Introduction to Feminism: Blog Tasks :)

Everyday Sexism

Watch the Everyday Sexism TED talk from Laura Bates and answer the following questions:

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

She started this project in order to raise awareness for people who have been sexually assaulted in some way but have been too scared to speak up as well as talk about their experiences and let other women know that they are not alone. Laura Bates found that these incidents are actually extremely common but not many people spoke up about it and this site provided them with a place to share their experiences without judgement

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

This project links to post-feminism because it gives women the opportunity to talk about their experiences without men 'silencing' them (when it is likely that women were silenced when they tried to talk about issues like this before the digital age). The digital age has helped feminism progress a lot and this is because it gives women a platform to express their feelings on this subject and find comfort in the fact that they aren't alone. Although this is progress in helping women speak about their experiences, the fact that incidents like the ones Laura Bates was speaking about are still occurring shows that there is still plenty of progress to be made when it comes to feminism in Western societies 

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

Because it gives people all over the world the opportunity to talk about their experiences- in her TED talk, Laura Bates talks about how she had people from all over the world sharing what happened to them and perhaps this can raise awareness in different countries about what happens to women all over the world. Before technology, women didn't have a way of sharing their stories so the new technology has helped this because people can share their stories to people from different countries just by using technology 

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I believe that feminism has progressed a lot since the Suffragette movement but it will be extremely hard to entirely overcome sexism due to people's existing opinions but we are able to educate young people as they are growing and educate them about what has happened to women in the past and what can be done to prevent or reduce it so that women don't have to experience sexism as extreme as before again. The Everyday Sexism project may not be as necessary as it currently is but it should still be around for women to share their experiences on a site that won't judge and gives them the freedom to talk about their experiences 

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64) 

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

The fourth wave of feminism is known as networked feminism as it aims to tackle social inequalities in modern technology. Thousands of campaigns, blogs, and hashtags have been used as a way to advocate for feminism and some social media sites (especially Twitter) are well known for their representation for modern feminism. In 2015, feminists still had to deal with misconceptions and prejudice- but in the eyes of the law, women should be equal to men so many people in 2015 believed that women had achieved what they had been fighting for nut many high-profile women strongly disagreed. This shows that the essence of feminism is still misunderstood so the freedom on the internet had blurred the true intention behind feminism 

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘networked feminism’? 

• First wave: late 19th century-early 20th century --> the main focus was on the women's right to vote (suffrage)
• Second wave: 1960s --> campaigning for the growth of equal rights and leading to the Equal Pay Act of 1970 as well as other laws (such as reproductive rights)
• Third wave: (also referred to as post-feminism) late 1990s --> the empowerment and reclaiming of femininity
• Fourth wave: (referred to as networked feminism) present day --> aims to tackle social inequality due to modern technology 

I do agree that we are in a fourth wave of 'networked feminism' because the rapid growth of technology has given many people the chance to voice their opinions- although this can be positive because of women sharing their experiences and raising awareness for gender inequalities, it can also be negative because people have large platforms in which they can share sexist and misogynistic opinions which proves that gender inequalities still exist and feminism needs to continue progressing 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a short summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

• Everyday Sexism: this is a website started by Laura Bates in 2012 in order for people to share experiences of sexism in a safe place because talking about sexual harassment can be very hard to talk about to people in person- she received positive feedback and ended up getting over 50,000 entries 
• HeForShe: this campaign is a global movement that was set up by Emma Watson and focuses on male support for gender equality because she believes that feminism isn't about supporting the matriarchy, but just wanting solidarity. However, this campaign has been criticised because it makes feminism reliant on men which is what they are trying to move away from 
• FCKH8 Campaign: this is a digital campaign that focuses on the modern representation of girls and the huge social inequalities that they are faced with as they grown up- this is a for-profit company so their videos were attempting to sell t-shirts so there has been backlash for this campaign because it was suggested that they were exploiting feminism 
• This Girl Can: this is a fitness campaign that doesn't shame or exclude women- they share photos, videos, and quotes of women without the sexual exploitation that usually coincides with other adverts of this nature. This campaign is used as a technique to ensure women aren't body shamed but this has been too heavily criticised by feminist activists 

