Audience Questions Homework

1a. Two theories which are associated with the effects debate are the desensitisation model and the two step model.
1b. The desensitisation model suggests that long term exposure to repeated media messages causes audience to become 'immune' to them. For instance, repeated images of violence - through video games or movies for example Grand Theft Auto or Zodiac - normalise it to the viewer and therefore these people may be more likely to commit a violent act as it is no longer seen as an extraordinary action.
The two step model states that the information given from media texts does not flow straight into the minds of the audience unmeditated but it is instead filtered through opinion leaders who then communicate this information to their less active associates over whom they have influence. The audience then digest this information using the ideas and thoughts expressed via the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a direct process but instead a two step flow.

2. Theories discussing the relationship between the media and audience make assumptions about whether the audience is active or passive.

A theory which assumes the audience is active is treating them as free willed and with high levels of self control. The encoding/decoding model is a theory which treats the audience as active. This theory states that a text is encoded with certain ideologies by the creators and the audience can then decode these ideologies in a multitude of ways, varying on their culture and background.
A theory which assumes the audience is passive treats them as content, submissive and easily influenced. A theory which treats the audience as passive is the hypodermic syringe model. This theory suggests that violent images can influence the behaviour of some viewers as they receive an 'injection' of media stimulus; negative or positive.

3. In my opinion, violence on television being watched by viewers does in no way influence their behaviour to make them violent or aggressive in real life. The theories which support this do not take into account that human beings are individuals with their own moral compass and who are able to decide their own thought processes. Also, these theories do not consider people's mental state when affected by violence on television. For instance, someone who is not emotionally or mentally stable when being witness to certain events on television may find that it affects them however I believe that this theory cannot be generalised on a few isolated, extreme cases and should instead only be acceptable when talking about people who are in a state where they are fully in charge of their own mind and thoughts.

4. Personally, I believe that theories which treat the audience as active are more viable than theories which treat the audience as passive. Mainly, this is down to the fact that I believe we, as a species, are made up of individual people all with unique traits and characteristics. This belief appears to be shared with active audience theories as they acknowledge the fact that people will act however they want and instead try to give the audience something to think about, rather than passive audience theories which believe that the messages given off from their media text will be directly influential to how the audience behaves in their everyday life.

5. A media text that I enjoy is the television show, The Office. By using the uses and gratification model I can say that the show offers me a form of escapism from the everyday life of college and instead throws me into a world where it is easy to become familiar with everyone and their surroundings. I find the show humorous due to the pranks that they pull on each other and the quick, witty humour as it reminds me of my own friend group and the way that we converse with each other. Also, the way the show can turn every day situations into extraordinary, unique moments keeps me hooked as I never know what is going to happen next.

6.
 http://youtu.be/rmSV2l6JFt0

I have chosen this advert as it appears to follow me around YouTube and will load up nigh on every video I watch, whether it be music related or not.

The advert shows a man who informs the audience that he tried to learn guitar but it was just too hard for him to manage, until one day he tried learning with Yousician and since then he has been learning so fast and is a much happier person all round.
A preferred reading of this advert would be audience members who, after viewing it, decide that learning the guitar is for them and are swayed by the advert to try out this new way of doing so. This audience member will also feel that everything the app offers (including mini games and other extras) will be worth their while and will all in all result in a much better learning experience for themselves.
An oppositional reading would be people who view this advert and disagree with its methods of teaching guitar. People may believe that the only way to learn is through having a tutor and by learning over the Internet or through your phone is only a sure fire way of confusing yourself and slowing the entire process down tenfold. These viewers will also have seen what the app can provide and may feel that it is not teaching enough for it to be worthwhile to a beginner or guitar playing enthusiast.