Critically Assess the Media Effects Model of Communication

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“There are many fascinating questions to be explored about the influence of the media upon our perceptions, and ways of thinking and being in the world” (Gauntlett, 2005). As a result of this over 10,000 studies have been conducted which have looked at the consumption of violent media and the differing responses to different forms of the media amongst different people (Ferrell, 2005). The idea of the media effects debate was originally proposed by the Frankfurt School as a result of people’s reactions to Nazi propaganda (Albertazzi & Cobley, 2013). Since the beginning of the debate many questions have been raised as to whether the media is harmful or not as audiences tend to be extremely problematic. It is also evident from this research that there are no clear cut answers that can firmly end the dispute. Gauntlett suggests that there is a choice of two conclusions that can be drawn about why there are no definite answers to the media effects debate. Firstly he suggests that it could be fair to conclude that after so much research effort and no direct effect being clearly identified that there may simply be no effects to be found. Secondly he argues that media effects research may have consistently taken the wrong approach to analysing the mass media (Gauntlett, 20056). Throughout this assignment I shall focus on critically assessing the media effects model of communication. The first paragraph will provide a brief outline of the media effects model with the subsequent paragraphs delivering an assessment of the model with reference to further theories including the uses and gratification model, cultivation analysis and encoding/decoding theory suggested by Hall. Finally the conclusion will provide a summary of what has been disc...

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... palatable as they suggest that audiences are active opposed to passive and also suggest that individual difference have to be taken into account as not everyone is affected in the same way by the media. Overall I feel that the model has provided little evidence to suggest that the media causes violence in society and so far the media’s power is seen to be limited to nudging crime prone individuals in directions that they were possibly already heading (Rafter, 2000). It may also be fair to say that the methodology behind research into the media effects needs to be altered for example a clear definition of what is classified as violence needs to be established and research into different settings and the longitudinal effects of the media need to be studied before any conclusions about the relationship between violent media and violent acts in society can be decided.

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