Over the course of the past century or so, media analysts have came up with several effects models, or in other words, theoretical explanations of how humans ingest the information transmitted by media texts and how this might influence (or not) their behaviour. The effects theory remains to be a very controversial area of Media and Psychology research, as no one is able to come up with any indisputable evidence that audiences will always react to media texts one way or another. The following theories attempt to explain how an audience receives, reads and responds to any media text:
1. The Hypodermic 'Syringe' Model:
Dating from back in the 1920's, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media. The model suggests that audiences receive the information transmitted via a media text, without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data. Don't forget, however, that this theory was developed in an early age when the mass media was still fairly new - radio and cinema were less than 20 years old.
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manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking can be easily changed by makers of the media.
2. Culmination Theory
The Culmination Theory suggests that while one media text does not have too much effect on the viewer, years and years of watching certain media products will make you less sensitive to that specific issue. For example, years and years of watching violent television programmes and/or films may make you less sensitive to violence in reality. Or, if you are female, years of watching women being mistreated in television soap operas may make you less sensitive to the idea in reality. However, the problem with this theory is that it is very difficult to prove, even though most people would agree that it is more credible than the Hypodermic Model theory. Many people have tried to prove either theory in the past with no real success.
Many of us have a general sense that the media does, in some way, effect our behavior, but it is very difficult to determine to what extent it is effecting people.
3. Two-Step Flow
In the 1940's, Lazarsfeld and Katz came up with a theory that could more precisely explain the relationship between audience and text. Their theory suggested that the information given through media texts isn't transferred directly into our minds, but it is filtered through use of ''opinion leaders''.
The theory suggests that certain people can have a large influence on how people gain opinions about specific media texts, for example a product being advertised on TV, like Gillette Razors. If an employee from the Gillette company advertised the razors on television, the audience may not take too much notice and perhaps take the view that the advertisement in bias,. However, if for instance David Beckham advertised Gillette razors, the audience will probably share the same opinion as him and be persuaded to go and purchase the product. This is because David Beckham could be seen as an ''opinion leader'', which is a figure that people look up to and respect/admire, and will therefore take notice as to what he says/promotes; this is the idea of how Two-Step flow affects us.
4. Reception Theory
In the 1980's and 1990's, a lot of work was done on the way individuals received and interpreted a text, and how their individual circumstances (gender, class, age, ethnicity) affected their reading.
3. Two-Step Flow
In the 1940's, Lazarsfeld and Katz came up with a theory that could more precisely explain the relationship between audience and text. Their theory suggested that the information given through media texts isn't transferred directly into our minds, but it is filtered through use of ''opinion leaders''.
The theory suggests that certain people can have a large influence on how people gain opinions about specific media texts, for example a product being advertised on TV, like Gillette Razors. If an employee from the Gillette company advertised the razors on television, the audience may not take too much notice and perhaps take the view that the advertisement in bias,. However, if for instance David Beckham advertised Gillette razors, the audience will probably share the same opinion as him and be persuaded to go and purchase the product. This is because David Beckham could be seen as an ''opinion leader'', which is a figure that people look up to and respect/admire, and will therefore take notice as to what he says/promotes; this is the idea of how Two-Step flow affects us.
3.Uses and Gratification
In the 1960's, media theorists discovered that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming media texts. Audiences were made up of individuals who frequently consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways.
In 1974, Blumler and Katz developed a theory which stated that individuals might use a text for the following purposes (i.e. uses and gratifications):
- Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
- Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional reasons and other interaction, e.g. swapping soap operas for family life
- Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts
- Surveillance - Information/knowledge which could be useful for everyday life e.g.weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains
4. Reception Theory
In the 1980's and 1990's, a lot of work was done on the way individuals received and interpreted a text, and how their individual circumstances (gender, class, age, ethnicity) affected their reading.
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