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

I believe that the original intention of feminism is being lost and people began to misunderstand feminism as wanting revenge on men instead of the original intention of just wanting equality for men and women. The media has created a negative view of feminists as they have begun labelling them as "man-haters" so although this was a campaign to promote more equality for women, people have misunderstood and are now portraying feminism in a negative light. Perhaps the media is to blame because it doesn't present feminism in an accurate way and disregards all of the work that women for years have been working for. The concept of fourth wave feminism makes sense to me because the growth of modern technology allows for lots of people to share their opinions and this can be negative as misogynists have large platforms to share their opinions and undo all the progress that feminists have made 

MIGRAIN Assessment 2: Learner Response :)

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: Really solid understanding of Audience Effects theories which is clear from your Q4 response. However, just aim to give more examples to support your arguments 

EBI: In your writing, use more media terminology (e.g. Q1 'gold writing' should be 'gold font/typography' instead). Revise Public Service Broadcasting topic/blog

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q1: I should've consistently used highly appropriate use of subject specific terminology throughout the question (e.g. typography/font) 

Q2: Although I got full marks for this question, I could've mentioned conglomerate ownership or diversification too 

Q3: I should've used examples and subject specific terminology to support my arguments in order to get the full marks 

Q4: I should've applied the theories to the question as well as the use of subject specific terminology to get the full marks 

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment? You may also want to think here whether you had completed all the original blog tasks from last term before doing the assessment.

I would say I was a 7/10 because I did all the blog work before the assessment but I think I should've gone through past papers to see what gets full marks 

4) Look at your answer for Question 2. Did you manage to write about three different strategies and three different benefits? It's vital you read the question and follow it exactly.

I did manage to write about three different strategies and name three different benefits for each strategy and I got full marks for the question 

5) Look at your answer for Question 3. Did you follow the question guidance and write about both the BBC and commercial broadcasters? What could you have added to this answer to reach a higher mark?

I only got 4/9 for this question and I think it's because I didn't use examples when making my arguments. I should've mentioned the licence fee and how this contributes to the future of the BBC as well as examples of  channels the BBC owns. I also should've revised Public Service Broadcasting more so that I fully understood it enough to answer the question and get the full marks 

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 4 - the 20 mark essay question on media effects theory. Write a new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples from the wider media. 

I somewhat agree with the fact that the media has a damaging effect on the audience because of Bandura's social learning theory that suggests that people observe and imitate behaviour they see. And although this experiment was done on children, we still may be able to apply it to adults and how they absorb what they see on the media. This theory allows us to question whether young people should be protected from what they see on the media because they might start copying some of the behaviours they see (such as violence, drugs, gang activity, etc.). This theory also may raise awareness for parents that their children may copy stuff they see online and allow them to monitor what their child is watching to prevent them from copying these behaviours. Therefore this theory could support the fact that the media can be damaging for some audiences. 

Representation: Blog Tasks :)

Media Magazine 51

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?

Because it demonstrates how the changes in the media landscape have influenced the ways we view the world and ourselves 

2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?

The example of Kate Middleton shows two photos of her in the same location with the same glass of wine but in one photo she is only holding it but in the other she is actually drinking it. The photo where she is drinking the glass of wine could be interpreted as her having a drinking problem because there is no other context (other than what the news chooses to portray). However, the one where she is just holding it could suggest a more refined view of her being more sophisticated than the photo where she is actually drinking it 

3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.

When creating media products, producers must consider the expectations and needs of the target audience, the limitations provided by genre codes, the type of narrative they want to create, and their institutional remit. The media must be mediated in order to get certain reactions from audiences as well as keeping them engaged (even if it is not entirely true)

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?

