2. Hypodermic Needle Theory
The theory was developed in the 1920’s and 20’s, the theory is focused on how the media affects a mass audience this theory
came about due to how propaganda affected people in the first world war. The theory states that a powerful flow of
information is sent directly from a sender(Media) to a receiver(Audience). This suggests that the receiver is passive and the
sender is powerful enough to instantly affect an audience in they way the sender intended.
A example of this theory working is war of the worlds, they broadcasted the story on the radio in the format of a newscast, a
selected few who tuned into the radio actually believed that the world was being attacked by out of world creatures from
Mars. This is an example of how an audience can be injected with information and believe it instantly due to the source of the
information. However not everyone believed this but a select amount did.
The theory is widely considered irrelevant in today's world due to its outdated origin the theory has the following flaws:
● Many sources of media are available and can be easily accessed by the audience meaning people will not just believe
one news outlet.
● It assumes the receiver will always read the dominate intended meaning of the message, however this is not true as
explained by Stuart Hall.
● The theory does not compensate for a middle man, the middle man affects the way the receiver interprets the
information sent.
● Audiences are not passive as the theory states different social groups view media in different ways based on their
ideologies and because of different sources as show by Hall’s Reception theory and Bulmer and Katz Uses and
Gratification Theory.
3. Stuart Hall - Reception Theory
Hall’s Reception theory states that media texts are encoded by the the producer meaning that whoever produces the text fills the text with messages and values. The text is
then decoded by the audience in different ways, different types of spectators will decode the text in different ways, not always as the producer intended.
A spector can have one of three readings, these are:
● Dominant or preferred
● Negotiated or Understanded
● Oppositional
Dominant
The audience agrees with the ideology and messages behind the text, just in the way the producer intended. For example the reader buys the product advertised.
An audience may have a dominant reading because:
-Clear message
-Similar age group
-Same Culture
-Relevant to society and current time
-Choosing to consume the product
Negotiated
They do not agree or disagree, they accept the meaning however they have their own input and understanding in relation to the text. For example they see a product and like
it however they do not buy it because they cannot justify spending money on it.
Audiences may have a negotiated reading because:
-Haven't had the same life experiences
-May not follow or understand
-Age
-Unclear message
Oppositional
They fully reject the message, and create their own meaning towards it that disagrees with the ideology and values set by the producer. For example they see a product that
uses a stereotype or portrays someone in a way that the reader fully disagrees with completely stopping them from liking the product.
Audiences may have an oppositional reading because :
-Controversial theme
-Disagree with the message
-No relation to the narrative
-Does not reflect society
4. Bulmer and Katz - Uses and Gratifications
Theory
The uses and gratifications theory represented a change in thinking, as researchers began to describe the effects of the media from the point of view of an audience, It looks
at the motives of the people who use the media, we are an active audience as we choose what we want to watch and consume, an audience is not forced into consumption (
Example: we watch the films we want and dont watch others due to our ideologies). The media creates content that the audience choose to consume therefore the audience
control the media. As an audience we have different wants, needs and experiences which means when you watch a video you consume it differently to another person. These
want and experiences fuel our consumption of all media.
The theory can be split into four sections:
● Surveillance
● Personal Identity
● Personal Relationships
● Diversion
Surveillance
-People need to feel secure, so they need to know what is happening around us. We use this to be more aware of the world and our position in it.
Personal Identity
-Being a subject if the media allows us to confirm the identity and our position in society.
-Pop stars can often become huge role models and shape peoples identity, so when they rebel they will be huge media outcry when it happens, this is because many people
follow and idolise them.
-Music videos allow people to connect with certain identities and help people ‘fit’ into society.
Personal Relationships
-TV can become a companion to many people, and can have a personal connection with characters
-Media becomes a way to form real life relationships due to media being a talking point in society
Diversion
-You can escape with media and forget about real world problems
-You can relate to TV and FIlm experiences because of this you can share and connect with the TV/FIlm and others over them.
