Hypodermic Needle Theory, The Two Step Flow Theory & Reception Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory 1955 Katz and Lazerfeld 

Mass Media - Public

This theory suggests that media messages are straight away injected into the passive audience that is immediately influenced by the message.

It's when the media put something in to texts or on television etc that the public see and it is said that what they say we believe. Additionally that we as an audience are manipulated by what the media send out. 

The Two Step Flow Theory 

Mass Media - Opinion Leaders - Public 

This theory has more than one step of communication involved, since half of the information that originates from the media passes through to the masses.  Plus this theory is a lot more superior to the Hypodermic Needle Theory and the audience are an active audience and seen as society.  

Stuart Hall 

'Reception Theory'

An example to explain the Reception theory is Lady Gaga, as she dresses a bit different and she is a bit crazy and is not afraid to wear what she wants, which is my own opinion. This is classed as an active audience because we all have our own opinions, even though we don't always understand what is mean't, but still have our own opinion. An audience can look at the same images or text for example, yet we will not always agree with something. 

Encoding- Is where the media texts are encoded by the producer full of images and text 

Decoding- Is where the text is decoded by the audience although not all audiences will respond and decode in the same way

How it works- When encoding is put forward and there is a particular message that the media want to give out, it is called preferred reading. It will sometimes be correctly decoded by the audience, however it sometimes isn't, therefore something hasn't gone right when the media has encoded the message in the images and text properly.

1) Dominant or preferred- These people in the active audience agree with the message

2) Negotiated- These people might agree and might disagree with some parts of what the producers have encoded

3) Oppositional- These people fully disagree and think the opposite to what has been encoded

Although these three categories have different factors that affect people to go into one of the categories which are:

- life experience

- Mood at the viewing time

- Age

- Culture- could be different, so not everyone will understand

- Beliefs- people have different beliefs 

- Gender

At the end of this music video project I want people to have an understanding of my music video and understand what is going on and also agree with what I have done and included in my music video.