Audience theory

Hypodermic needle model

" Playing violent video games for just 20 minutes a day can encourage aggressive behaviour " 

This article is linked to the hypodermic needle model because it is essentially blaming behaviour from video games for the behaviour carried out by people in reality - following the theory that the media 'injects' the audience's minds, influencing their behaviour and attitudes. 

The coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case links to the hypodermic needle model because the article is blaming the boy's video game addiction for his behaviour which is an example of the theory in practice. People may criticize this article because 'violent video games' have little to no correlation with hacking.  

Two-step flow model

The two-step flow of communication model hypothesizes that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population. This theory is still relevant to an extent today as audiences are often influenced by role models and celebrity figures within the media. 

The youtube blogger 'The cynical brit' talks about gaming on his channel as he is a game critic. Because of this, he may be viewed as an opinion leader. He is a gaming critic with over 2 million subscribers which suggests that he has a large following, implying that he has the power to influence mass audiences. For example, he has the power to influence gamers around the world to purchase certain games if he believes that they are of a high standard.

The people/celebrities listed in the '20 most popular UK Twitter users' links to the two step flow model because these people have a heavy influence on their audiences, meaning when they share their opinion on something it contributes to the shaping of opinions of their fans. These people do have a genuine influence over their audience, they are essentially 'opinion leaders', who use their high status to shape the minds of their audiences.

Uses and Gratifications theory

Diversion: The need to escape from everyday life - relax. People may watch soaps and Tv shows in order to do this - they would watch more fiction forms of media.

Personal Relationships: People use the media to fulfil their need for companionship - build emotional relationship with what they consume from media. People may watch reality TV shows and soaps to fulfil this.

Personal Identity: People use the media to find out about themselves - the people presented in the media may be a reflection of us. People may invest in reality TV, TV shows, magazines to do this.

Surveillance: Using the media to find out what is going on around us. This is linked heavily to the news media production distributed through TV, newspaper, magazines, radio. 

Dependency theory

I agree to an extent that audiences have become dependent on the media. In some cases audiences are completely reliant on the media when it comes to factors such as world news and local news - without media news production audiences wouldn't have much knowledge on the world around them. As audiences are more educated about the media and the reliability of it, they are less dependent on media coverage and know that it can only be believed to an extent, along with the idea that some media texts may be bias and therefore not as reliable.

The growth of new and digital technology has increased audience's dependency on media as it is more accessible and easier to follow. This means that it is now a part of audience's everyday life and shapes their view on everything around them, creating a dependency as it is always accessible.

I consume the media everyday however I don't let it completely shape my views and ideologies on everything. Overall the media doesn't have much of an impact on my emotions unless it's something that affects me or that I can directly relate to.