1. MEDIA EFFECTS and Cultural Approaches to Research
Chapter 15
MEDIA EFFECTS
and Cultural Approaches
to Research

2. Some guiding questions
What are different ways to study the effects that media messages have on audience (consumers)?
How have these approaches changed over the years?
What are the differences between media-effects research and cultural approaches?
What are the strengths and limitations of each?

3. Food for thought:
To what degree do the media we consume (TV, movies, music) affect our values and our behavior?

4. 3 ASPECTS of MASS MEDIA INDUSTRY (Producers and Marketers)
TEXT (Product)
AUDIENCE (Consumers)

5. MEDIA and AUDIENCES: Different Questions for Different Approaches
What do the media do to people? (MEDIA EFFECTS)
What do people do with media texts? (CULTURAL STUDIES)

6. MEDIA EFFECTS: What does a media text do to people?
Media text = a unit of media (a single article, book, program, film, videotape, etc.)
People = the audience

7. History of effects research
since the early 1900’s, elite concern about effects of media on the morals of children and the lower classes
after WWII, growing concern about use of propaganda to change public opinion
marketing research into consumer buying and viewing habits

8. Early Media Research
19th century models of media analysis based upon moral and political arguments
1920: Walter Lippman advocated applied media research based on psychology and scientific models

9. SCIENTIFIC METHOD identify the research problem
review existing research and theories
develop working hypotheses and theories
determine an appropriate research design
collect data
analyze results
interpret implications of the study

10. The SCIENTIFIC METHOD values:
objectivity
reliability
validity

11. Media research trends 1930-1960
propaganda analysis
public opinion research
social psychology studies
marketing research

12. MEDIA EFFECTS RESEARCH
- Attempts to understand, explain, and predict the impact of mass media on individuals and society

13. PRIVATE RESEARCH
conducted for a business, corporation or political group
usually applied research (addresses real-life problem)
often addresses a consumer problem
seldom shared, though selected results released to news media

14. PUBLIC RESEARCH occurs in academic or government settings
often more theoretical than applied (that is, tries to clarify or explain media effects)
usually shared with the public and other researchers

15. EARLY MODELS for understanding media effects:
Hypodermic Needle Model (direct effects)
Minimal Effects Model (selective exposure and retention), and
Uses and Gratifications Model (variations in how people respond)

16. Direct effects theories
view relationship between media texts and consumers as unmediated
sees individuals as passive and in isolation
perceives media like a bullet or hypodermic needle

17. Minimal Effects theories
media alone do not cause people to change beliefs and behaviors
selective exposure and selective retention of media messages
mass media often just reinforce existing attitudes
social influence of opinion leaders and peers

18. Uses and Gratifications model
views media consumers as active rather than passive
looks at how media satisfy emotional or intellectual needs
ASKS: Why and how do we use the media?

19. EXPLAINING MEDIA EFFECTS
Agenda-setting
Cultivation effect

20. CULTURAL STUDIES APPROACHES to MEDIA RESEARCH

21. CULTURAL STUDIES APPROACHES
look at media as part of our daily life, not in a laboratory
go beyond a psychological, individual approach -- sees individuals as members of social and cultural groups that influence us

22. CULTURAL STUDIES
adds qualitative, interpretive approach to the scientific approach of media effects research
examines how and why people USE media, not just what media DO to people
ASKS: What meanings do people make of their media experiences?

23. OTHER RELATED APPROACHES

24. ANALYSIS OF MEDIA INDUSTRIES
Economic analysis: how capital income/expenditures influence the organization and functioning of media industries
Industry structure: who does what, how industries are organized, professional roles

25. ANALYSIS OF MEDIA INDUSTRIES
Media policy analysis: evaluation of gov’t regulation, the allocation of resources and their impact on media and society
Media programming strategies and decisions

26. ANALYSIS OF TEXTS
CONTENT ANALYSIS (quantitative; scientific; statistical) often associated with MEDIA EFFECTS approach
MEDIA CRITICISM (interpretive; literary; looking for meanings) associated with CULTURAL APPROACH

27. MEDIA CRITICISM analyzes
Style and aesthetics (media as art form)
Narrative or structural analysis
Issues of representation (gender, social roles, stereotypes, etc.)

28. What are some of the strengths and limitations
of media effects research?
of cultural research?
of other approaches?