Unit 6 Task 3a audience theory
The Hypodermic Needle Model
Internet definition- The hypodermic needle model (also known as the
hypodermic-syringe model, transmission-belt model, or magic bullet theory) is a
model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly
received and wholly accepted by the receiver.
My definition- The hypodermic needle model in my opinion is when mass media
feeds the general public an idea, which they then accept as factual and do not
question it.
I don’t think that the hypodermic needle has much relevance today because it is
very concrete. For example the theory suggests that everyone as a consumer
believes everything they’re fed from the media Industry, in the modern day
however that is far from the case. With the rise of social media platforms like
Twitter and Facebook people are beginning to broaden their opinions from what
they have been fed from the media for so many years. For example when a story
is leaked about a celebrity in the British press people may look to places like
twitter for further details that maybe are not aloud to be published by the
tabloids and what the person finds may make them alter their view compared to
when they had just read a news article on it.
However in the 1940’s and 1950’s the media was considered to play a huge part
in people’s perceptions of events or stories, thus the hypodermic needle came
into full effect. The idea of a ‘hypodermic needle’ stems from the fact that the
media were almost injecting their views and stories directly into the public’s
brain leaving them with very little varied opinion and instead a mass view and
understanding. A good example of this is Orson Welles- War of the World’s radio
broadcast 1938. The broadcast was aired 30th October 1938 as a Halloween
episode of the series and was aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System. An
adaption of H.G Well’s novel The War of the Worlds the broadcast is a prime
example of why the hypodermic needle was so poignant before things like the
Internet were created. The first two thirds of the radio broadcast were presented
as a news bulletin, this made many listeners think that there was an alien
invasion happening and spread mass panic across the country. In the days after
the broadcast there was wide spread outrage across the country with people
calling it ‘cruelly deceptive’ people felt like they had been taken advantage of and
made to believe such a ‘realistic’ broadcast. People find the show so believable
because there was no adverts between the ‘bulletins’ making it seem more
realistic.
This is a prime example of the hypodermic needle affecting people and the way
they think. Just because the radio was reporting it people blindly believed it and
at no moment questioned that it may be fake or fictional. However now I think
people would be more inclined to question it if something like that came on the
radio. They would most likely turn on their television or look on the Internet for
evidence; this is why the hypodermic needle doesn’t really exist anymore
because the Internet is such a powerful tool.
Uses and gratifications
Internet definition- A popular approach to understanding mass
communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience,
instead of the actual message itself by asking ‘what people do with media’ rather
than ‘what media does to people’ (Katz 1959).
My definition- The idea that people choose the media they consume and will
then decide how to interpret it.
It is suggested that the uses and gratifications theory has to fulfil one of the
following four points when a consumer chooses a form of media. The consumer
had to be able to identify with what they’re watching or the person presenting
the information, people want to watch something where the show or person has
similar views or values to them. For example the reason the show ‘Outnumbered’
was so successful was because people could relate to the hectic family life that
the Brockmans had, the relatable story lines helped to make the show an easy
watch for many families in the Uk. To be educated is also one of the things that
consumers look for in a programme. I enjoy watching documentaries as they give
me a factual insight into some people’s lives, I once watched a documentary
about North Korea on the BBC and it really educated me about what is going on
in that part of the world. Viewers like programmes that give them an insight into
places or events they wouldn’t otherwise see and enjoy being educated whilst
watching a programme. The Internet has also developed people’s levels of
education over the past 10 years; things like Google search engine have meant
that people can find out whatever they need to almost instantly.
Entertainment is what almost every programme or form of media aims to
provide to the audience. A viewer will choose a TV show for example to be
entertained for an hour or however long it is, many people like an easy watch so
they can just escape the real world for a while and forget all their everyday life
problems. This is why many people will choose to watch something like Xfactor
or Strictly Come Dancing because it is different from everyday life and again
gives them ‘escapism’ from average boring days and shows the glamour of the
showbiz world. Social interaction also plays a big part in what people choose to
watch, they want to be able to talk to their friends about what they’ve watched
and generally have a chat and get their views across. Shows like Xfactor are so
popular partially down to the fact that it sparks debate and gives people
something to talk about and have an interest in.
