Theorists you need to know
- 1. Theorists you need to know...
- 2. GauntlettCriticises the effects model“To explain the problem of violence in society, researchers should begin with that social violence and seek to explain it with reference, quite obviously, to those who engage in it: their identity, background, character and so on.”
- 3. Martin BarkerArgues against Moral PanicsMartin Barker (2001) criticised Elizabeth Newson who alleged link between media violence and real life violence in her report in 1994 The report gained media attention when it claimed the horror film Child's Play 3 had influenced two 10-year-old boys' behavior and led to the Murder of James Bulger in Feb. 1993. After examining and assessing Newson’s report, it was apparent that there was no clear link between the film and the crime. Critics pointed out that Newson's case studies were reliant on press accounts and opinions rather than independent research.
- 4. Martin BarkerHe lists real cases, for example “a man takes a gun and shoots his entire family after watching the news, arrested and tried, he explains his actions on the basis that the world news was so bad there seemed no point in anyone going on living”. Barker said that we should not always blindly blame the media because people are not copycats, instead we should be aware of someone's mental state and take other factors into account before making such claims. For example, in his case he states that the man's reaction was abnormal. Therefore, his behavior could not be explained by suggesting “the effects of the news”.
- 5. Katherine HamleyShe’s inbetweenNewson and Barker“In society today the construction of a personal identity can be seen to be somewhat problematic and difficult. Young people are surrounded by influential imagery, especially that of popular media. It is no longer possible for an identity to be constructed merely in a small community and only be influenced by family. Nowadays, arguably everything concerning out lives is seen to be ‘media-saturated’. Therefore, it is obvious that in constructing an identity young people would make use of imagery derived from the popular media.”
- 6. Katherine HamleyWhat media do you have personal, unmonitored access to at home?“This suggests that an identity is something that occurs to a person, like a ‘state’ of drunkenness. However, I believe that identity is something that is constructed over a period of time and can constantly be updated or changed completely. Young people can be seen to change their identities throughout puberty and often have different identities at the age of 11 or 12 to when they hit mid teens to their early 20s. Throughout this period, they will be in contact with many different influences ranging from older brothers and sisters, what is deemed to be ‘cool’ in school to popular imagery derived from the media such as the ‘in colour’ this season.”
- 7. Katherine Hamley“Constructing an identity in today’s media-saturated world is not an easy task. With the multiple examples of identity found in the mass media it is clear that some people may have difficulty distinguishing between sorts. Society also adds pressure to young children when constructing their identities as there are certain expectations presented by society that individuals have to ‘live up to’, as to what is an acceptable identity to maintain and what is unacceptable.”
- 8. Brown agrees with herA teenager does not experience the angst of constructing a self in a void but rather in the middle of a world of societal expectations and pressures that require public performances to "keep face" and, in some instances, to maintain physical and emotional safety.
- 9. How to use theoristsUse relevant quotations to open/ close your answer.Use them to justify how you analyse a text. For example, Hamley might believe that Skins is putting “adds pressure to young children when constructing their identities as there are certain expectations presented by society that individuals have to ‘live up to’, as to what is an acceptable identity to maintain and what is unacceptable” whereas Barker would say........
- 10. Other quotes“identity is not a fixed thing and it is just as difficult maintaining one as it is constructing one in the first place.” (Hamley)“With a simple flip of the television channel or radio station, or a turn of the newspaper or magazine page, we have at our disposal an enormous array of possible identity models.” (Lindof)
- 11. Other Quotes“The average teenager can create three online identities before breakfast” (Gauntlett)
- 12. Eastenders and BuckinghamBuckingham notes that much of the children's fascination for EastEndersarose from its inclusion of 'aspects of adult life from which they were normally "protected"' For the younger children this was 'akin to voyeurism‘ 'Discussing television may provide a relatively "safe" way of acknowledging things which they are normally forbidden to talk about; The kinds of 'secrets' which were seen as most fascinating included sexual activity, crime and violence Retellings of violent incidents appealed particularly to the boys. The children took pleasure in being 'shocked'
- 13. Will Eastenders have a negative effect?'These young viewers... were aware that EastEnders is constructed, and did not confuse its representation of the world with reality‘. Buckingham notes that the younger children rarely confused characters with the actors playing them. EastEnders directly invites its viewers to make moral and ideological judgments... However... the kinds of judgments which are invited are more frequently moral rather than ideological ones - that is judgments which relate to the rights and wrongs of individual behaviour, rather than to broader social forces.Selfish 'wanting her own way all the time 'weak‘ failing to 'get her own back‘ a 'bad mother’, a poor wife 'sexist‘ 'racist‘ 'bossy’ or 'a busybody’. Some involved an explicit class dimension - being 'stuck up' or 'posh'
- 14. Eastenders'Some of the girls felt that its female teenage characters were often presented as unrealistically passive, and were frustrated by the characters' failure to assert themselves in the way they would have wishes to do in their own lives‘http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG9zi3dPmO8&feature=related Whitney and Tonyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfeS0jSlYwY(E20)