100MC Week 5 Feedback Session

In the feedback session this week we discussed audience demographics and the effect that media objects can have. It was agreed that models such as the Hypodermic Needle do not offer a suitable explanation for the effect of the media. We think that the effects are not as direct and passive as this model suggests. One of the key points of this week’s discussion was what is the impact on a vulnerable audience? It’s hard to define what we mean by vulnerable; young, uneducated, mentally ill, without guidance (i.e. no responsible guardian/role model) etc? We discussed that factors such as ethnicity and financial status don’t directly relate to media consumption and the influence it has, however the lifestyles related to these factors may do. The general consensus was that for a media object to have a profound effect, such as causing violence, there has to be other factors involved. It’s not as direct as watching a film and copying the actions, however extreme they are. Desensitization can affect someone’s personality or behaviour over a long period of time. For example, if a child has grown up from a very young age watching violent films, they would probably become immune to the brutal nature and therefore think the behaviour is acceptable. This means that they may grow up to be quite anti-social themselves, but it does not mean that there will be copy-cat behaviour as the result of one particular film or video game, for example.