Audience theory (Hyperdermic needle, Denis Mcquail, Reception theory)

the effects model

Gratification Model

Reception theory

THE EFFECTS MODEL

This is the model where the consumption of media has an effect or influence on the audience directly. Throughout this model the audience will be passive, meaning they cannot prevent the influence from the media text they are consuming. The power of this comes from what the media is showing, what they are consuming, the influence that comes from it. The audience will be influenced, it will have an effect, therefore called the "effects" model

We can see the effects model in action, within the BoBo doll experiment, where 88% of children imitated the violent behaviour, with 40% imitating the same violent behaviour 8 months later. However, many people criticize this experiment, as the children could have seen the video of a person hitting the doll as instructions, or that the bobo doll is meant to be hit, as it is designed to be hit.

If we were analysing a music video, for instance The Fray's How to save a life, Then by looking for this model we can see the message is to let go of the past and move on from the deceased, and since the audience will be passive while viewing this it would be an example of the effects model

Gratification model- Denis mcquail, Blumler and Katz

This model is opposite to the effects model, where the audience is very much active in the consumption of this media text. This means they can accept, use or flat out reject the media at hand. However, if they do use the media text, they need to satisfy their needs for:

• Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one’s own

• Diversion

• Escapism

• Information

• Pleasure

The theory also states that people take out their violent impulses by consuming violent media text. Therefore by watching violent media, they are less likely to commit violent acts.

Reception theory

How media texts are encoded by the director or producer, and then decoded by the consumer. This could be taken in a few ways, one being they accept the message coming across, one being they reject the message coming across, or one where they refine the message

The types of decoding are:

Dominant: Where the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do and agrees with it.

Negotiated: Where the audience or refines elements of the text in due to their views.

Oppositional: Where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected.

We can see the use of reception theory if we analyse Bastille's Pompeii

There are so many subliminal meanings in this music video, some people could say it was about a disease from pompeii, hence the name. Some people would say its about the desire to be different. Or even people not wanting to change