Media Influence

Communication theories are ways of explaining the relationship between the mass media and audiences.

Communication Theories =
What the media does to the audience

1. Hypodermic Needle Theory (Bullet Theory)

The Hypodermic Needle theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that a media message is injected directly into the brain of a passive, homogenous audience.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory began in 1920's and 1930's based on WW1 Propaganda and the War of the Worlds Broadcast

The Hypodermic Needle theory is said to have a 'passive' audience and does not have any scientific evidence
(only anecdotal/ observations)

2. THE TWO-STEP FLOW THEORY

In 1948, Paul F Lazarsfeld wrote ‘The People’s Choice’ which summarised his research into the November 1940 presidential election. In the course of his research, Lazarsfeld discovered that people were more likely to be influenced by their peers than the mass media.

Word of mouth is important in advertising campaigns via Opinion Leaders

Opinion Leaders play close attention to an issue and can sway public opinion via Twitter, for example.

THE TWO-STEP FLOW THEORY describes the audience as ACTIVE (making choices about WHO they choose to influence them)

3. The Agenda Setting Function Theory

The Agenda Setting Function Theory was developed by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw as a result of their 1968 study of North Carolina voters during a presidential election campaign.

They argued that the media can’t tell audiences what to think but they can tell them what to think about.

The media uses "framing" to tell only the part of the story they want to tell.

Good example of framing is Asylum Seekers

Framing is assisted by using "cues" that help to emphasise the importance of an issue. (Such as FRONT PAGE)

With The Agenda Setting Function theory, the audience is considered to be generally active, but sometimes influenced if it is a popular view being represented.

Typically, evidence supporting this
theory shows a correlation
between the number of news
stories on an issue and how
important people think the issue is.

4. Uses and Gratification Theory

By Elihu Katz and Jay Blumler in a 1974 collection of essays titled The Uses of Mass Communication

The audience chooses media texts to gratify their own needs – such as the need for information, personal identity, integration, social interaction or entertainment.

The audience is ACTIVE. (the media has NO INFLUENCE)

The audience basically decides when a show will be taken off air and this is evidence that supports the theory

SEMIOTICS

SEMIOTICS

• Signifier = Symbol itself = denotation
• Signified = Message behind the symbol = connotation
• A strength of semiotics is that it focuses on the role of the reader and links our reading of texts with culture and values.

The effects tradition is an approach to the study of

media influence which focuses on the effect that media

texts have on audiences. This way of thinking about the

media developed in the early days of the mass media

and has become a dominant way of thinking about

communication.

The political economy approach to communication has

its origins in Marxism and concerns itself with who

owns the media. It suggests that the mass media is

part of a capitalist system which incorporates advertisers,

corporations and government.

RESEARCH METHODS

1. Case Studies
(not credible source of evidence) promote moral panic. e.g. Newtown Shootings

2. Laboratory research e.g. Bandura's BoBo Doll experiment. It ignores the fact that media consumption occurs in the real world.

3. Longitudinal research occurs over a long period of time. Researchers return to the same subjects and look at the long term effect of media.

4. Qualitative research involves asking people about their media use. It involves long questionnaires and detailed responses about media use. Regarded as an extremely credible way of measuring media influence.

5. Quantitative research. Includes the results of surveys and statistics, any research that can easily be reduced to numbers. Although raw data like this can be useful, it does not necessarily take into account the complex relationship between audiences and texts.

6. A meta-analysis is when researchers look at a number of studies and draw conclusions from the collective results of this research

ACMA

The ACMA is a government body responsible for regulating broadcasting and online content in Australia

ACMA

• promotes self-regulation
• has developed codes of practice for television and radio
• helps to regulate the ownership of commercial media organisations

The ASB

ASB

• The Advertising Standards Board is a free service to handle consumer complaints about advertising.
• Ads need to be truthful
• Also...

ASB

• Is concerned with “the use of language, the discriminatory portrayal of people, concern for children, portrayals of violence, sex, sexuality and nudity, health and safety, and marketing of food and beverages to children.
• (ALL with reference to ADVERTISING)

A Classification Board and Classification Review Board make decisions about the classification of films, video games and publications which are available for sale and hire in Australia.

If a film, computer game or publication is deemed inappropriate by the Classification Board, it is refused classification and prohibited from sale in Australia.

In 2012, there was controversy of the classification of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Despite the fact that the film featured graphic science fiction violence, it was given an M classification which meant that children under the age of fifteen could watch the film.

WHY REGULATE?

We should regulate the media because...

SHOULD REGULATE

• There's concerns over 'copy-cat' behaviour e.g. poor life-style choices and violence
• To protect children from potentially harmful or damaging media images.
• Also....

SHOULD REGULATE

• To protect adults from seeing unsolicited material that is likely to offend.
• To preserve Australian culture

We should not

NOT REGULATE

• Parents should take responsibility for their own children
• Internet streaming means anyone can watch anything at any time, anyway
• Also...

NOT REGULATE

• Australians should have a right to choose
• We don't want to be dictated to ("Nanny State")

Examples when Media can have a POSITIVE influence...

Slip Slop Slap
(Cancer Council Victoria in 1981)

Grim Reaper AIDS awareness 1987

TAC Road Safety Ads. 1989

SUSCEPTIBLE

Children
Elderly
Mentally ill