media theoriesss

to do the learn mode: answer w definition

the study of signs and meaning texts communicate their ideas through signification.

semiotics

exposure to certain symbolic constructions can become self evident, as the sign becomes myth through naturalization

semiotics

semiotics maker

roland barthes

the object/thing

sign

the physical existence (sound,word,image)

signifier

the mental concept

signified

All narratives share a basic structure, moving from one equilibrium to another.

narratology

These two states of equilibrium (disequilibrium, equilibrium) are separated by disruption or imbalance. The way that narratives resolve can have ideological significance.

narratology

narratology creator

tzvetan todorov

Genres are dominated by repetition of codes and conventions but must also incorporate difference, variation, and change.

genre theory

Genres change as they borrow from and overlap with each other (hybridity and subgenres).

genre theory

Genres exist within specific economic, institutional, and industrial contexts.

genre theory

genre theory creator

steve neale

Texts can be understood through an analysis of their underlying structure.

structuralism

Meaning is often produced through oppositional pairs (good vs evil). The resolution of these binary opposites can have ideological significance.

structuralism

structuralism creator

claude levistrauss

The boundaries between the “real” and “mediated” worlds have collapsed.

postmodernism

Signs are a process of signification with no signifier underlying them; they no longer refer to anything “real” or “literal”.

postmodernism

Mediated images now seem more “real” than the reality they supposedly represent (hyperreality).

postmodernism

  Views media as a site of power and ideology, and questions traditional narratives and interpretations. This media often emphasizes style over substance and challenges the idea of objective reality.

postmodernism

postmodernism creator

jean beaudrillard

blending different media forms.

intertextuality

acknowledging the artificiality of media

self-referentiality

blending high and low culture

pastiche

use this to challenge accepted narratives

irony and paradox

drawing attention to the filmmaking process

breaking the fourth wall

use this to subvert expectations

parody

representation is the production of meaning through language (a system of signs)

theories of representation

Stereotyping reduces people and things to a few simple characteristics or traits.

theories of representation

Stereotyping tends to occur where there is disparity of power, with subordinated/excluded groups being different or “other.”

theories of representation

theories of representation maker

stuart hall

medias help us to construct our identities

theories of identity

Media provides us with ‘tools and resources that we use to shape our identities.

theories of identity

   In the past, these media toolboxes were simple; as the mediated world has become more complicated, we now have a wide range of media models – a pick-and-mix of different ideas that we can choose from.

theories of identity

theories of identity maker

david gauntlett

exploring the legacy of colonialism and imperialism

post colonial theory

  Colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity.

postcolonial theory

  “Civilizations” constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of “other”ness.

postcolonial theory

postcolonial theory maker

paul gilroy

Gender is constructed through discourse.

feminist theory

Gender, as a product of discourse, changes depending on cultural and historical context.

feminist theory

The objectification of women’s bodies is core to Western patriarchal culture. The codes used in mainstream media to construct the male body are different from the mediated/objectified female body.

feminist theory

feminist theory maker

liesbet van zoonen

Media is driven by the logic of power and profit.

power and media industries theory

Media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily concerned with gaining profit and power.

power and media industries theory

Media concentration typically inhibits or limits variety, creativity and quality.

power and media industries theory

Socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create conditions for more varied and adventurous media products.

power and media industries theory

power and media industries theory maker

james curran and jean seaton

  There is an underlying struggle between the need to further the interests of citizens (protection from harmful material) and the interests of consumers (choice, value, competition)

regulation theory

The rise of media conglomerations and the emerging production, distribution and marketing of digital media have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk.

regulation theory

regulation theory makers

sonia livingstone and peter lunt

Media companies try to minimize risk and maximize audiences through vertical and horizontal integration and through the form of their media/cultural products (through genre, serial format and by including stars).

cultural industries theory

The internet, and its radical potential, has been partially contained by its incorporation into large, profit-oriented cultural companies.

cultural industries theory

cultural industries theory maker

david hesmondhalgh

Media is capable of implanting ideas directly into the minds of its audiences.

media effects theory

Audiences respond to the modeling in media and thereby, acquire new attitudes, styles of conduct and emotional responses.

media effects theory

Media representation of transgressive or antisocial behavior can lead audience members to imitate those forms of behavior.

media effects theory

media effects theory maker

albert bandura

Repeated exposure to patterns of representation over long periods of time can shape and influence the way the audience perceives the world around them (by cultivating particular points of view and opinions).

cultivation theory

Cultivation reinforces mainstream, or dominant, values and ideologies.

cultivation theory

cultivation theory maker

george gerbner

Communication is a process involving encoding by producers and decoding by the audience.

reception theory

There are three hypothetical positions from which meanings can be decoded.

reception theory

reception theory maker

stuart hall

The encoder’s intended meaning is fully understood and accepted.

the dominant-hegemonic position

The legitimacy of the encoder’s message is acknowledged, but the message is adapted to better fit the decoder’s individual experiences or context.

The negotiated position

The encoder’s message is understood, but the decoder disagrees with it, reading it in a contrary or oppositional way.

The oppositional position

Fans are also active participants in the constructions and circulation of textual meanings.

fandom theory

Fans also appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully authorized by the media producers (“textual poaching”).

fandom theory

Fans construct their social and cultural identities by borrowing and inflecting mass culture images and participate in a culture that offers a vital social dimension.

fandom theory

fandom theory maker

henry jenkins

The internet and digital technologies have a profound effect on the relations between media and individuals.

end of audience theory

In the age of the internet, audience members or no longer passive consumers of mass media content: consumers now have the ability to “speak back to” media in various ways.

end of audience theory

Media consumers engage in the creating and sharing of content with one another.

end of audience theory

end of audience theory maker

clay shirky