Media audience theories

  Media audience theories

Hypodermic syringe theory suggests that mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on their audiences. It has a simple effect on audiences in that it ‘injects’ messages into them which the audience is a passive recipient. This usually affects younger audience (for example children under 13) as they are generally more gullible and perceptive to these messages. For example a child may play a video game or watch a film and believe that the things which happen in it are real and can be done. However this theory is largely rejected today.

The cultivation theory is that after being exposed to similar types of messages within the media audiences form views over long time periods. This often leads to stereotyped opinions within society due to repetition of them within the media. For example always watching the same broadcasts  or reading the same newspapers may alter someone’s views  and lead to their opinions being stereotyped due to what they read/watch/hear on a regular basis.

The longer more shocking and violent images are exposed to an audience, the less sensitive they become in real life. This is called Desensitization. An example would be that if someone had watched a great number of war films or played video games based on war/army, then they will be less sensitive that someone who perhaps hasn’t towards real life war scenarios. In general adults are less sensitive than children towards things like violence or sex as they have been exposed to it through media for a longer period of time.

The copycat theory is based on how individuals act after what has been showed on screen or in other media. Audiences or individuals may try to re-enact parts of films or games of be influenced to do things they have seen. The obvious example for this theory is children who play violent video games at a young age (when gullible) are then influenced to do violent things as they believe that it is ok to do so in real life.

The uses and gratifications theory contrasts with other theories and suggest that the public interpreted the media to suit us. Instead of being sitting targets for the world of media our reactions and views influence the media for ways we like. For example the public make spoofs and parodies

Two step flow is where individuals who pay close attention to the mass media and the messages which it gives, they then pass their own interpretations as well as the actual media content.