Audience Theory -The Effects Model.

Previously, in class, we learned about The Effects Model, which is an audience theory. In order to analyse our final product in the most useful way possible, we must look at it from several points of view.

The Effects Model is a theory relating to how audiences interpret and are affected by media texts, and in turn, our music video.

What is The Effects Model?

• The Effects Model believes that the consumption of media texts have an influence upon the audience.
• It is generally considered that the effect of this text is negative.
• Audiences are viewed as 'passive' and 'powerless' to prevent the influence that the text has on them.
• The model is also reffered to as the Hypodermic Model.
• Here, the messages in media text are hypothetically 'injected' into the minds of the audience by the 'syringe-like' media.
• As the audiences are powerless, the media works like a drug, intoxicating the audience who are now addicted and affected.

Is there evidence of this model being true?

• In the 1920s and 30s, the Frankfurt School theorised that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments.
• The Bobo Doll experiment, created by Albert Bandura in 1961 shoes that 88% of children tested, imitated the violent behaviour shown to them and 40% reproduced the same behavious 8 months after the initial experiment.

• The film, Child's Play 3 was held responsible for provoking two children into the murdering of James Bulger in 1993.
• The game Manhunt is also blamed for the Warren LeBlanc murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004.
• The film A Clockwork Orange was viewed as provoking rape and violent attacks in 1971.
• The film Severance was percieved as the inspiration of Simon Everitt's murder in 2006.

All of these cases are prime examples of what The Effects Model is stating... however not all cases have been proven to be related to the media texts involved. For example, the James Bulger case in 1993 was, according to politicians, caused by the film Child's Play 3, however, it has never been proven that the boy's watched this film.
This in turn, causes faults in the James Bulger case.