Stuart Hall's theory argued that audiences do not always accept the ideology of texts passively but instead they actively think on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations. In his view, despite the mediated nature of the media, audiences are still able to take on an oppositional reading due to their personal experiences- this means that they will never have a preferred reading 

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?

New technology means that audiences can construct and share their own media products- especially on websites, video-sharing platforms and other social media platforms. These individuals demonstrate mediation because they choose what they share and don't share on social media in order to either portray themselves as more idealistic or pitiable. This means that they create internet personas and post content to support this persona 

6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?

The free 'The Sun' newspaper that was sent to 22 million households during the 2014 World Cup which represented its own concepts of 'Englishness' by symbolic references (such as queuing, Sunday roasts, Churchill, and the Queen). The example to challenge this representation was when social media forums and comment pages allowed many people to voice their rejection of the messages and through self-representation, people were able to show that they distances themselves from the values that were portrayed in the newspaper 

Watch the clip from Luther that we studied in class (Season 1, Episode 1 - minute 7.40-10.00 and answer these final two questions:

7) Write a paragraph analysing the dominant and alternative representations you can find in the clip from Luther.

The dominant representation in this clip is the exchange between the police officers in which they used vocabulary that could be associated with police. Luther's boss was white whereas Luther was black and this reinforces the stereotype that black people typically work under white people- the racial stereotypes were also reinforced by Luther as he suggests that black men are reckless as he got suspended for his rule-breaking so this reinforces negative stereotypes. Also, the stereotypes that men are emotionless and physically strong is emphasised by Luther. The alternative reading could be that Luther being a black male lead (which is not common) reflects an alternate view that may be unusual for audiences to see 

8) Write a paragraph applying a selection of our representation theories to the clip from Luther. Our summary of each theory may help you here:

Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology

Mulvey: the male gaze

Dyer: stereotyping and power

Medhurst: value judgements

Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true

Dyer's theory about stereotyping and power could be applied to this clip because Luther is considered an ethnic minority that does not have much power so more stereotypes can be made about them. As a black man, people may make stereotypes about him and assume that he is dangerous. Medhurst's theory about value judgements can also be applied to this clip because many stereotypes are made about the different characters based on the way they talk, what they've said and the way they look which reinforced his theory that stereotyping is shorthand for identification. 

Public Service Broadcasting: Blog Tasks :)

Ofcom report

Read the first few pages of this Ofcom report into Public Service Broadcasting.

1) How does the report suggest that TV viewing is changing?

People are increasingly viewing content in a variety of ways- can be on the television set or on other devices

2) What differences are highlighted between younger and older viewers?

Older viewers (aged 65+) have maintained a fairly stable viewing rate but there has been a decline in the daily viewing mainly among people aged 16-24 and 5-14

3) Does the report suggest audiences are satisfied with public service broadcasting TV channels?

8 in 10 adults say that they are satisfied with PSB and the satisfaction keeps on increasing (73% increase since 2015) and 24% of people who said they were satisfied said that they were very satisfied with PSB  

4) Public service broadcasting channels are a major aspect of the UK cultural industries. How much money did PSB channels spend on UK-originated content in 2016? 

£2.60bn

Goldsmiths report

Read this report from Goldsmiths University - A future for public service television: content and platforms in a digital world.

1) What does the report state has changed in the UK television market in the last 20 years?

The rapid increase in channels on UK television has changed in the last 20 years 

2) Look at page 4. What are the principles that the report suggests need to be embedded in regulation of public service broadcasting in future?

Principles independence, universality, citizenship, quality and diversity 

3) What does the report say about the BBC?

The BBC is the most important part of the television ecology but is also representative of how the advancement of technology is leading to, in some ways, the end of public service broadcasting 

4) According to the report, how should the BBC be funded in future?

By a tiered platform neutral household fee- a supplement to Council Tax or funding via general taxation with appropriate parliamentary safeguards 

5) What does the report say about Channel 4?

