Unit 6 Task 3 Critical Approaches Ben Taylor

Task 3; learning outcome 3; criteria 3 understand how media audiences respond to media products

 

In media, audiences respond to media products with particular theories and debates. They use different theories one of which is the theory ‘audience theories’ associated to the hypodermic needle theory and Uses and gratifications as another one. The other theory is the ‘response theory’ associated with negotiated, preferred and oppositional responses from media audiences to media products. The other part which explains audiences responses for media products  is ‘debates’ it is the ‘effects debates’ which contains exposure to explicit content and the censorship debate all these three parts demonstrate illustrative examples of media through audience responses to media products through television programmes and films.

Audience theories-

In television programmes and films, media producers through  media products use ‘The hypodermic needle theory ‘it is an injection given from authorities and the media figures where media audiences accept what is shown on the screen expecting  the message in media as the truth. An example of this is where foreign news channel runs an unbiased documentary on the leadership of a country. What happens is the governing body of your country cannot do much about that the person or channel is saying. Therefore through audience theories by the hypodermic needle it shows how media audiences respond to media products an example shown by foreign news channel running unbiased information on other countries which is displayed by the media others agree with it but in another country they say different due to this it can cause wars.

Uses and gratification is another theory media audiences have it is the pleasure and enjoyment audiences get when watching things on television or films. Audience get enjoyment from products by making decisions on the product by this they make the judgment if they are interested in it or not this creates uses and gratification. Films and television programmes do this by different reasons as said in other tasks for instance media products are made for audience to encode and enjoy to create a target audience for the product.  Every film and television programme appeals to a specific audience because of what it contains because audiences get gratifications from it.

An example is Match of the Day audience like watching it because of the enjoyment of liking football. Because the audience like football and like to see their team play or teams in the league play they like to see the highlights of the games/ the managers and players thoughts of the game and the analysis of the games.

 Another example of media audiences enjoyment from uses and gratification of a television programme is I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ audiences enjoy it because it has a range of celebrities in a jungle doing trials with creatures involved it appeals to the audience and they have made the judgment to engage.

Another example is the Inbetweeners USA made because of the Inbetweeners UK success only aired for a few episodes then cancelled because media audiences didn’t like it and made that decision not to watch it. With uses and gratification instead of the hydrometric needle injecting audiences on theories audience accept it but with uses and gratification audience are active in dealing with what their consuming.

Uses and gratifications- different factors make media audiences watch a television show or film because of the enjoyment of uses and gratification for instance escapism.

Escapism- People watch media products because what there watching is a dream escapism to something of a fantasy  something they would want to happen to them in their dreams for instance to be a superhero with special powers media audiences can relate to this in media products such as like marvels agents of shield the television programme on channel 4.

 Immersion is another factor for uses and gratification of media products for instance audiences watch media products because their integrated on what there watching and can’t take their eyes off this could be the television show like 24 media audiences keep their eyes peeled at all times because if they look away or get distracted for a few minutes their miss something in the story important because it is action packed.

Comparison- audience’s look at media products in different ways to the living of society and way they live. For instance people watch ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ because it’s reality of a different life to the person watching it and interests the user on a completely different life they don’t live.

 Diversion is another factor why people watch media products, media audiences watch media products during different times of the day because most people if not everyone is busy at some stage due to commitments for instance hobbies, social life and work so a lot of people watch media products such as the television when they are free to do so by this they watch what is on if there is anything they are interested in. In my experience I have this occurrence for instance during the day when I’m not busy there isn’t much on I like so I stick something on the television I have to use the time I have for instance I watch sky sports news it’s on throughout the day on sky television which I have and watch it because it shows the news of all sports which are enjoy for that time. The advantage of having sky though is you can record things you like and wait to watch it when not busy. In the olden days your programme was on once at the time set and if you missed it by a minute you missed it by a minute.

 

Other than the factors of uses and gratification audiences have phenomenology of perception this is where audiences in media have different views on what they see. We all see the same thing on the screen for example the film the expendables but as media audience we have different experience from it and views for some media audiences enjoyed the action from it and thought there was loads of action. But to someone else they felt that there was little action this is all because of their perception of media products.

With both theories as highlighted above both have strengths and weaknesses with the hypodermic needle the strength from it is that media products can get media audiences to agree with what is seen and not argue with it. The weakness in the hypodermic needle is that audiences are not all passive on the off switch.

The strength of uses and gratification is that it describes how most media audiences consume media products  in the mind of what decisions they  make being active and making their judgment not just agreeing with what is seen on screen like the hypodermic needle.  The weakness of the uses and gratification is that audiences can be passive and take it as the truth on the media products they watch.

Response theory-

In media, products are encoded by the director by meaning on what they want audiences to get from it by this the audience decode the message in response but by three different categories of response  negotiated, oppositional and preferred response.

 Negotiated response-

Negotiated response is the response from an audiences where their open to discussions on both sides of what they feel and the director is doing by this it makes the audience make their choice and approach on the product.

For instance recently on the news on the  11^th of  November it was remembrance day and from the product shown audiences had different responses but took it from both sides because they knew what the programme was about showing respect to the soldiers who died in the war one hundred years ago but had some faults from it for instance some people who knew a lot about media with production would of said the camera blacked out a few times and did specific scenes  which they didn’t understand why they wanted to show it, which they didn’t like.

