Learning Summary

This part of my blog will be a summary of everything I am learning so far during my self-studies to keep track of my academic progress in AS level media studies

Theory

Reception Theory

By Stuart Hall, it states that media producers encode meaning in their texts that the audience decodes (different factors like age, gender or race can determine how the text is decoded). 

Dominant Reading (Preferred Reading)

Audience decodes the meaning exactly as intended as they share the same ideology

Negotiated Reading

Audience understands the meaning/connotations of a text but not fully

Oppositional Reading

Audience rejects the meaning of a text which may cause them to not engage with the text

Hypodermic Needle

Not really a working theory anymore but assumes that people absorb information given to them by the media like a sponge: absorbing ideologies passively without any questions

Two Step Flow

Suggests that people have their interpretations influenced by opinion leaders (People they look up to)

Social Learning

A theory by Albert Bandura that states that audiences repeat what they have seen in media (such as violent acts). Can be seen when the media provides the cast/storyline with social issues including positive/negative role models that are awarded/punished

Cultivation Theory

A theory by George Gerbner that suggests that media will, over time, reinforce existing ideologies in individuals. People who are exposed to a lot of violence in the media may believe that the world is a more dangerous place

Desensitization

Occurs when an audience is repeatedly exposed to shocking/violent content in the media which will cause them to fail to feel empathy when exposed to similar things in real life 

Uses & Gratification

A theory by Bulmer & Katz that establishes that the audience actively uses the media to satisfy base needs

Diversion

Audiences who use media as a form of escapism from stresses of life

Personal Identity

Audiences who use media to understand their place in society through role models

Social Relationships

• Audiences who form connections with performers they see on screen
• Audiences who form relationships with people in society through discussing a media product

Surveillance

Audiences who use media to gather information

Media Regulation

According to the research by Livingstone & Lunt:

• Media regulation is extremely difficult
• A regulator's role is to protect the audience
• Audiences believe that those above 18 should be free to choose to consume whatever media they want
• Media regulators must balance choice with protection
• Technology has made regulation very difficult (through streaming, piracy, social media etc.)
• Audiences can now bypass restrictions without parental consent
• Powerful media companies can avoid regulation

Media Ownership

Curran & Seaton studied how power is yielded by media and news group owners 

• Mass media is driven by political agendas and economic influences
• The digitisation of the newspaper industry has reduced the power of journalists as editors can easily remove displeasing content
• The mass media is owned by fewer and fewer companies (media consolidation)
• The rise in new media is associated with the decline in content quality
• Web users have a larger voice and can challenge conglomerates

Representation Theory

This theory by Stuart Hall suggests that media doesn't reflect meaning, rather media creates meaning.

The media reflects social groups and issues (such as gender, age, events etc.). When a certain representation is repeated enough times in the media, it creates a stereotype. Stereotypes occur because of a lack of diversity in the production.

Hegemonic organisations are primarily made up of straight white men so representations in the media reflect their ideologies which keeps elite groups in power to maintain social supremacy

Genre Theory

Steve Neale's theory states that each genre contain instances of repetition (conventions) and difference (subverting conventions) that is essential for the economy of a genre. The conventions of a genre also shift over time

Convergence

Media convergence refers to the phenomenon where multiple media forms are brought together through digitisation

Binary Opposites

Uses opposites who are in conflict with each other. The side that prevails tells the audience the producer's ideology and their message

5 Narrative Codes

• Hermeneutic: A narrative technique that involves withholding information from the audience to engage them through mystery and suspense
• Proairetic: Plot events that lead from one to another
• Semantic: Connotations in a text
• Symbolic: A repetitive theme that becomes a structural device
• Cultural: References to ideas and concepts outside the text that requires the audience's knowledge to be decoded

Technical

Camera

Mise-en-scene

Sound

Editing

Reflection:

• I really enjoyed learning all of the theory and technical elements as I find it fascinating so I was able to learn really quickly and easily
• However, I didn't like having to rush and cram my learning as it gave me a lot of pressure. Regardless, I kept putting a lot of effort into learning as I want to do well in media studies