communication theory and...
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COMMUNICATION THEORY AND AUDIENCES
Tuesday, September 6, 16
AGENDA
• Discuss why theory is useful
• Discuss three broad categories of theory
• In Class Exercise
Tuesday, September 6, 16
WHAT DOES THEORY TELL US ABOUT AUDIENCES?
• Theory helps explain the effects media has on audiences
• Theory helps explain the effects messages have on audiences
• Theory helps explain how people construct their perspectives
Tuesday, September 6, 16
THEORY AND YOUR PROJECTS
• Media theories can help you develop persuasive messages.
• How will you can apply these explanations in a practical way.
Tuesday, September 6, 16
3 CATEGORIES OF MEDIA EFFECTS THEORY
• Powerful Effects
• Limited Effects
• Specific Effects
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POWERFUL EFFECTS
• Hypodermic needle model
• aka magic bullet theory
• Media messages are directly received and accepted by the audience.
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POWERFUL EFFECTS
• War of the Worlds
• Episode of radio drama implied that a Martian invasion was occurring
• Caused "widespread" panic
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POWERFUL EFFECTS
• World War II Propaganda
• Nazi Germany effectively mobilized using mass media
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POWERFUL EFFECTS
• Do you think the media is as powerful as the hypodermic needle model suggests?
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LIMITED EFFECTS
• Two-Step Flow
• Audiences are influenced by opinion leaders (politicians, public intellectuals, pundits, and scholars) who are influenced by mass media.
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LIMITED EFFECTS • Klapper’s model
• Effects are limited because:
• It depends on the message content
• The manner in which the message is constructed
• The knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and pre-dispositions a person holds before their exposure
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS
• Agenda Setting:
• Media tells you what to think about, not necessarily what to think
• In contrast to hypodermic needle theory
• What are the biggest stories in the news right now?
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS • Framing Theory
• Process of the media that makes some information more salient than other information in such a way that it influences the how audiences perceive information, events, or issues.
• Priming Theory
• The priming theory states that media images stimulate related thoughts in the minds of audience members.
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FRAMING
• Gay marriage can be framed as a:
• Civil Rights Issue
• States Rights Issue
• A Moral Issue
• A Family Issue
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FRAMING
Tuesday, September 6, 16
PRIMING
• Media Priming
• Images and messages in the media cue up certain thoughts in the minds’ of audience members.
• Media gives context to the way audiences understand political issues
Tuesday, September 6, 16
PRIMING
• What do you know about the upcoming primary election?
• What are the images in your head?
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS
• Uses and Gratification • People use or seek out media to fulfill certain needs
• Entertainment • Social Interaction • Information • Escapism • Relate to other media users
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS
• Cultivation Theory
• The more television one watches the more they view the world as what's reflected on television.
• Distinct qualities of television, like production or narrative style, cut across genre or program type and create communal messages about reality.
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS
• Mean World Syndrome
• Effects On
• Television Violence
• Body Image
• Romance Ideals
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SPECIFIC EFFECTS • Spiral of Silence
• People are hesitant to speak minority opinions out of fear of isolation
• Dominant or majority points of view make it difficult for people with opposing points of view to voice their opinions.
• Fear of speaking up when you know you're the minority point of view.
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SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY • We translate the world around us in light of the knowledge,
beliefs and attitudes we hold and individually socially construct our version of reality.
• We organize our world around schema (how we view ourselves, how we view others, how we think people should behave) and scripts (social norms)
• We experience media (texts) in different ways and construct meaning in different ways.
Tuesday, September 6, 16
MORE THEORIES • Cognitive dissonance
• Individuals seek consistency between their expectations and their reality.
• People engage in a process called dissonance reduction to bring their cognitions and actions in line with one another.
• The feeling of having two conflicting thoughts or attitudes
• I will go to the gym after I eat a big MacTuesday, September 6, 16
OTHER THEORIES
• Selective perception
• Individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints.
• Selective Exposure
• People choose media that fits in line with their world view.
Tuesday, September 6, 16
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