Passive and Active audiences 

Two theories which relate to the effects debate are The Hypodermic Syringe Model which is a short term effect theory, and The Inoculation Model, also knows as The Desensitisation Model which is a long term effect theory. According to The Hypodermic Syringe Model the audience receive an 'injection' of a media text, being either negative or positive. This injection apparently stimulates a response from the audience, so for example if the media text an audience member consumed was negative like a horror movie, the audience member would then act upon this and commit a heinous crime. So if the audience member consumed a positive media text, for example something heroic, they'd go out and replicate this. An example of this is the Columbine High School massacre, which supposedly the film 'The Matrix' inspired Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to murder 13 people, including themselves. The Inoculation Model or Desensitisation Model suggests that long term exposure to repeated media texts makes audience members 'immune' to them. So for example constant exposure to violent media texts will eventually desensitise you therefor the audience member will no longer be shocked by the specific media texts.

An active audience reception suggests members of the audience are free to make their own choices to how they're affected to the many different media texts, it also suggests they affect the media as without an audience the media wouldn't be able to get reactions and the criticism they need to target the different audience groups, and also because the media would be pointless without an audience. A theory which backs up active audiences is  Uses and Gratifications  created by Blumer and Katz. The theory that looks away from what the media does to the audience, but what the audience does for the media, for example some audience groups will purposely pick a specific media text to consume to escape the troubles of their stressful like, this is known as escapism. Social interaction is another factor of Uses and Gratifications which allows audience members to socialise with other audience members about their chosen media text. Another factor within Uses and Gratifications is personal identity which suggests that an audience member may consume their chosen media text because they can relate to characters or individual media texts within that media text, for example they may be going through the same situation a character is going through in their favourite soap opera. Uses and Gratifications clearly backs up active audiences as free, opinionated, self minded people with there own choice.

A passive audience reception suggests members of the audience have no freedom to make their own choices, but that they're all brain washed zombies controlled by the media, forced to believe whatever the media tells them. It also suggests that the audience have no say in what the encoders encode into the media. A theory that backs up this ideology  is The Hypodermic Syringe Model as it suggests after the audience member receives an 'injection' of a media text, they will go out and replicate what they have consumed, like committing a crime for example, or saving an elderly woman from a burning building. The reason this theory is passive is because it suggests the audience member has no option of whether to receive the 'injection' or not, and that all audience members of the audience will copy what they consume in the media which connotes they are brain washed. The Hypodermic Syringe Model is quite a dated theory with untrue aspects, as it is only the minority of people who would actually go out and replicate what they consume in the media, having stated this, it is still undeniably true that some people actually will, which is why there are warnings at the beginning of the television programme 'Jackass'.

I believe that if you were to consume constant violence within the media you would not go out and inflict violence on others, as I believe non of us are passive audience members to a certain extent, as some things we do will be passive without us even realising, like being persuaded into buying certain products because of the messages encoded in the advert. But I certainly do not believe we're passive enough to go out and inflict violence on others without our own consent, I believe the rare cases we consume in the news about massacres inspired by media texts are coincidences, as they minority of people who would do this probably have serious mental health issues.

I believe active audience theories are more acceptable than passive audience theories as there are not enough cases to prove that we as an audience are passive, as we all have our own styles, tastes and different likings and understandings to different media texts. If we were all to be a passive audience we would be exactly the same as each other, even though we can be quite similar in some ways for example falling under the same 4C's category, we still have different reasons and aspirations which is why the passive audience theories like The Hypodermic Syringe Model are not specific enough, and are too problematic.

A media text I enjoy is the television programme 'The Walking Dead'. Using the Uses and Gratifications model I am able to show why I enjoy this programme, so I will now explain using this model. The main reason I enjoy 'The Walking Dead' is because it is a way of escaping my average boring life, as I am able to watch people get eaten alive by zombies which is a form of entertainment to me, as I quite like horror when it is applied correctly. I can also apply personal identity as a reason for me liking 'The Walking Dead' as it makes me think what'd be like to live in an apocalyptic world, were the dead eat you. I can even apply social interaction as a reason I enjoy this programme, as quite a lot my friends watch it, I am able to socially interact to them about the show.

Audience members might take a preferred reading to this as it is suitable for a children, and because of it being a colourful cartoon, they will understand that children will take this into consideration and remember the advert. Also because of the song that is played throughout the advert this will further allow children to remember the advert, and maybe the ideologies the song is trying to tell will sink into children's minds.

Audience members might take an oppositional reading to this as it doesn't send the message of how dangerous the roads actually are, is it needs more of a shock tactic to make children fear roads so they know the dangers that lurk on the roads like all the other think advertisements.