I think that the Uses and Gratifications theory is relevant today to an extent
because it suggests that consumers need a range of things in a programme to
keep them interested. It also suggests that consumers massively will make up
their own mind up about what the media produce. However the uses and
gratifications theory also isn’t relevant today, as it doesn’t take into account the
media can have an unconscious influence over our lives and how we perceive the
world. The theory doesn’t recognise the extent of the power the media has in
today’s modern world.
Passive and Active consumption
Internet definition- Academic theories of audience can be split between
models, which see the audience as passive, and those, which see it as active.
An active consumption is when the audience will engage and discuss media
messages that come across to them and sometimes question the media messages
through life experiences.
A passive consumption is when the audience does not engage or question the
media message but just accepts it.
My definition- The contrast between an audience the divide of what kind of
consumer they are.
The passive audience reflects the Hypodermic Needle theory, which was
developed in the 1930’s and suggests that all audience members react in the
same way. Passive audiences tend to be easily manipulated into believing what
the media tells them to believe. The passive audience theory works around the
idea of being a ‘copycat’ this means that the audience will copy and believe
whatever they seen or screen or hear on the radio. A passive audience member
would not question what is being portrayed to them by the media and is inclined
to believe everything that they’re told, again refer back to my earlier post under
the Hypodermic Needle Theory about Orson Welles ‘War of the Worlds’.
I find the passive audience theory very out dated and not very relevant today
because it ignores the fact that people have a lot more free will and are educated
on different matters more today. It also does not consider that an individual may
have morals and not be able morally to agree or disagree with something.
The active audience reflects the two-step flow Katz & Lazarsfeld (1940’s) who
concluded that it wasn’t just the media who influenced consumer’s views on
things but also a larger system of ‘situated culture’. The audience sometimes
receive a message the media want to portray through someone called an ‘opinion
leader’. For example when Harry Styles from One Direction voiced his opinions
on Sea World and the documentary ‘Black Fish’, millions of teenage girls
followed his opinion without watching the documentary for themselves and
gaging their own opinion. This shows the power some big name stars have.
Whilst the theory suggests that people do need some guidance understanding
particular messages they still will then gage their own opinions. For example
after Harry highlighted what was going on at Sea World I went and did my own
research and formed my own opinions making me an active audience member.
Sometimes ‘opinion leaders’ are simply bringing stories to our attention and
then allow active consumers to form their own conclusions.
I think this theory is more relevant today because it reflects that although the
media influences what stories come to our attention the mass public decide their
views on it. E.g when you decide to watch a programme that then becomes
popular the media may have advertised it but you as the active consumer
decided to watch it and a mass audience made it popular by viewing it.
Bibliography
Hypodermic Needle definition
(https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chromeinstant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8#q=the%20hypodermic%20needle%20theory%20definition 16/09/15
Author: Google)
Orson Welles- War of the world’s radio broadcast 1938
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g 18/09/15 Author: David
Webb (Youtube)
Hypodermic needle theory
http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20Clusters/Mass%20
Media/Hypodermic_Needle_Theory/ 23/09/15 Author: utwente
Uses and Gratifications theory
http://www.slideshare.net/zlorhenley/uses-and-gratifications-theory-6933502
23/09/15 Author: Jordan Cruickshank
Outnumbered
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fq31t 23/09/15 Author: BBC
Passive or Active consumption definition
https://mediafort.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/passive-or-activeconsumption/comment-page-1/ 23/09/15 Author: alexbentley17
Passive and Active consumption
http://www.slideshare.net/aarchersimmons/passive-and-active-audiencetheories-2014 23/09/15 Author: Amanda Simmons