Audience theories:
Hypodermic model - this theory states that the media want to have power and control over everything, and they 'inject' their 'messages' to target audiences. The theory is associated with needles/drugs which is an implication of media being an addiction to audiences, similar to drugs being addictive. It also suggests that what audiences see in the media directly goes into the mind of viewers.
The hypodermic model seems to explain the strong impact of media very well however it was only applied to women and children, so it may not be completely true as nothing has been said about the impact of media of men. Also, the theory was developed when mass media was relatively new, so not much evidence was used to create this theory.
Cultivation theory - this theory bases opinions and experiences on real life, and says that people who watch media perceive the real world in ways to reflect on current messages.
The theory was created by surveying members of the public. The advantages of this are that it can be applied to a wide range of people because it does not have any specifications about who this relates to and it refers to all types of media, however a disadvantage of this is that it doesn't focus on the backround of audiences. For example, some members of media audiences may have been brought up with a strict upbringing which restricts them from analysing types of media and applying it to their knowledge and real life experiences.
Desensitisation - this theory suggests that to decrease an abnormal fear of a situation or object, an individual must be exposed to it in reality or as a mental image. It states that action on-screen can influence the behaviour of a viewer, for example they may replicate violent acts that they see in the media. In a way, it implicates that being exposed to something which seems harmful due to a phobia of it, is a way of curing it or becoming immune to its effects.
The desensitisation theory is quite strong because it pays attention to how much violence is shown in the media. It raises the question as to how much exposure of violence and aggressive scenes should be shown, as nowadays it seems quite common, even amongst young people who perhaps shouldn't be exposed to such acts. A disadvantage to this theory is that everybody is effected by different factors, so this theory cannot be applied to everyone.
Modelling or copycat theory - this theory says that if a viewer sees a suicide or a violent murder in a film, they are likely to imitate it. A significant example of this is the murder of Jamie Bulger. Two 10 year old boys murdered 2 year old Jamie Bulger. The murder was so horrific; they beated and tortured him. It has been said that the boys convicted of Jamie Bulger's murder was influenced by scenes from horror movie Child's Play 3.
The modelling or copycat theory doesn't take into account that other factors can be the reason of aggressive behaviour, as not everybody copies what they see. Not everybody is effected by media so much to imitate what they see.
Uses and gratifications theory - this theory challenges the assumptions underlying the different theories of the effects tradition. Ultimately, the theory informs us that media competes with other forms of media to give the audience the most interesting perception. It also argues that media will not change beliefs that have been accumulated by life experiences.
Advantages to this theory are that the audience is perceived as intelligent and capable of separating fiction from fact, it clearly states that life experience is stronger than media experience and it explains that the media gives the consumer more choice and ways to explore it. Disadvantages to this theory are that some theorists in this tradition have claimed that the media has no influence or effects at all.
Final girl theory - this theory says that the last surviving character in a horror film is a female. The female has traits such as brown hair, intelligence, purity and the drive to investigate anything mysterious - this moves the plot of the film forward. The final girl isn't the most feminine individual, for example her clothes, and she usually has a masculine name (such as Laurie in Hallowen and Sidney in Scream) and uses a phallic symbol to try to attack the killer as self defence, such a knife. She usually seems sexually available and extremely vulnerable, however proves viewers wrong by defeating the villain. There is sometimes a link between the killer and the final girl.
This theory is represented in some films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Scream and Friday The 13th which shows that it isn't complete false however it doesn't apply to all films.
Hypodermic model - this theory states that the media want to have power and control over everything, and they 'inject' their 'messages' to target audiences. The theory is associated with needles/drugs which is an implication of media being an addiction to audiences, similar to drugs being addictive. It also suggests that what audiences see in the media directly goes into the mind of viewers.
The hypodermic model seems to explain the strong impact of media very well however it was only applied to women and children, so it may not be completely true as nothing has been said about the impact of media of men. Also, the theory was developed when mass media was relatively new, so not much evidence was used to create this theory.
Cultivation theory - this theory bases opinions and experiences on real life, and says that people who watch media perceive the real world in ways to reflect on current messages.
The theory was created by surveying members of the public. The advantages of this are that it can be applied to a wide range of people because it does not have any specifications about who this relates to and it refers to all types of media, however a disadvantage of this is that it doesn't focus on the backround of audiences. For example, some members of media audiences may have been brought up with a strict upbringing which restricts them from analysing types of media and applying it to their knowledge and real life experiences.
Desensitisation - this theory suggests that to decrease an abnormal fear of a situation or object, an individual must be exposed to it in reality or as a mental image. It states that action on-screen can influence the behaviour of a viewer, for example they may replicate violent acts that they see in the media. In a way, it implicates that being exposed to something which seems harmful due to a phobia of it, is a way of curing it or becoming immune to its effects.
The desensitisation theory is quite strong because it pays attention to how much violence is shown in the media. It raises the question as to how much exposure of violence and aggressive scenes should be shown, as nowadays it seems quite common, even amongst young people who perhaps shouldn't be exposed to such acts. A disadvantage to this theory is that everybody is effected by different factors, so this theory cannot be applied to everyone.
Modelling or copycat theory - this theory says that if a viewer sees a suicide or a violent murder in a film, they are likely to imitate it. A significant example of this is the murder of Jamie Bulger. Two 10 year old boys murdered 2 year old Jamie Bulger. The murder was so horrific; they beated and tortured him. It has been said that the boys convicted of Jamie Bulger's murder was influenced by scenes from horror movie Child's Play 3.
The modelling or copycat theory doesn't take into account that other factors can be the reason of aggressive behaviour, as not everybody copies what they see. Not everybody is effected by media so much to imitate what they see.
Uses and gratifications theory - this theory challenges the assumptions underlying the different theories of the effects tradition. Ultimately, the theory informs us that media competes with other forms of media to give the audience the most interesting perception. It also argues that media will not change beliefs that have been accumulated by life experiences.
Advantages to this theory are that the audience is perceived as intelligent and capable of separating fiction from fact, it clearly states that life experience is stronger than media experience and it explains that the media gives the consumer more choice and ways to explore it. Disadvantages to this theory are that some theorists in this tradition have claimed that the media has no influence or effects at all.
Final girl theory - this theory says that the last surviving character in a horror film is a female. The female has traits such as brown hair, intelligence, purity and the drive to investigate anything mysterious - this moves the plot of the film forward. The final girl isn't the most feminine individual, for example her clothes, and she usually has a masculine name (such as Laurie in Hallowen and Sidney in Scream) and uses a phallic symbol to try to attack the killer as self defence, such a knife. She usually seems sexually available and extremely vulnerable, however proves viewers wrong by defeating the villain. There is sometimes a link between the killer and the final girl.
This theory is represented in some films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Scream and Friday The 13th which shows that it isn't complete false however it doesn't apply to all films.
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