Plays an integral part in the public service ecology and supports the independent production sector and airing content aimed specifically at diverse audiences 

6) How should Channel 4 operate in future?

By continuing to innovate and experiment across different platforms as well as aiming to stop the fall in numbers of independent suppliers that they work with 

7) Look at page 10 - new kids on the block. What does the report say about new digital content providers and their link to public service broadcasting?

New digital content providers are providing television with the characteristics of public service broadcasting and yet appears outside the public service system 

Final questions - your opinion on public service broadcasting

1) Should the BBC retain its position as the UK’s public service broadcaster?

I think that the BBC should retain its position as the UK's public service broadcaster because it has build a respectable reputation and is trusted by so many people in the UK and has become a household name. A majority of UK TV-watchers would be devastated by the loss of the BBC. 

2) Is there a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world?

I wholeheartedly agree that there is a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world and this is because the BBC has a very credible news source and especially in a time where we heavily rely on the news, this would increase the significance of the BBC in the 21st century 

3) Should the BBC funding model (license fee) change? How?

I think that the BBC funding model should change because the rise in technology is reducing the dependency on the BBC so less people are paying the licensing fee so this means that the BBC can't make enough profit to carry on funding the media they are producing so they need to make changes to allow the BBC to continue growing 

Cultural Industries: Blog Tasks :)

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

The creation, production and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature 

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

Places of which the creative industries are highly profitable are usually where you will find a thriving society as the cultural industries add value to society and individuals 

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

Because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with one another in order to secure a loyal fanbase so they try to outdo each other in order to satisfy the audience's desires for something shocking or profane or rebellious 

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

Risky businesses, creativity vs commerce, high production costs and low reproduction costs, semi-public goods 

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

Because audiences can be very unpredictable so the success of one media product cannot be guaranteed with new products- companies are unable to control the reactions of audiences so responses to media products are always risky 

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I believe they are equally important but creativity has superiority over commerce and this is because money will not be made if a media product is not creative. I believe media is more likely to attract attention if it focuses on the audience and its desires rather than focusing on the income that will come with the product 

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Through the use of production, promotion and distribution processes to the best standard possible in order to please a larger audience and therefore gain more money 

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I agree because people with a large following automatically succeed with little effort but people who come up with original and creative ideas don't succeed as much so they should be rewarded better for their work because they have to work much harder than people who already have a large following for a fraction of what they make 

9) What is commodification? 

The transformation of objects and services into commodities 

10) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I agree with this argument because although in recent media, diversity is trying to be implemented more, they are not accurately depicting the reality of certain cultures or backgrounds 

11) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

Risky Business: there is no guarantee that a creative product will succeed so the use of vertical integration and diversification must increase in order to reduce risk and maximise profit 

Commodification: is a problem on the consumption and production side because it means people in cultural industries are not always rewarded fairly 

Diversity in the Media: cultural industries do not always truly reflect the diversity of people and society 

Industries: Ownership and Control :)

Media conglomerate research

1) Type up your research notes from the lesson - what did you find out about your allocated media conglomerate? Selection of companies: Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Facebook, Viacom, News Corp, Time Warner. If you were absent or didn't have time in the lesson to make these notes, research any one of the companies above and find examples of all the terminology outlined in the notes at the start of this blogpost.

Media Conglomerate: 21st Century Fox

Conglomerate Ownership: Fox News, Fox Sports, Blue Sky Studios, Fox Networks, Fox 2000 and Fox Broadcast

Horizontal Integration: Fox Sports, National Geographic and 20th Century Fox  

Vertical Integration: Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News, Fox Business and Fox Sports 

Diversification: The Times Radio and The Times News have online access now 

Synergy: The Times Radio and The Times News 

Cross-media Regulation: The suggestion of the Sky takeover was rejected when a regulator said that the sky bid is not in public interest 

2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

I agree with the fact that the government should intervene with media conglomerates when they become too dominant and this is because there will be more competition between conglomerates if their dominance increases. This means that government intervention within media conglomerates could increase the quality of the products that they produce because they are more focused on their own products rather than the competing conglomerates. This also increases the artistic value of media products when dominant conglomerates are intervened by the government because the competition for money is reduced. 

