Question 4 - strengths + limitations of theories for news + online Flashcards
(37 cards)
1
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Bandura (Media effects)
A
- applies to wide range of media, e.g. newspapers
- draws attention of the need to investigate the direct effect on individuals
- supports argument of regulation to avoid harm for newspapers + online news/ internet
2
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Bandura (Media effects)
A
- originally developed for media with powerful audiences e.g. TV, newspapers less likely to imitate violent behaviours
- newspaper messages are likely to be less strong - contradict each other
- online newspapers, audiences can challenge messages e.g. through commenting, tweeting, this limits the effects of message
- underestimates the effects of the audience on the media
3
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Gerbner (Cultivation theory)
A
- applied to wide range of media products, e.g. news papers
- best applied to newspaper that deliver strong + consistent messages
- for online news, most applies to audiences within a ‘digital bubble’ who only consume messages from a narrow range of sources
- draws attention to the need to investigate long term effects on individuals who consume newspapers/ online newspapers
- supports arguments of newspaper regulation to avoid harm
4
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Gerbner (Cultivation theory)
A
- outdated for online newspapers - written before their emergence
- messages online may be challenged by audiences e.g tweets, posts
- newspaper messages are likely to be politically + socially contradicted by other NPs
- prioritising the effects of the media on the audience may mean that the effects of audiences on the media are underestimated
5
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Hall (Reception theory)
A
- can apply to wide range of media products, e.g. newspapers
- draws attention to different possible audience readings, while acknowledging the role of ideological power in creating dominance within newspaper messages + values
5
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Hall (Reception theory)
A
- assumes there is 1 dominant meaning to which the audience responds - doesn’t fit messages with a multitude of different possible readings (e.g. ironic messages)
6
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Jenkins (Fandom)
A
- draws attention to the potentially revolutionary effect of online media on news, + the threat this represents to traditional models of news-gathering + distribution
- highlights how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media, e.g. Facebook, Instagram, twitter to spread news
- draws attention to the role of participatory culture in developing citizen journalism
6
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Jenkins (Fandom)
A
- Does not really apply to print newspapers due to their traditional, centralised production
- Fandom and participatory culture less likely to occur in relation to online newspapers than in other areas of the internet due to their content and ethos of professional journalism
- Optimistic view of the power of online audiences, may underestimate the power of media conglomerates to shape and control online content
- May underestimate the effect of media products on audiences (e.g. Bandura + Gerbner)
7
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Shirky (End of audience)
A
- draws attention to the revolutionary effect of online media on news, + the threat this represents to traditional models of news-gathering + distribution
- highlights how online newspapers increasingly rely on participatory media, e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to spread news
- draws attention to role of amateur producers in citizen journalism
8
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Shirky (End of audience)
A
- doesn’t apply to print newspapers due to their traditional, centralised production
- applies less to online newspapers than fully user-generated online content, as online newspaper brands have not embraced the ‘publish then filter’ model of new media
- is an optimistic view of the power of amateur producers - underestimates the power of media conglomerates to shape + control online content
- may underestimate the effects of media products on audiences (e.g. Bandura + Gerbner)
9
Q
(Representation) outline the strengths of Van Zoonen (Feminist)
A
- applicable to any media products, e.g. newspapers, esp representations of gender
- the concept of patriarchy may be applied to the ownership + control of newspapers, the recruitment and ethos of newspaper professionals, esp the representation of women’s bodies
10
Q
(Representation) outline the limitations of Van Zoonen (Feminist)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it is a general theory of patriarchy
- in prioritising gender equalities, it may not aid analysis of other forms of inequality in newspaper representations
- doesn’t account for the social consensus in representations in media - only social conflict
11
Q
(Representation) outline the strengths of Hall (Theories of Representation)
A
- can be applied to any media product, e.g. newspapers
- applies to the way newspaper headlines + images try to fix the meaning of a representation
12
Q
(Representation) outline the limitations of Hall (Theories of Representation)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it is a general theory of representation
13
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of bell hooks (Feminist)
A
- can be applied to any media products, e.g. newspapers, esp representations of gender
- intersectionality draws attention to misrepresentations of stereotypes based on the interrelationship of gender, race, class, sexuality in any newspaper representations
14
Q
(Representation) outline the strengths of Gauntlett (Theories of Identity)
A
- can be applied to any media product, e.g. newspapers
- applies to the sense of identity that a newspaper can offer its readers - e.g. of a liberal progressive G reader
- applies to diverse + sometimes controversial messages in media products, which offer audiences a range of identifications
15
Q
