Active and Passive Audiences.

1.a. The Hypodemic Syringe model and The Cultivation model are two theories which are associated with the effects debate.

b. The Hypodemic Syringe model is a short term effect theory. It is the theory that violent images in media texts could influence the behaviour of some people exposed to them. According to this             theory, the audience receive and 'injection' of a media text. This could be negative in cases such         as a violent murder however it could also be positive in cases such as a heroic act. The                       Cultivation Model is concerned with long term effects of particular ideological representations           in the beliefs and values that we hold. The media doesn't tell us tell us what to think,but what to         think about and how to think about it. It can reinforce already held ideas and outlooks on life. For       example the way in which the ideal women has been portrayed in the media. The ideal woman is       essentially quite unnatural and this has sometimes led young girls to believe that they should               look like supermodels.

2. An active audience is one that believes that we cannot be manipulated by advertising and           propaganda and that we, as an audience, make our own decisions. It suggests that we do not allow the media to control us and that we decide our own actions. An active audience is one that believes we choose the affect that the media has on us. One example of this is the Uses and Gratifications model which is a theory that suggests audiences make active use of the media on offer to fulfill their needs, For example, on of the uses is escapism and entertainment which is when the audience escape from everyday pleasures and use the media as a form of entertainment. This means that the audience is choosing what affect the media has on them, in this case the affect is to entertain them.

A passive audience believes that the media has a direct affect on us. It suggests that the audience cannot control the affect that the media has on them therefore meaning that the media can direct our opinions and actions. One example of this is the hypodemic syringe model. This suggests that the audience receive an 'injection' of a media text and can persuade their decisions. For example, this model believes that if someone sees a violent murder in the media, it can influence them to become more violent and act in the same way. The medias affect on us can be positive or negative.

3. I do not think that violence shown on television will affect the audience and persuade them to act the same. Personally, I think that a persons decision to act in a violent manner is purely their own and that the media can not influence them either way. Despite this, I do think that sometimes television gives violent people ideas however I think that is only the case if the person already has violent tendencies. In my opinion, violence in television does not have a direct affect on the audiences actions. Also, if violence shown on television did that that much of an affect, violence rates would be much higher as it is seen so much.

4. I think that active audiences are more accepted than passive audiences as people like to feel like individuals and active audiences beliefs allow them to remain feeling like that. Passive audiences thinks of the audience as a mass rather than individuals. Most people feel like they are able to control their actions and that the media doesn't affect them in the way that passive audiences suggest the media to. Also, if the media affected us in the way that the passive audience suggests, I think that the rate of violence would be immensely higher due to the amount of violent video games and movies and other media texts there is on offer,

5. One media text that I enjoy is 'Pretty Little Liars' which I watch on Netflix. I think that this show, for me, would fall into the Escapism and Entertainment section of the Uses and Gratifications model. This is because I watch the show to take my mind of of my own problems and focus on the problems of the characters. As the show is an ongoing mystery, I can watch it weekly to find out what is going on with the characters. The show draws me in and takes my mind of every day life for 40 minutes a week. I watch it because I enjoy it and it is really entertaining for me.

6.a. This advert is for Adidas and it is showing people one of the many shoes they make. At the bottom of the advert is the Adidas logo and some writing that says 'stand out in a crowd.' The preferred reading of this advert would be to recognize the well-known brand and to see one of the shoes that they make. The use of the imperative 'stand out in a crowd' is telling the reader that they can stand out and be the best. It is also telling the reader that their brand is a very popular brand and that they should buy these show if they want to stand out.

b. The oppositional reading of this advert would be that it shows ideologies that appearance is important. It shows this with the imperative at the bottom of the advert. It is also telling people that they need these shoes to stand out and that standing out and being the center of attention is important.  Another thing is that the shoe shown is a mans shoe which makes the advert quite biased as, although women can wear this shoe if they want, the company is primarily advertising their brand to males.