Audience theory: Hypodermic Model.

Here, the messages in the media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful, syringe-like media. The audience is powerless to resist these messages therefore it's been said that the media works like a drug and the audience is drugged, addicted, doped or duped.

During the discussion in class, we compared two tv channels. We found out that Channel 5 makes less profit than ITV as their shows are bought from America however they seem to make profit through all those advertisements. We all make contributions through buying the products via adverts or youtube. For example the Shake 'n' Vac product, we never really thought this could exist but then we saw the catchy advert and this compelled many to buy this product and try!

The Effects model:

• The consumption of media texts have a negative influence on us which makes us powerless and passive. 
• The 'Sun' and 'News of the World' is owned by Rupert Murdock, these are popular institution that have had and have a big influence on the audiences.                                                                   

Key Evidence for the effects model:

1. The Frankurt School theorised in the 1920's and 30's that the mass media has acted to resist and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments. 

-Looked at Propaganda Films 

-Very Critical

-Tried influencing audiences.

2. The BOBO Doll experiment. 

This is a very controversial piece of research that apparently proved that children copy violent activities. This was conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961.

IN THE EXPERIMENT:

• Children watched a video where an adult violently attacked a clown doll called "bobo doll".
• The Children were then taken in a room with attractive toys that they were not permitted to touch.
• The Children were then led to another room with Bobo Dolls
• 88% of the children imitated the violent behaviour that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour. 

-E.g Playing C.O.D Modern Warfare could influence Children because they use violent tactics. Some say it depends how exposed you are to it whereas some say when you are matured, the less seriously you take it. 

• Bobo doll designed tn a way for it to be attacked. (It bounces back up making the child angrier) 
• There is no evidence that children will imitate this in the future.

The conclusion reached from this experiment by Bandura is that children will imitate violent media content.

There are many problems with this experiment, What do you think are the flaws with this methodology? Does it indeed prove that children will imitate violent content?

-> The effects model (backed up by the bobo doll experiment) is still dominant theory used by politicians, some parts of the media and some religious parts of the media and some religious organisations in attributing violence to the consumption of media texts.

• Key examples cited as causing or being contributory factors are:

- The Film Child's Play 3 is suspected to be the cause of the death of 3 year old Jamie Bulger. It has been said that the 2 ten year old boys were neglected from childhood and as they watched Child's play 3 couple of hours being committing the murder shows that this movie could have played a significant part in the murder. The youngest killers of UK.