and how important it may be to audiences such as mothers its also in the daily mail which may be aimed towards right wing supporters mainly however its quite mixed so many mothers who may have disposable income and are able to buy tablets for their children will see this and may have a change in attitude due to the news story.
8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
Although cultivation theory goes beyond a simple ‘cause and effect’ approach to audience effects, critics see both these direct theories as having an elitist element suggesting a judgement is being made about the mass audience as they are assumed to be easily led and not perceptive or self-aware. The individual nature of the members of the audience is not taken into account. This theory identifies the media as being a negative influence but does not consider forms of ‘high art’ in the same way. Some of Shakespeare’s plays are extremely violent but are not seen to be a problem whereas games and television programmes are open to
criticism
9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?
Two-Step Theory (Katz and Lagerfield) This theory acknowledges that we often access media texts with others or, if alone, we may well talk about our media experiences with our friends and family later. One argument is that these kinds of conversations have more influence on potential behaviour than the media text itself. A theory that springs from this idea is called the two-step theory which says that, whatever our experience of the media, we are likely to discuss it with others. If we respect their opinion (the theory calls these people opinion leaders), the chances are that we may be affected by the opinion leaders’ responses as well as by the text itself.
10) 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?
Some texts from the past seem very strange to us. A very popular sitcom in the 1970s called Love Thy Neighbour appears to many modern viewers, racist and offensive. Times have changed and so have people’s attitudes and values. What was acceptable as the topic for comedy some decades ago, no longer is.
11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?
Potential readings can, therefore, be:
• the dominant reading
an acceptance of the intended meaning
• a negotiated reading
a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with
some personal modification
• an oppositional reading
an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual
Clearly then, some people may be affected negatively by the media. Someone who is prone to violent behaviour may find that violent images stimulate that side of them and someone who has a weakness for chocolate may be tempted to buy some after watching an advert. This theory acknowledges that media images do not necessarily create these behaviours. Reception theory tries to bear in mind that audience members are all individuals. This can be seen as a strength of the theory as it attempts to take personal differences into account rather than generalise as to how the media affects us all in the same way. At the same time the theory has a weakness – your response to a text may be influenced by context of everyday life. Reception analysis does not take this into account.
12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why?
halls theory of preferred , negotiated and oppositional readings is the most convincing to me as not everyone will have the same reading or view of the media they see as everyone has different opinions and they are open to change as their is not one set opinion, also media producers do have a preferred reading when they release media products as they want people to think a certain thing about the product being produced but its not always the case as people can see the whole opposite in the media being produced and this is whats known as the oppositional reading.
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