(Representation) outline the limitations of Gauntlett (Theories of Identity)
A
- applies less to newspapers, as younger people are more likely to gain a sense of identity through self expression in user-generated online media products + are less likely to use newspapers for this
- assumes that audiences are powerful, active agents, + so underestimates the power of media conglomerates to shape culture, tastes, identities
16
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of bell hooks (Feminist)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it is a general theory of patriarchy
- in stressing the influence of social conflict on representations, it underestimates the influence of social consensus on representations
17
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Butler (Gender Performativity)
A
- applicable to any media products, e.g. newspapers, esp representations of gender
- can be applied particularly to lifestyle sections of newspapers, where the performance of gender may be demonstrated in fashion + makeup advice
18
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Butler (Gender Performativity)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it is a high-level theory of gender
- this theory is unfalsifiable - it can’t be proved true or false
19
Q
(Audience) outline the strengths of Gilroy (Ethnicity and Postcolonial)
A
- applicable to any media products, e.g. newspapers, esp representations of race, ethnicity + the post-colonial world
- the concept of postcolonial melancholia draws attention to the continuing role of colonial ideology of the superiority of white western culture across newspaper representations
20
Q
(Audience) outline the limitations of Gilroy (Ethnicity and Postcolonial)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it is a general theory
- this theory underestimates the influence of social consensus on representations
- in prioritising race inequalities, doesn’t aid analysis of other forms of inequality in newspaper representations
21
Q
(Media Language) outline the strengths of Barthes (Semiology)
A
- applicable to any sign, e.g. language + images, to tease out connotations and ideology
- draws attention to the effect of ideology in any text - esp for newspapers, as headlines typically assume a shared view of the world with readers
22
Q
(Media Language) outline the limitations of Barthes (Semiology)
A
- doesn’t explain anything specific to newspapers as it’s a general theory of signification
- doesn’t say anything about the ownership + control of newspapers
- doesn’t reveal how audiences interpret newspapers + give meaning in different ways to the same signs
22
(Media Language) outline the strengths of Neale (Genre)
- applicable to any generic media product, e.g. newspapers
- links together media language, audiences + industries
- the 'Shared code' explains how genres can change e.g. the quality of press becoming more like tabloids
- applicable to online news if follows codes + conventions of established print versions
23
(Media Language) outline the limitations of Neale (Genre)
- developed primarily in relation to film products, where genre is an important marketing tool, unlike newspapers, which appeal to audience loyalty or sell themselves by front page splashes that emphasise individual difference rather than generic similarities
23
(Media Language) outline the strengths of Levi Strauss (Structuralism)
- particularly appeals to newspapers that set up an 'us' vs 'them' opposition, in which audiences are invited to think of themselves as 'us'
- applicable to any cultural product, e.g. newspapers
24
(Media Language) outline the limitations of Levi Strauss (Structuralism)
- doesn't explain anything specific to newspapers as it is an extremely high-level theory of culture
- doesn't say anything about the ownership + control of newspapers
- does not reveal how audiences interpret newspapers/ give meaning
24
(Media Language) outline the strengths of Todorov (Narratology)
- enables us to think of news stories as a series of 'disruptions', each implying an initial equilibrium + a possible resolution
25
(Media Language) outline the limitations of Todorov (Narratology)
- wasn't designed to explain news stories but narratives with resolutions, so doesn't fit most news stories which fade away without resolution
25
(Media Language) outline the strengths of Postmodernism (Baudrillard)
- applicable to any cultural product, e.g. newspapers
- particularly applies to news about news, or famous-for-being-famous celebrities, where there is no clear sense of reality lying behind the 'hyperreality'
25
(Media Language) outline the limitations of Postmodernism (Baudrillard)
- doesn't explain anything specific to newspapers as it is an extremely high-level theory of the postmodern world - the theory is unfalsifiable as it cannot be proved false or true
25
(Industry) outline the strengths of Curran and Seaton (Power and Media)
- applicable to the long history of 'press barons' owning newspapers to achieve status + hold political power
- applies to the narrow range of political opinions expressed by British national newspapers, with a bias to pro-capitalism
- ONLINE news corrects over-optimistic views of the internet as an arena for freedom + unlimited creativity
26
(Industry) outline the limitations of Curran and Seaton (Power and Media)
- this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice, or media language conventions can determine media content
27
(Industry) outline the strengths of Livingstone and Lunt (Regulation)
- not applicable to newspapers
28
(Industry) outline the strengths of Hesmondhalgh (Cultural)
- draws attention to newspapers as an industry - the forms + effects of ownership + control, journalists working practices, and issues of risk and profitability
- applies to the response of newspapers to competition for readers and advertising revenue from the 'new' media
- ONLINE news corrects over-optimistic views of the internet as an arena for freedom and unlimited creativity
29
(Industry) outline the limitations of Hesmondhalgh (Cultural)
- this theory may not aid in understanding how ideologies, audience choice, or media language conventions can determine media content