 Another audience member’s response was that the service set up costs a lot of money to do especially being every year for the event and thought that it should be spent on something better needed for instance health. From negotiated response this is what happens with the response theory people understand from both sides but then make their judgment from the product which brings phenomenology of perception again that people watch the something but get different experience and views.

 

Oppositional responses-

Another response media audiences get is the theory ‘oppositional responses’ this is where audiences don’t agree with the message created by the director encoding the media product and instead media audiences just agree on their own message of what is shown this is completely different to negotiated where media audiences listen to both sides this is one way judgment on not agreeing. An example of oppositional responses could be anything because not everyone likes things and some do but one example is Britain’s got talent’ some audiences don’t understand why foreign acts come to the show when it is Britain’s got talent.

 

Preferred response-

The other response theory from media audience is the preferred response which is when the audience agrees with the message encoded created by the media they decode the message and agree with what they have seen. an example of preferred response is when ‘Children in Need’ comes every year everyone understands that it is for a good cause people come for fee to give up their time to make money for ill children from celebrities helping to ordinary day to day people this is an example of when people understand and agree with the media product.

Therefore the preferred response is different to the oppositional response because the oppositional response doesn’t agree with what the product is but the preferred response does agree and is active towards it. With the negotiated response it is in-between because the negotiated response media audiences listen to both sides but then make the judgment on the product and as the world is everyone has different opinions and views so it is spilt on what people will decide. It’s just like the phenomenology of perception people make their mind on the same product but have different experience from it and views.

 

 

 

Effects of debates-

Media has negative influences on media audiences affecting them in negative ways through the media products shown to them which cause harm of one kind or another one example being young children differing in behaviour. The media effects debate centers on the question of whether or not media/ technology can affect learning of audiences and the fact is it has both pros and cons which I will touch on later.

The censorship debate is one debate that affects media audiences because it has the use of power that controls what audiences can or cannot see, hear or read. Like I said above foreign news stations can show what they want audiences to see and not see showing unbiased information about other countries. Another example is in the World War; Hitler showed Germans everything to do with the Jews in a negatively light which through censorship made them think the same due to what they were seeing just like the hypodermic needle theory they agreed. It made Germans such as children at school to agree on what Germans thought on Jews and they we're all bad.

 Another effect media audiences receive is Exposure to explicit material this is things such as adult themes, extreme pushing the boundaries such as violence and sexual content. In media this can affect media audiences such as young children because media producers have to think careful about what they show audiences because it is a major part of people’s lives watching and using media they have to be careful due to the effects on the audience being negative which may be created. For instance causing audiences to become acknowledged to violent behaviour or representations of violence in media is not good especially at a young age when you copy.

It doesn’t matter which way it is shown effects happen to audiences whether it’s through the perception of what they see and decide to think or agreeing with what is shown on the screen by the media showing them what they want them to see.

 For instance with certain films rated 18 there are specific reasons it is rated that. Because there is exposure to explicit material such as adult themes such as sex and abusive language not suited for specific audiences aged under 18 it shouldn't be for Younger’s only the age said and above.

 

Kids these days because of the way they’ve been brought up have watched 18s and some aren’t mature enough to understand watching it. It can get them in a particular mood for instance violent causing fighting causing people to suffer injuries and deaths.

One example from a television show is WWE it specifically sees the scenes they do in the ring they train for and shouldn’t be displayed at home due to this people watching will get the message and most will decide not to fight because of the consequence that can happen shown on screen.

Like everything there are pros and cons and like exposure to explicit content it does to. The pros of exposure to explicit content is that it awares audiences on the rating certificate of the product so audiences can understand what they want to watch and don’t watch.

 

For instance at a cinema a family go to the cinema and look to see what is on and for instance there’s a 18 film called 'the raid' and a U certificate film called ' Toy Story' from this you can understand the rating certificate of the media products for the media audiences by this it stops the effect of the audience watching something they shouldn’t watch this is why cinemas have laws in order to prevent negative effects to audiences from rating verdicts in place.  

From a U certificate film like ‘Toy Story’ you can expect it to be for all ages but specifically for children because it is gentle the storyline with explicit content such as sex and violence which you would expect to see in an 18 rated certificate in ‘The Raid’.

And like pros there are cons the cons of exposure to explicit content is that it can effect audience by engaging them it then puts them in a fantasy land and they can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Also another con of exposure to explicit content is that audiences can copy what they have seen for instance violence they take it and use it because they are too little to understand what they are doing which causes health issues if audiences watch and copy things they shouldn’t.

Films aren’t the only thing that exposure to explicit content occurs it also occurs in television programmes this is why there are subtitles to the television programme before it starts and on the information button on the show that this programme contains explicit content therefore audiences then can be assured not to watch it. An example of this is shown on programmes that have violence and adult themes such as ‘The Missing’ it uses use of explicit content such as violent behaviour and sexual content.

         

Another example is on BBC I player where it shows all television programmes shown on BBC. Before watching something with explicit content it shows there is going to contain it l in the programme warning the audience encase. This is one way to prevent the wrong use or media products. The other is before the show plays parental guidance can be referred and checks to see what age you are before continuing on. Because in this day and age it is easy to find the wrong things not suitable to you on the internet.

 

Cinemas also are weary of exposure to content because all media products have to be. Cinemas do this with media products such as the trailers shown it lets the audience know the following trailers going to be shown with the certificate ratings giving the audience’s time to encode what is going to be shown in the trailer.

 Therefore from this task audience theories, response theories and effect debates all demonstrate how audiences see and understand media products by methods said above with chosen examples shown for media products.