Theories Flashcards
(21 cards)
Barthes theory of semiotics
Media uses signs (Denotation and connotation) to create meaning.
Overtime these signs can become naturalised as myths.
Todorovs theory of narrative
Equilibrium- distribution- realisation - new equilibrium
Steve Neales Genre Theory
Genres rely on repetition and difference.
They change over time through hybridity and economic factors
Levis Strauss structuralism
Meaning is made through binary oppositions
Opposites reflect cultural values
Baudrilllards Postmodernism
Line between real life and media is blurred
Media creates hyperreality, more real than real
Stuart halls representation theory
Stereotypes reinforce power imbalance and feeling of ‘othering’
David gauntlets Identity theory
Media is a tool to shape identity
We create ‘ pick and mix’ identity from media sources
Van Zoonens feminist theory
Gender is shaped by media discourse
Women are often objectified
Bell hooks feminism
Feminism is political. Race, class and gender are all factors or oppression
Judith Butlers perfomitivty
Gender is performance, repeated through actions, it’s not something we’re born with
Gilroy’s post Colonialism
Colonial ideas still affect media today, promoting racial hierarchies and ‘othering’ of non white people
Curran and Seaton media ownership
Media is owned by a few powerful corporations, focused on profit. This limits creativity and variety.
What is Livingstone and lunts regulation theory?
There is a struggle between protecting citizens and giving consumers freedom. Protection can limit freedom.
Hesmondhalgh cultural industries
Media aims to reduce risk and maximise profit through vertical/horizontal interaction and synergy.
Hypodermic needle theory
Media messages are directly and immediate absorbed by a passive audience.
Banduras media effects
Media can implant ideas and influence behaviours
Gerbners cultivation theory
Long term exposure to media shapes how audiences see the world, reinforcing dominant ideologies
Stuart halls reception theory
Audiences decode media in different ways: dominant, negotiated or oppositional
Henry Jenkins random theory
Fans are active, they Internate texts and build a community.
Clay Shirkys end of audience theory
In digital age, audiences are no longer passive. They interact, create and share media
