Laura Mulvey (representation)
-Argued that film put the spectator in a masculine position, whilst the women on the screen is the object of desire (male gaze).
-Heroic characters were overwhelmingly male.
-Women were “to-be-looked-at-ness.”
-Hypothesized this in her 1973 essay visual pleasure of desire.
-Women are either showcased as sexually active or a helpless victim.
Curran and Seaton (power and ownership)
-Media is driven by the logic of power and logic.
-Media is controlled by a small number of companines gaining profit and power.
-Media ownership is concentrated.
-Profit and power limit creativity.
-Media reflects interests of owners.
Roland Barthes-semiotics
-Media communictes through messages.
-Denotation-literal meaning.
-Connotation-cultural meaning.
-Repeated connotations become myths.
-Myths naturalise ideology making cultural believes seem normal.
-Media supports dominant ideologies by embedding dominant myths.
Stuart Hall-Encoding/decoding
-Media messages are encoded with preffered meanings.
-Audiences actively decode text.
-Meaning is not fixxed.
-Dominant reading-Audience accepts the intended meaning.
-Negociated reading-Parlty agree, partly challenges.
-Oppositional reading-Rejects the intended meaning.
Steve Neale- Genre
-Genre is defined by repetition and indifference.
-Genres are not fixxed, they evovle over time.
-Genre is shaped by: industry, audience expectations, cultural context.
-Hybridity is common.
Todorovs theory- Narrative
-Equilibrium.
-Disruption.
-Recognition.
-Repair.
-New Equilibrium.
-Narratives often restores social order.
-Reinforces dominant values.
Levi-Strauss- Structuralism
-Meaning comes from binary oppositions.
-Oppositions reflect deeper ideological tension.
-Conflict drives narrative.
Stuart Hall- Representation
-Representation is constructed.
-Media represents reality through selection and meaning.
-Stereotypes maintain power structures.
David Gauntlett- Identity
-Identity is fluid and self-constructed.
-Media offers diverse role models.
-Media allows identity experimentation.
-Challenges traditional gender norms.
Bell Hooks- Intersectionality
-Feminism must consider race, class, and gender.
-Mainstream media centres white, middle-class feminity.
-Media marginalises women of colour.
-Representation links to systems of power.
Van Zoonen- Postcolonislism
-Media represents ethnic minorities through stereotypes.
-Media reinforces ideas of “otherness”
-Black identity is often marginalised or criminalised.
Gerbeners theory-Cultivation theory
-Long-term exposure shapes the world view.
-Heavy viewers see the world as more violent.
-Media influences perception gradually.
Bandura-Media effects
-Audience may imitate behaviour.
-Observational learning.
-Media can influence behaviour short term.
David Hesmondalgh- Cultural identities theory
-Media tries to minimise risk and maximise audience through verical and horizontal integration.
-Largest companies and conglomerates now operate across a number of media imdustries.
Clay Shirky-End of audience theory
-Audience are no longer passive consumers and now have the ability to speak back to media in various of ways.
-Media consumers engage in the creating and sharing of content with one another.
Hypodermic needle theory
-Media messages are directly injected into a passive audience.
-Audiences are mass, homogeneous and vunerable.
-Media has a powerful, immediate, and direct effect.
-Audiences accept messages without questioning them.
