Audience Research Areas

The media effects debate (hegemony vs. pluralism), The hypodermic syringe theory and passive audience

theory, and Active audience theory and postmodernism/plurism

The media effects debate (hegemony vs. pluralism)

The classification and regulation of video games, television and films are notable examples that are all to do with the need for the authorities to ‘protect’ people from material which might cause social harm of one

kind or another. This will be achieved either through classification or through censorship.

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At the other end of the regulatory spectrum, we find forms of regulation that at first glance appear to be unrelated to this ‘protective obligation. So while we are thinking about media effects constantly In one way or another, it is useful to distinguish between three kinds of media regulation:

Regulation of media content

Regulation of media access and distribution

Regulation of media ownership and commercial practices.

Hegemony vs. Pluralism

Passive’ audience/hypodermic theory are sometimes referred to overall as ‘Media Effects Theory’, i.e. the media has a direct and powerful effect on its audience.

(OCR Media Studies for A2, Third edition, Julian McDougnall, Page 114)

The hypodermic needle theoryDating from the 1920s, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media. It is a crude model and suggests that audiences passively receive the information transmitted via a

media text, without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data. Governments had just discovered the power of advertising to communicate a message, and produced

propaganda to try and sway populaces to their way of thinking. Basically, the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated, i.e.

the experience, intelligence and opinion of an individual are not relevant to the reaction of the text. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behavior and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive

and all different.

This theory is still quoted during moral panics by parents, politician and pressure groups, and is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts(comics in the 1950’s and rap

music in the 2000’s), for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behavior and will then act them out themselves.

(http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience)

Passive Audience Theory

The Passive audience Theory is connected to the Hypodermic syringe theory in that they

believe the audience is ‘passive’ recipient of media output.

Passive theories tend to see the audience behavior as directly affected by media content and

theorists are connected to measure these effects, particularly with regard to the effects of media

portrayals of sex and violence.

 (Source: AS/A2 Media Studies, David Probert, Page 110)

Active audience theory and

Postmodernism/pluralism

Any of various theories of audience that see the audience as active participants in the process of decoding and making sense

of media texts.

In active theories, the beliefs, values, social and educational background and life

experience audience bring to a text are seen as influencing the way they accept,

negotiate, or challenge the preferred reading. Basically, they audience are free

to develop their own interpretation.

 (Source: AS/A2 Media Studies, David Probert, Page 2)

Links to Pluralism: This theory links to pluralism as they also believe the audience are free to have their own views and that the media do not affect their opinion.

Links to Postmodernism: Active audience theory links to Post modern texts as they tend not to have embedded ideology therefor are not patronising to an audience and allow them to develop their own interpretations.