On the other hand, it could be said that the government should not intervene with media conglomerates when they become too dominant and this is because two large companies fighting for dominance may come together and create a company with great impact and produce top quality media products. The merge of two conglomerates could also reduce the likelihood of staff being underpaid and overworked because there will be more workers to share the workload. 

Media Magazine reading and questions

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9 to read the article 'Two Key Concepts: The Relationship Between Audience and Institution'.

1) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

Production process: provides the audience with media products they want based on their desires and gratifications 

Promotion process: targeting a target audience and then using advertising to persuade this audience of the value of the media product 

Distribution process: uses the most appropriate method to get a media product to audiences 

2) What are the different funding models for media institutions?

License fee, fees payed by advertisers, subscription fees, sales of DVDs and magazines and merchandise 

3) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

DISNEY: a family-friendly brand that focuses on children's entertainment and the consistency of its media products live up to their brand image and parents feel safe to put on a Disney movie for their children and nothing inappropriate will be shown- there is also a number of logos and brand recognition on their products

MARVEL: mainly associated with mainstream superhero films that has build a reputation of providing high standard superhero movies that meet the expectations of an audience 

ITV: a company that heavily relies on fees paid by advertisers in order to generate enough money to provide for mainstream audiences rather than niche- this means that they need to depend on a loyal fanbase to provide their profit 

4) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

Sponsorship, merchandising, income generates by live shows, '360 deal' contract, investments in 3D technology, on-demand viewing, subscriptions to access content, paywalls, targeted marketing on social media data-mining, sponsoring influencers 

5) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

Google now owning YouTube

Amazon, Netflix and Yahoo creating and producing and broadcasting their own TV shows 

Facebook buying the virtual reality technology 

6) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

I agree because media companies make a profit by selling tickets and offering subscriptions but as people have started watching media products illegally, the reliance on traditional media institutions is decreasing which means that they are making less profit and that means they are unable to sustain the profession in order to produce high quality products that is expected 

7) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape? 

Diversification may help companies survive within the rapidly changing media as the option to access media products in a more relevant and accessible way increases and the outdated format is replaced by more modern ones

Vertical integration allows companies to thrive as it increases the awareness of the audience's gratifications so that their market is understood more 

8) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

I think that in the future, the power of the audience will increase over the power of the major global conglomerates and we can see this when a large audience voices their opinions and the major conglomerates obey their desires so that they succeed and I am sure that this power that the audience has will continue to increase 

Audience Theory 2: Blog Tasks :)

Theory questions and your opinion

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence?

I don't think that the media is responsible for anti-social and violent behaviour but it could contribute towards it. There may be many different explanations for anti-social and violent behaviour (e.g. environmental factors etc.) that could have a much larger influence on anti-social and violent behaviour than the media. However, if violent acts are shown in the media, that behaviour may get normalised and result in more people acting that way because people tend to learn though observing, imitating and modelling (social learning theory) 

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.

The Social Learning Theory gets more and more relevant in the digital age because a majority of young people have access to technology and media that depict acts of violence so they are exposed to violent acts from a young age which allows them to observe and copy the behaviour they see. This perhaps makes the Social Learning Theory more relevant now than it used to be before all of the violent games and media we have nowadays compared to the limited media before 

3) Research three examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics?

HIV/AIDS: In the 1980s, HIV was linked to homosexuality and the media started saying that gay people were spreading HIV around the world but the moral panic died down in the 1990s when HIV was blamed on the behaviour of youth instead of gay people 

War on terror: After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Muslims were portrayed in the media as Islamic extremists and they were therefore faced with significantly more discrimination but the panic ensued and the "threat" of Muslims is still extremely exaggerated 

Columbine Massacre: The Columbine High School Massacre was a mass shooting and the moral panic developed after people believed that goth music was the reason for it to happen. The fear painted goth culture as having a dangerous influence on the youth but the moral panic then resided when the blame was placed on the gun culture in the US instead of goth culture 

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society? If the link is blocked in school, you can access the text here.

