Audience Theories and Impact of Media Content

Hypodermic Needle Theory:

A term for the impact media products have on their audience, it’s built upon ideas from the 1930s ‘Hypodermic Syringe’ model, where Vance Packard discussed the negative impact of mass media products with reference to persuasive advertising across print and broadcast media.

Passive Audience Theory:

Passive audience theory builds upon Packard’s idea of mass media being able to inject ideas in people’s heads like a “hypodermic syringe” and reinforces the idea that audiences have limited resistance to media messages.  Main concerns were about the idea of ‘copycat’ effects and assumes the audience will copy whatever they see.

Cultivation Theory:

Gerbner and Gross’ (1978) cultivation theory suggests that over time, repetition of viewing violent acts allows certain ideas and values to become normalised.  By repetitive viewing of violent images in TV, film or video games the audience may become desensitised to them.

Examples:

Violent lyrics in drill and other music

Violent actions in video games that people have to interact with

Violence in films