audience theory

Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts? (newspapers)

• political veiws
• Intrests
• social
• entertainment
• facts
• whats going on in the world

How do people consume texts

• watch
• listen
• hear

what happens when people consumes texts
in some way they will be influenced even if they don't belive it there will be something there


The idea of media effects can be split in to four areas

• direct effect theories
• diffusion theories
• indirect effect theories
• the pluralistic approach

direct effect theories

Hyperdermic needle thoery

audience are passive, the power lies with the message of the text
The message is injected into the audience, such as nazi germany
the frankfurt school mass media
films linked to murder of james bulger in 1993 (childs play 3)

Cultivation theory

• Through reception attitudes, ideas and values may become normalised or natralised; they are accepted rather than considered
• Through repetition the audience may become desensitised towards negative and/or violent representation.

the way media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. the media repeates the same message cultivates the belief in the audience. attitudes and values become normalised. the audience may become desensitised to violence (video games or films)