Timed Essay Question 6

 

Evaluate the effectiveness of the following theories in understanding how cultural and historical circumstances can affect audience interpretations of news stories:

Hall’s reception theory

Bandura’s media effects theory

 

In this essay I will evaluate the effectiveness of Banduras media effects theory and Halls Reception theory in understanding how cultural and historical circumstances can affect audience interpretations of news stories.

Banduras Media effects theory originates from the Frankfurt School that theorised in the 1920’s and 30’s that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to benefit corporate capitalism and Governments. The media effects theory, also referred to as the hypodermic syringe theory, states that the messages in media texts, such as news are injected into a passive audience, meaning they just accept the views and opinions given to them. The problem with this theory is that it is too simple, it assumes everybody is the same and we all read these messages the same, the audience is injected and just follow along with what the media has promoted to us.

Gerbner has a theory that works in a similar way but has a little more depth to it than Banduras media effects theory. Gerbner’s cultivation theory states that repeated exposure to a certain view or ideology over a long period of time influences an audience’s perception of reality and that the audience will cultivate those messages as their own. This again suggests that the audience is passive and just accept what is given to them, however there is a flip side to this theory that implies the audience is more active and seeks out texts that reinforce or reaffirm their viewpoint.

This theory is still assuming we are all the same and we are all passive. It implies that the media has power over the audience and can just send out messages that the audience will then follow without question. The problem with these theories is that they forget we all have differing identities. Identity is a complex thing and no two people have the same identity. Our identities are influenced by many things such as, class, gender, age, upbringing, the media we consume, the people we associate with etc. All of these things shape our identities, and no one is the same. As well as this our identities are fluid, they change and evolve over time based on the journey we go through in life and because of these shifts that inform our identities, it isn’t possible for us all to read a text the same way. Gauntlets theory about identity states that whilst everyone is an individual, people tend to exist within larger groups who are similar to them and that the media doesn’t not create identities but just reflects them instead.

This links to Halls reception theory that states audiences will decode a text in one of three ways and how we read a text is based off our age, gender, class and sexuality. Preferred reading is what the producer of the text would want you to think and feel, oppositional reading is where the audience would disagree with what the text is saying, they reject the preferred reading and create their own meaning for the text and negotiated reading is where the audience believes part of the text but disagrees with other parts. Following Halls theory an audience will seek out views and representations that they agree with and avoid those they disagree with. The majority of people who read a newspaper will have a preferred reading of that text as you simply wouldn’t buy a newspaper that doesn’t reflect your views. We interpret news stories and media texts based off our identities so a message may not be read or interpreted how the producer intended as we are all different.

In conclusion, Banduras media effects theory is not very effective at understanding how cultural and historical circumstances can affect audiences’ interpretations of news stories as it proposes that as an audience, we are passive, and all our identities are the same.