Audience theory

Reception Theory-

  • Developed by Stuart Hall
  • States that the media texts are encoded by the creators and then decoded by the audience 
  • Stuart Hall suggests that media text is coded by the creators and decoded by the audiences.
  • Reception theory suggests that the audience decode the text in 3 ways, Dominant, Negotiated, Oppositional:
- Dominant- suggest that they really like something and is similar to cultivation theory
- Negotiated- suggest that they like something but they also like another thing
- Oppositional- suggest that the people get annoyed and they like the thing to change

Cultivation Theory-

  • Created by George Gerbner in 1976
  • Looked at how the television influenced people
  • This theory argues that television has gradual long-term effects
  • Television just reinforces the norms
  • Claimed that TV defined social roles & behaviour
  • Gerbner argued that people who watch a lot of television are more likely to be influenced
  • Gerbner argued that the television reinforced persons an opinion over time if they watched a lot of television.
  • An experiment got two groups of college students to watch lots of television to do with action and adventure. One group watched a lot and the other a little. The group that watched a lot of television were more fearful of life afterwards.

Two Step Flow Theory: 

  • Looked at how voters made their minds in elections. Mass media communicates with people through opinion leaders. 
  • Mass Media - Opinion Leaders - The Audience.  

Hypodermic Needle Theory: 

  • Idea mass media injects thoughts, values into the audience and changes their opinions.
  • Injects into the passive audience, media is very powerful and controlling. 

E.g. Levi Jeans campaign, "buy these jeans so you can be like this guy", sales shot up and the campaign was successful. 

Uses and Gratifications Theory:

  • Looks at the audience as an active audience. They choose the media they want to watch.
Watch media for 5 different reasons:
  • To be informed and educated. E.g. The News.
  • Entertainment. 
  • Personal Identity.
  • Integration and Social Interaction. 
  • Escapism.

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