Audience Theories- Institution

The consumption of media texts has a consequence.
The hypodermic model
Here, the messages in media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful, syringe - like media
The audience is powerless to resist.


Key evidence for the effects model.
1. The Frankfurt school theorised in the 1920's and 30's that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments. 
2. The Bob doll experiment.
-This is a very controversial piece of research that apparently proved  that children copied adult behaviour. 
-This was conducted in 1961 by Albert Bandera.
-In the experiment children watched a video where an adult violently attacked a clown toy called a Bobo doll.
-The children were then taken to a room with attractive toys that they were not permitted to touch.
-The children were then led to another room with Bobo dolls.
-88% of the children then  imitated the violent behaviour that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later ----40% of the children still imitated the violent media content.
-The conclusion reached that children will imitate the violent media content.
-The film 'Child's Play' in the murder of James Bulger in 1993.
-The game Manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc.
-The film A clockwork orange (1971) in a number of rapes and violent attacks.
-The film Severance (2006) in the murder of Simon Everitt.
-In each case there was a media and political outery for the tasks to be banned.
-In some cases laws were changed , films banned, and newspapers demanded the burning of films.
-Subsequently, in each case it was that no case could be proven that the media caused any crime.
-The effects model contribute to moral panics whereby the media produce inactivity, which either makes us students which want to pass their exams or couch potatoes who make no effort to get a job.
-The media produces violent copycat behaviour or mindless shopping in response to advertisements.