Introduction to media studies

‘A Mass Communication’. Media is a form of mass communication through a channel. It worth to be studies
because of the impact of it on audience. What you see in media is a Representation of Reality. While representing the
reality, you have all the freedom to express yourself.
Media also controlls you to see what they want you to see and nothing else = Manipulation

 Theories
The hypodermic theory : in this model media is seen as powerful and able to inject ideas into an audience who
are seen as weak and passive. The model suggests that a media text or content can inject attitudes into a passive
audience who might then act upon them. This theory also suggest that media text has only one message which the
audience must pick up. Here the audience is inactive and members of the Audience are seen as couch potatoes just
sitting there consuming media. The audience actually just accepts and believes what they receive, this theory atimms
a fear off the audience, and gives media much more power that it has ever had in a democracy.

Cultivation theory : this theory also Treets the audience as passive. It suggests that repeated exposure to the
same message will have an effect on the audience's attitudes and values. The similar idea is known as desensitization
which suggests that long term exposure to violence media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence.
Being less shocked by violence, the audience may then be more likely to behave violently.

The two step flow : this theory suggests that messages move into two distinct ways. First, opinion leaders
recieve messages from media creators and pass it on to interpretation. The information here does not flow directly
from the text into the mind of the audience but it's filtered through the opinion leaders before reaching the
audience. The media message is simply mediated than just using a direct process.

All the three theories consider the audience as a passive reseapient of the message. A kind of audience which
just consumes constructed media text

 The audience
The Definition : is an abstract consept that can't be defined as an individual. An audience cannot be controlled
but they can be sought. An audience is a part of the hole made up of individuals but misured as collective entity.
With in an audience individuals differ in terms of usage of different media to meet there wants . Collections of
individuals meet different wants through different media use.

Active audience: → Users and gratification model : this model stims from the idea that audiences are complex
mixture of individuals who are active and select media text that best suits there needs. Thus, model suggests that
audiences make active disigions about what they consume in relation to there social and cultural setting and there
means. Put simply, audiences choose to consume what make them feel good(gratification) or to consume what gives
them information that they can use(uses).

There are four main uses according to this theory :

1) Servaillence : you need to know what's going on in the world by keeping up update with news.

2) Personal relationships : this is provided by forming virtual relationships with characters in films, Etc... .

3) Personal identity: part of our sense of self is information by making judgments about all sorts of people and
things. This is also true of judgements we make about TV, characters and celebrities, Etc... . As an audience we need
to define our identity and sense of self(or choice of music can an expression of our identity).

4) Diversion: we consume media to escape. We consume media for entertainment and relaxation. Media content
can be satisfying as it gratifies our needs.
  Gatekeeping
The difinition : is a selection process in which all informations are organised by level of importance and interest.
The gatekeepers decide which information is relevant after sourting it out in a higher - that determines what they
need. Through gatekeeping the unwanted sensible and controversial are removed to control the society. Mass
Media plays the role of the watch dog of democracy. It plays the role of a mother in a household that decides what
her kids need and they what should avoid.

The evolution of gate keeping : Was first identified as theory by ZADİK. According to Zadik food doesn't go from
a store Or a garden, there are various decisions making processes that have to pass on the way there. Food doesn't
move by its own force, however, it inter's the channel communication when it gets effected by the gatekeepers.
Zadik claims that the gatekeepers that house wife, that prepares the food and control the gate.

Manin waylies : according to Manin, the theory of gatekeeping fits adicotly with the channel. For example, an
editor can either retain or reject words in copy ( with or without a reason). For Manin editor's decision can be
sebjective decision. He classify rejection in two main ways :

1) rejecting based on what is wordy of being recorded .

2) rejecting based on duplicate of other records on the same thing.

-These considerations fits well with what we call today news norms.

Westlies contribution : according to Westlies that maltiple gatekeepers control various function along the news
process.

Famila shomakl: according to Famila the process of gatekeeping is applied at the individual level (institutions
level or organisation level). According to her the gatekeeping model - individual gatekeepers working within an
institution, individuals who have internal or external forces and feedback. Gatekeeping is very important in media it
occurs at all levels of media structures from a reporter deciding which sources are chosen to include a story to
editors deciding which story are printed or covered. All in all individuals can act like gatekeepers deciding what
information to include in a Facebook post an email.

Reasons of gatekeeping:

1)A large mountain of news.

2)Limited time.

3)Faced the audience.

4)Not every truth is for publishing or being air.

{Media literacy – power auxiom}

- sélective exposure
- sélective

The acronym AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire and action. These are the four stages of that an audience/
consumer goes through when watching or viewing an advertisement. Ones attention is grabbed, it has to invoke
interest towards the product in theinds of audiences or consumers. After creating interest, the add has to bring
desire in the consumer’s mind to use the product. Finally the audience has to take a favorable action towards the
product by ultimately buying or purchasing the product.