Audience theory 2- 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?

 Yes and no because most of the violence consumers of media see are from the internet. 
 
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.

 Yes because nowadays young people aspire to become cool and their interpretation of cool is being in a gang 

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?
 Increase in crime.-The media may be responsible for this as they are now showcasing lots of crimes.
The millennium bug. This is because back in the early 2000's technology and the digital age was quite new to people back then a problem in the coding of computerised systems that was projected to create havoc in computers and computer networks around the world at the beginning of the year 2000. 
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.

 Child safety, Digital privacy and cyber security

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

 Yes and no because sometimes people do need to the reality of thing however the internet is a space that is accessible for everyone therefore meaning that whatever you post young people would see it as well.

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.

 Yes the media is creating a fearful population as people are seeing more and more gnarly stuff that is only making them desensitised . 

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?')

 A. I do play violent video games and I do only watch violent movies. However at times I am not violent and violet but only when i need to be e.g: boxing

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

Direct Effects theories

*Diffusion theories

*Indirect Effects 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- murder of Jamie Bulger

Marilyn Manson- The columbine high school shootings

Natural born killers- A number of murders committed by romantically linked couples


4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
A high school shooting that took place in Columbine high school, in Colorado in 1999 April 20th, where by 2 students after a failed bombing entered the school and had murdered 14 students and 1 teacher before then committing suicide. The media had blamed violent movies for causing this shooting as after this event similar situations took place across the country in different high schools and was dubbed the 'columbine effect'.

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

'Listening to Marilyn Manson caused teenagers to open fire on students and teachers'

The ease of access to firearms and social acceptance to gun ownership

The alienation felt by the students who felt as though they did not fit in
The hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment is high  and was economically disadvantaged
The general desensitisation caused by access to a range of violent images, film, TV, news, Internet (argument in Bowling for Columbine)

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

  overtime what we watch and listen to is how we act and how we portray ourselves.

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

 Violence for good is good and violence for bad is bad and should be punished. 

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

 The auidence is not self aware and they are passive.

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?

 This is because its seen as racist and offensive. This tells us that overtime how people take in information changes and varies from time to time.

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

 Dominant - Acceptance of intended meaning

Negotiated - A broad acceptance of meaning with own personal modification

Oppositional - An understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual