MIGRAIN: Audience theory 2 - the 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?
 I think the media is partially responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence because all movies and most movies nowadays show crucial violent scenes and some extreme anti-social and violent scenes in movies and media in general , moreover games have a big effect as well as lots of games lead to violence , fights and bad behaviours. so social learning theory does also have a big effect for violence and anti-social behaviours especially for young kids as they copy their role models and people older than them. 

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.
so children are in their developing age and they copy what they watch so  I think it will have a big influence on them if they saw any behaviours they will mimics it and may not know that it is bad. however for teenagers the media and socials may greatly support and encourage violence , fights and bad behaviours. 

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?

1. The War on Drugs is one of the most long-standing American moral panics. Starting in the 1970s and peaking in the late 80s and early 90s, this moral panic was weaponized by politicians such as Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton who raced to be ‘toughest on crime’. It is argued the war on drugs is a moral panic due to the exaggeration of the issue and hostility toward recreational drug users. This flowed through to punitive drug laws that led to decades-long imprisonment for minor offences. Looking at the real-world data, it appears drug use actually declined in the 1980s (Hawdon, 2001) while social fear of drugs ‘corrupting the youth’ continued to rise.

2. "The Devil's music" (1920s–1980s) Over the years, there has been concern of various types of new music causing spiritual or otherwise moral corruption to younger generations, often called "the devil's music". While the types of music popularly labelled as such has changed with time, along with the intended meaning of the term, this basic factor of the moral panic has remained constant. It could thus be argued that this is really a series of smaller moral panics that fall under a larger umbrella. While most notable in the United States, other countries such as Romania have seen exposure to or promotion of the idea as well. Blues was one of the first music genres to receive this label, mainly due to a perception that it incited violence and other poor behaviour. In the early 20th century, the blues was considered disreputable, especially as white audiences began listening to the blues during the 1920s. Jazz was another early receiver of the label. At the time, traditionalists considered jazz to contribute to the breakdown of morality. Despite the veiled attacks on blues and jazz as "negro music" often going hand-in-hand with other attacks on the genres, urban middle-class African Americans perceived jazz as "devil's music", and agreed with the beliefs that jazz's improvised rhythms and sounds were promoting promiscuity. Some have speculated that the rock phase of the panic in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to the popularity of the satanic ritual abuse moral panic in the 1980s.

3. Dungeons & Dragons (1980s–1990s) At various times, Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games have been accused of promoting such practices as Satanism, witchcraft, suicide, pornography and murder. In the 1980s and later, some groups, especially fundamentalist Christian groups, accused the games of encouraging interest in sorcery and the veneration of demons.

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.

The Internet and new digital technologies.

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
I think it would have been better and a lot safer if the internet was regulated because nowadays kids and children and teenagers learn everything through the internet, and they can access many inappropriate content very easily. 

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.

Using Gerbner's theory in relation to new and digital media shows that people would become more fearful but rather confident and immature, as they can have access and knowledge from the internet. Yes anyone who might post may get threats, abuse and hate comments from people we done know or have never talked to which is extremely dangerous. I think personally internet that is not used correctly or appropriately , sensibly , and fairly it would definitely count as concerning and worrying to the society and younger generations. 

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box 

1-I don't play violent games, some movies on the tv that i see while scrolling on the tv sometimes are very violent, i am not a violent person. 

2- sometimes if its a good product and i research about it and the advert is 100% real and doesnt have any lies but mostly not really its very rare for me. 

3- not really. 

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

• Direct Effect Theories
• Diffusion Theories
• Indirect Effect 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 – The murder of Jamie Bulger

• Marilyn Manson – The Columbine High School shootings

• Natural Born Killers – a number of murders committed by romantically linked couples. in one case, the director was sued for inciting violence although the court case was later dismissed

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
The Columbine High School massacre, commonly referred to as Columbine, was a school shooting and attempted bombing that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States.

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

• Listening to Marilyn Manson
• The ease of access to firearms and the social acceptance of gun ownership
• The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though they did not fit in
• The hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment was high and was economically disadvantaged
• The general desensitisation caused by access to a range of violent images: film, TV, the news, the internet

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

This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. The media is seen as part of our socialisation process, communicating ‘appropriate’ attitudes and the norms and values of the culture. According to this theory, while any one media text does not have too much effect, repeated exposure to certain ideas and values may make the audience less critical of the ideas presented as they appear ‘normal’.

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

Essentially violence is supported in action films as a method for the hero to reach his goal. The only difference between him and the villain is that we agree with the hero’s motivations. how ever violence for a bad reason must be punished. 

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

- Both these direct theories as having an elitist element suggesting a judgement is being made about the mass audience as they are assumed to be easily led and not perceptive or self-aware. The individual nature of the members of the audience is not taken into account. 

-This theory identifies the media as being a negative influence but does not consider forms of ‘high art’ in the same way. Some of Shakespeare’s plays are extremely violent but are not seen to be a problem whereas games and television programmes are open to criticism. 

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?

Love Thy Neighbour appears to many modern viewers, racist and offensive. Times have changed and so have people’s attitudes and values. What was acceptable as the topic for comedy some decades ago, no longer is.

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

• Dominant reading - an acceptance of the intended meaning 

• negotiated reading - a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with some personal modification

• Oppositional reading - an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual.