Audience theory 2: Notes

Audience theory 2: blog task

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 the media plays a part in influencing anti-social behaviour as in our generation younger people are exposed to the media a lot more as there are a lot more devices to be exposed to the media to than 20 years ago. However, it is not the primary as there are many other factors which can influence them such as parental guidance, cousins, friends.

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 because easily influenced people such as primary school children or even teenagers will find role-models on the internet such as YouTubers who have big followings, leading them to replicate their behaviours or mannerisms due to the infatuation of their fame. An example of this may be big YouTubers such as Jake Paul, Ksi, Zoella etc.

3) Research five 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?

Isis- In 2014 a series of be-headings of influential people were done by the organisation of Isis. The media was partly responsible as they were the people exposing everyone to the organisation however the horrific be-headings would still have made an impact regardless of whoever released videos, there is higher security in London due to Isis and its attacks.

ebola- This was a widespread disease prominent in Africa. The media was mostly responsible for the panic caused as there was a lot of unnecessary coverage because of the fact that the chances of getting Ebola in the UK were very low. Not much has changed however there was treatment made for Ebola.

Video-game violence- At one point in time the media believed that violent video was influencing younger people to partake in anti-social behaviour. The media was mostly responsible as they had heavy coverage of it, however, there were a few real-life cases where violent video games showed influence. Nothing has really changed since the moral panic and it may be argued that the idea of video games being influential has greatly deflated.

London knife crime- Recently, there has been a ridiculous rise in knife crime in London, the media has made this very known as many stories of numerous stabbings this year have been put out. This concern is very justified as the knife crime rates have been recorded at an all time high. The police have increased they're stop and searches.

Donald Trump becomes president- In 2017 Donald Trump became the president of the united states which caused a lot of people to be outraged, some media outlets were giving positive views on Trump, however, a lot of social media influencers were enraged due to his racist remarks and vulgar comments on certain topics. Not much has changed as a result.

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of techno-panics that create fear in society?

digital privacy, child safety, cyber-security.

5) How does the author suggest that technopanics should be addressed - rather than through government regulation?

Technopanics should be addressed by ongoing societal learning, experimentation, resiliency, and coping strategies rather than by regulation.

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

I think that the internet should not be regulated as I see the internet as a way to explore things we are unaware of as a means to educate ourselves. Without a doubt illegal things should be regulated but that is the only aspect I believe should be touched upon. This is because if our goal is to protect younger people then there is no point in regulating the internet since there is already parental control options available which will regulate what you can see to a certain extent.

7) 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? 

Gerbner's theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. The internet is creating a more fearful population as there are always stories about knife crime or terrorism which will automatically hypnotise the high frequency viewers as they are constantly exposed to the media. We are becoming desensitised as trolling and threats have become a normal part of the internet to the point where its simply become a routine for people to encounter.

8) Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? How would you define 'heavy internet use'?  

we should be very weary of heavy internet use as it can stop people from prospering in life due to the obsessment with the internet and doing research or watching you-tube. I believe that heavy internet use would be defined as someone who uses the internet for extreme periods of time daily such as 6-7 hours a day.

Audience theory 1: blog tasks

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

It shows that younger people can be easily influenced by violent video games. Causing them to gain violent traits in their behaviours. Essentially, this means that younger people will easily be manipulated by anything that they see.


2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

It links to the hypodermic needle model as the boy is said to be a "violent video game hacker" it also says he; "rarely leaves his bedroom" which automatically may reveal that the violent video games may have had some sort of impact on his behaviour. This page may be criticised as the full story may not have been shown, the boy may have had other problems in his life which impacted him negatively.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

The two-step flow model essentially means that people are influenced by other people with who have high popularity, the social aspects are more relevant here than media texts.

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

This you-tuber fits because he has a large number of subscribers on you-tube this essentially means that he has a very large following who enjoy watching his videos. So ultimately, he has a lot of loyal followers who he can influence to follow a certain trend or idea. He may be considered a social leader. 

3) How this this Telegraph feature on Britain's most popular tweeters fit the two-step flow model? Do you think these accounts genuinely have an influence over their audience?

These tweeters all fit into the two step flow model as they all have a large number of followers ranging from eight-million followers to thirty-million followers. Naturally, people with these amount of followers are bound to have influence as millions of fans will be looking up to these tweeters due to the large amount of exposure.

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?

Jamal fit the two step flow model as his story is very intriguing of how he was able to become a multi millionaire. Many people will look up to him as through gaining a large amount of money he may also have gained a big following. Furthermore, Jamal owns a music video channel which may also be appealing to a younger audience further increasing his following.

Uses and Gratifications theory

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points.

Diversion:
Star Wars would fit diversion as it is set on different planets and space containing aliens, monsters and super-human powers.

Personal Relationships: 
13 reasons why is a good series to class as personal relationships as the show is set in high-school which a lot of younger people in high-school may relate to.  

Personal Identity: 

Top boy is a show that has 3-4 characters that we dearly care for, the show constantly puts these characters in danger making us feel more emotionally connected to them.

Surveillance:

The weather program would be classed as surveillance as we are being informed of information happening in the real world.

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view?

I do believe audiences have become dependent on media as everyone is very exposed to the media in general as technology has made it so that we can see the media everywhere
.2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem?

Digital technology has made media more accessible as we can literally see it everywhere from google to twitter to Instagram meaning we are a lot more exposed to it. This may be an issue as the more exposed we are to the media the more we can be influenced by what we see.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and well-being? Why?

The media does not have much impact on my emotions depending on the topic. If I feel passionately about a certain subject I may feel impacted emotionally in some way. However, overall the media has mostly a negative effect on my emotions as many of the things said by the media are false. But all in all I tend not to be interested in most media.

MIGRAIN: October assessment - learner response

feedback
WWW: You show ability to closely analyse Ill Manors poster.

EBI: Your main issue is a lack of sophistication in expression and some sloppy literacy. You are an A-level student and you must write in a formal way. 

You must also use a great deal more detail from the products to analyse as you are too general/vague. Theory application

Q1:

• I could have included Propp’s character types: urban hero established through costume & props.

Q2:

• Differences: Ill Manors allows us to ‘get to know’ the character while Nike is deliberately ambiguous; both use the sky background to create meaning but in very different ways(looming clouds v rising sun).