Online child safety, digital privacy and cyber-security 

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?

I think that the internet should be regulated until people reach a certain age- this is because many children have access to the internet now without restrictions so they are exposed to many things and a lot of things are normalised that perhaps shouldn't be (e.g. drug use, abuse, etc.) and they grow up thinking that this behaviour is acceptable (due to the social learning theory and the hypodermic needle model) and then start acting that way. However, if the internet is regulated for children, they can be protected from this media. But I believe that when people reach a certain age (maybe around 18) and they have already developed a knowledge for what is right and wrong, the internet should no longer be regulated for them and they have access to everything they want 

6) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse? Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? Write a paragraph discussing these ideas.

I strongly believe that Gerbner's cultivation theory can be applied to new and digital media- this could be because of society's increasing dependency on media. It is very possible that the internet is creating a fearful population and I believe this is more true now because of all of the information about COVID-19 being spread around. At the beginning of the pandemic, we didn't know much about the virus so a lot of people were spreading around false information which definitely increased the fear that we had. However, on different apps (e.g. Twitter, TikTok, etc.) there is a lot more interaction between people and when you are exposed to that many people, I think you start learning to not take what people say on the internet too seriously. So I think it depends on which side of the media you are on that determines the level of Mean World Syndrome you have. Heavy internet use can be concerning when people start depending on the media to the point where they cannot live without it because they may have trouble interacting with people in real life due to their dependency on the media for social interaction 

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

I do play video games with some violence (not too extreme) but I wouldn't consider myself a violent person in real life

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

Direct Effect Theories: the media has a direct effect on ideas, attitudes and behaviours of the audience 

Diffusion Theories: the media may have some influence on ideas, attitudes and behaviours of the audience but the personalised way that audiences access texts have a more significant influence 

Indirect Effect Theories: the media may affect people but there is an emphasis on the fact that our environment plays a part in it as well 

The Pluralistic Approach: media institutions are free to present any point of view they wish to and audiences equally able to freely choose 

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

-Child's Play: the murder of Jamie Bulger 

-Marilyn Manson: the Columbine High School mass shooting 

-Natural Born Killers: the number of murders that were committed by romantically linked couples 

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

It was a High School shooting (and failed bombing) that occurred in the United States by 12th graders Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and it resulted in the murder of 12 students and one teacher. Many people said that this behaviour was influenced by Marilyn Manson's violent music 

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

• The ease of access to firearms and the social acceptance of gun ownership 
• The alienation felt by teenagers who felt like they did not fit in 
• The hopelessness that was caused by living in a economically disadvantaged area with high unemployment
• The general desensitisation caused by the easy access to a range of violent media (films, TV, news, internet, etc.) 

6) How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?

As a theory that considers the way that the media has a higher influence on attitudes rather than behaviour. Repetition of negative or violent representations may cause desensitisation within an audience because they have become normalised and accepted 

7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

Action films tend to fail to decipher the difference between right and wrong because it is acceptable for the hero to kill the villain but unacceptable for the villain to harm the hero- this failure to establish right and wrong is the factsheet's main criticism 

8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

It simplifies the judgement of the audience and assumes that they lack the capacity to challenge anything they are told. Another criticism is that this simplistic view is what encourages the use of the hypodermic needle model as a scapegoat for a specific action or event 

9) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

It may be seen as controversial today because people's attitudes and values have changed since it aired so what may have been acceptable then may be considered racist and offensive nowadays. This suggests that time differences also cause a clash in oppositional and preferred readings as well as differences in people 

10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

The Sun and The Guardian report the same stories but they are written so differently that one can present a preferred reading and the other can present an oppositional reading