Producers of media texts will encode messages that they want to put across to the audience to influence into a certain decision or belief (The Effects Model). By creating media that will satisfy audiences needs and interests (The Uses and Gratification Theory) however we feel or whatever we need can be given to us through media to make us feel a certain way. How we as an audience interpret it depends on our cultural backgrounds or life experiences (Reception Theory). Some people see media audiences as being easily manipulated masses of people who can be persuaded to buy products through advertising or the fear that the contents of media texts can make their audiences behave in different ways - become more violent for example.
The Effects Model
The Effect Model or the Hypodermic Syringe theory is one of the oldest in the field of mass media, it suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and consistently by 'injecting' them with appropriate messages, this could be thoughts, values or beliefs that are designed to trigger a desired response. The theory implies that the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences, it could influence them and also change people's opinions. It is almost as if there is no escape from the effect of the message in this model, people are seen as passive and end up thinking what they are told because there is no other source of information - the theory can also be seen as a dangerous way of communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message.
Psychologist Albert Bandura carried out and experiment to prove the relationship between media images and behaviour. Children witnessed a young woman beating up a Bobo doll (an inflatable egg-shape balloon creature) by kicking the doll, sitting on it and hitting it with a small hammer. After the children saw the film they had the chance to play with the doll, it was then revealed that the children acted in a similar way when they were left alone with the doll - in others words they imitated the young lady in the film. The children changed their behaviour in response to what they had seen on the TV the conclusion was that violent media content would stimulate violent behaviour.
More recent examples of the Effect Model are especially seen in advertising, such as Red Bull ads. It became about aspirations and associations, Red Bulls adverts showed off people who do stunts and tricks and then simply but their logo onto the equipment in the advert. Therefore Red Bull became associated with the tricks and stunts and they became popular because they associated themselves with these cool people.
A weakness of this theory is that, it refuses to recognize any power of the mass audience to receive and interpret the information encoded by the mass media. It should now be recognized that, the mass audience do have individual cultural backgrounds and are influenced by other environmental factors such as their family, institutions, occupation, etc and all these inform them as to how they understand issues - this links to the reception theory.
Also, in the modern day, with all our technology, the theory is inapplicable. Meaning that, the theory is outdated, because the mass audience now have access to other sources such as the internet, with which they can clarify issues.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
This theory is the idea that media audiences make active use of what the media offer, This approach implied that audience use the media for different raft reasons, each have a set of needs which the media meet in one form or another. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking "what people do with media" rather than "what media does to people" (Elihu Katz, 1959). The audience are imagined to consciously use particular programmes, films or magazines to satisfy there needs and interests - it assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The basic model of the uses and gratification theory has to fulfil one of the following when we choose a form of media whether this be; identity, educate, entertain or social interaction.
During the 1960s the first generation to grow up with television became grown ups, it became apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons. As well as this the uses and gratifications theory can be seen in cases such as personal music selection, We select music not only to fit particular mood but also in attempts to show empowerment or other socially conscience motives.
Over the past ten years the internet has played a large part in the way uses and gratifications theory is perceived. Internet allows us to identify more products and people due to search engines like Google we can search for anything, enable the audience to come closer to their role models, Music has benefited because of websites like Youtube enabling us to watch any music video we choose. Youtube, iTunes, channels on Demand are just a few of the numerous websites that give us an opportunity to be entertained whenever we please. Facebook, Twitter and blogs enable us to socialise while online, Internet enables us to have freedom and escape at a click of a button. Having access to website that can give us happiness and release from daily problems
Many people have criticized this theory as they believe the public has no control over the media and what it produces and the audience just 'make the best' of what is available. Many people also criticize that the theory takes out the possibility that the media can have an unconscious influence over our lives and how we view the world. The idea that we simply use the media to satisfy a given need does not seem to fully recognize the power of the media in today's society.
However this theory may be more relevant in modern society as the internet and satellite TV such as Sky enables us to have much more freedom and control over what we consume in relation to the pre- internet and analogue TV
Reception Theory
Given that the Effects model and the Uses and Gratifications have their problems and limitations a different approach to audiences was developed by the academic Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970s..The Reception Theory presents the argument that a "text" e.g book, movie ot programme can not be interpreted as containing one single meaning - this considered how texts were encoded with meaning by producers and then decoded (understood) by audiences. Reception is different to the previous two theories discussed as these audiences are passive and they just accept meaning from media texts.
The theory suggests that when a produces constructs a text it is encoded with a meaning or message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience. In some instances, audiences will correctly decode the message and meaning and understand what the producer was trying to say but on the other hand some audiences will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message as they will interpret it based on the individual cultural backgrounds and life experiences.
In the 1970's, Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings (or decodings) of the text, these are:
Dominant (Producer) - where the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do so and broadly agrees with it e.g watching a political speech and agreeing.
Negotiated (Encodes) - where the reader broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resits and modifies it in a way reflects their own position, experiences and interests e.g neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested,
Oppositional (Meaning) - where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for ideological, cultural or political reasons e.g total rejection of the political speech and active opposition.
An example of this would be a McDonalds advertisement, A dominant audience would decode the message as the producer wants them to do so and agrees with it all e.g McDonalds looks tasty and I would like to eat there. A negotiated audience would reject, accept, or refine elements of the text in light of the cultural background or life experiences, or there previously held views e.g McDonalds may be tasty and popular but I would prefer something healthier and cheaper, Finally an oppositional audience would reject the message the producer wants to put across because of cultural, political or ideological reasons e.g McDonalds is unhealthy and disgusting and I would not eat there.
Conclusion
In the light of new media, theories such as the Effects Model, Uses and Gratification and also the Reception theory have, like always, a lot of influence among what audiences believe in or not. However now with media becoming broader and constantly more informative, the audience now more than ever are aware of what it happening around us. The Effects Model, which feeds information to us (like a needle), can really persuade an audience, especially in modern day politics. For example UKIP has become a huge discussion amongst not only adults but also younger people too. Recent programmes like 'UKIP, The First 100 Days' broadcasted on BBC Three, targeted towards the younger audience using comedy. What we see is very one minded (what the producer wants us to see), but informs a younger audience and works, as it get the message across and involves younger adults. We know this because we could see through new media such as Twitter, debates erupted over the possibility of UKIP winning elections - most of the posts were negative towards UKIP...clearly the programme had worked in the way it was meant to. Despite this
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