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 believe that the media has a small impact on peoples behaviours and the violence we see in society however I don't think the media should take the full blame as I believe people are already naturally violent and the media doesn't amplify this as much as we think because violence can be found in many other places which makes it unfair to put the entire blame on media.
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.
I believe it's highly relevant and possibly even more relevant now than ever as people have easier access to social media all over the world. I also believe that young people are now learning a lot o their behaviour from social media as they spend more time than ever looking at videos on Instagram/TikTok where they see how famous people act and they want to recreate this in hopes that it will make them more popular. One example of this is the popular streamer 'Speed' who's known for having strange outbursts and behaving antisocially in public which has lead to a large amount of young people trying to replicate this by following his behaviour and acting like him in public.
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.In 1983, Neil Postman wrote a book titled The Disappearance of Childhood (Postman, 1983). In this book, Postman argued that children are becoming adults too fast. Primarily, he put blame on visual media such as television which give children access to adult knowledge before they could even read.
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society?
5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
I don't believe the government should be able to control everything we see online however I do believe there need to be more rules put in place about what can be posted online and these rules should be enforced more and taken more seriously as people on the internet believe that they have the power to stay anonymous and say what ever they want without consequence so they say/upload misinformation or hateful things which ruin other peoples experiences using the internet.
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.
I believe Gerbner's cultivation theory can be applied to modern technology and it could even be more impactful than television. I believe we see so much violence online and social media/the news focus so much on the negative things which makes people think that the world is so much worse than it actually is. In London, people spend all day looking at all the news about knife crime and robberies which makes them so afraid that they don't want to go out and tourists are deterred due to the fear of being a victim of said crime. However, London isn't actually as bad as the media makes it seem to be, if you go out you'll see that the crime isn't as frequent and major as they make it out to be.
I also believe that heavy media usage is definitely something to worry about as people see so much negativity online that it ruins their outlook on life and makes them think that life is a terrible thing as they see all these terrifying and depressing things online. At the same time they might start to think that the people they meet online is the same way people act out in the real world and as there's so much bullying online this makes people afraid of human interaction in fear of being met with the same people they see online who are extremely rude and say terrible things.
The effects debate: Media Factsheet
1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')
A. Do you play violent video games and/or watch violent films? Are you violent in ‘real life’?
I've played and watched "Violent video games and films" however I don't believe they've made me violent in my own life.
B. Do you ever see a product advertised on TV or on the internet and decide you want to buy it?
I usually see things I want to buy on social media rather than TV.
C. Have you ever seen a documentary which has drawn your attention to an issue which you now feel strongly about?
I don't believe any documentary I've watched has lead to a long term change in feeling but in the moment when I'm watching them I do think they have an impact on my thoughts/feelings
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.
4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.
The Columbine Massacre occurred on April 20th 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out an attack on their school. Armed with firearms and explosives, they killed 12 students and one teacher, wounding over 20 others before taking their own lives. The attack sparked widespread debates about gun control and the influence of violent media.
5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?
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?
It says that Gerbner believes media has an effect on attitudes rather than ideas by teaching people how to behave through media. Media tells people what societal norms are and how they should behave.
7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?
It suggests that action movies promote the idea of violence being okay if it’s for a good reason but if it’s for a “bad reason” it should be punished.
8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?
It criticises that the idea of direct effects theories suggest that audience are easily misled and aren’t able to think for themselves therefore just take in everything they see in the media. It also criticises how high art isn’t blamed for people’s actions whereas modern media is even though many of Shakespeare's plays contains heavy violence.
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?
10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?
No comments:
Post a Comment