Audience theory 2

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 the media is partially responsible for the act of violent behaviour that is portrayed by children. Many kids browse the internet on different platforms where they are exposed to a variety of content where they learn and imitate what they see online.

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet?

Yes I do think younger people learn new behaviour on the internet because they would tend to imitate what they see online without realising what the meaning is.

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?

I) Disappearing childhood: In 1983, Neil Postman wrote a book titled The Disappearance of Childhood. In this book, Postman argued that children are becoming adults too fast. Primarily, he put blame on visual media such as television which give children access to adult knowledge before they could even read. 

II) War on terror: After the 2001 terrorist attacks on September 11, a folk devil was made out of Muslims. While Islamic extremism represented a negligible percentage of the Islamic population in the United States, Muslims more generally faced significant racism. They had become the ‘folk devil’ of the early 2000s.

III) Mugging: Famous cultural theorist Stuart Hall and his colleagues (1978, p. viii) examined mugging as an example of moral panic. According to Hall, the British public in the 1970s began: “to perceive crime in general and mugging in particular, as an index of the disintegration of the social order.”

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.

Online child safety, digital privacy, and cybersecurity.

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

I think there should be slightly stricter age restrictions for certain websites on 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 it depends on your age. Younger people tend to pick up ideas and habits from the internet that aren't good for them, such as violence. Older people don't usually have issues with anything major on the internet so I don't really think heavy internet use is that worrying if controlled.

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) I do play some violent video games and watch violent movies sometimes but I wouldn't say i'm a violent person.

II) I usually see adverts on the TV but I never buy any.

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. 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.

20/04/1999: Two armed high school students opened fire in Columbine High School, killing 12 students and one teacher, and wounding 24 before committing suicide.

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

- 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?

It suggests that media affects attitudes rather than behavior. It also suggests that repeated exposure to certain ideas and values may make the audience less critical of the ideas presented as they appear ‘normal’.

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

It states that violence for 'good; reason is acceptable but violence for a 'bad' reason must be punished.

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

It suggests a judgement is being made about the mass audience as they are assumed to be easily led and

not perceptive or self-aware.

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?

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.

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

The Sun and The Guardian