Theory


Bandura - Media Effects

Audience theory


Consumption of media = Direct influence on the audience

Normally negative influence on audience

Assumes audience is passive

Bobo doll experiment (1960s) supports this, however was not faultless

At the time children imitate violent behaviour, now both adults and children

Now could be influenced by a reaction to a piece of media

Self Directness = altering your own views in line with someone else's views

Limitations  = Audiences are passive, cannot prove violent media is at fault


Homework Question

Explain the theory and discuss limitations and value in terms of analysing newspapers and TV Drama


Bandura's media effects theory suggests that people are highly influential when It comes to media and more specifically, violence in the media. This implies that the audience are passive and that in some cases violent criminal activity could be blamed on the media, e.g. Video Games, or Movies released around that time.

This theory has many limitations when it comes to analysing newspapers and TV Dramas. In relation to analysing newspapers, the audiences might be subject to specific violent acts which make the news. In this case, its near impossible to go through a newspaper and not come across some theme of violence. This is due to the current climate of the world and is also to do with the fear mongering aspect of the modern media. The limitations of this theory relate back to the argument which Bandura assumes the audiences reading the newspapers are passive.

In relation to relating the limitations of Banduras theroy with Television drama, Homelands would influence their audience that most of the middle Eastern citizens are terrorists. This has its limitations through the argument that Homelands where not the first TV Drama show to spread unjust propaganda surrounding race, culture, and religion.


Hall - Reception Theory

Audience theory


Any media is made by the producer, producer has particular codes and values in that media

Audience decodes the piece of media

Three different types of audience reading (decoding)


Dominant

- Audience reads the media the way the producer wants the audience to read it
- A very good response for the producer
- This is because of the clear message, relevant to readers society, and audience similar in age

Negotiated

- Accepts the views of the media
- Neither agree or disagree, still a good response
- This is because audience might not understand the message, unclear message, and not quite reaching the targeted audience

Oppositional

- Audience rejects the producers message/meaning
- Mainly because they don't agree with the message
- Very bad response for the producer
- This is because product may have controversial themes, have no understanding of the product, different cultures = different understandings


Homework Question

Explain the theory and discuss limitations and value in terms of analysing newspapers and TV Drama

Hall argues that audeinces will always react to media text in one of three ways and these three ways are split into audeinces understanding and agreeing, audeinces sort of undertanding and neither diagreeing or agreeing, or audeinces not undertanding and diagreing with media text provided by the producer.

With analysing TV dramas in mind, Halls reception theroy could link back to the backlash and critiasium Homelands faced in its later seasons. This would insinuate more and more people where reading certian messages and scenes in an oppositianal way and audeinces started to reject and oppose the message from the producer. Newspapers could be analysed in the same way, where audeinces reject the messages from newpapers after either looking at the cover, or reading through it. Most newspapers surround the world of polotics and this means people will have strong readings of political parties and aliences and might have their reading swayed by whatever party they stand for.


Shirky - End Of Audience

Audience Theory


There is no longer such thing as a 'passive audience'

Thinks audiences like to react

Thinks audiences like to 'speak back' to producers

Equality of power between viewers and producers

More modern theory, linking to social media


Homework Question

Explain the theory and discuss limitations and value in terms of analysing newspapers and TV Drama













Gauntlet - Identity Theory


Believes everyone is individual but their can be groups of similar people

His theory is in two parts:

Part 1
Audiences identify with media products they consume

Part 2
Todays society offers more complex and diverse ideas in terms of representation


His theory particularly applies this to gender and sexuality

Getting far more diverse in terms of representation

These representations in todays world is a reflection on reality

could argue that people can sue social media to create their own identities


Homework Question

Explain the theory and discuss limitations and value in terms of analysing newspapers and TV Drama

























1 comment:

  1. Bandura - good understanding but be careful with the analysis. It supports the idea of the power of the media but doesn't make any allowances for multiple meanings

    ReplyDelete

BBC Breakfast Show

Episode from Monday 27th January Special features? Key talking points? - Announcing the line-up for the radio one 'Big Weekend...