These slides are a summary overview of, in some cases, a few very complex theories. Apologies for the over-simplification. This resource is designed to be a helpful starting point for further study and revision. It should always be used alongside specific contexts and examples. It is also intended to persuade skeptics that Media Studies deserve to be taken seriously.

1. Media Theory Overview Part 1
These slides are a summary overview of, in some cases, a few very
complex theories. Apologies for the over-simplification.
This resource is designed to be a helpful starting point for further
study and revision. It should always be used alongside specific contexts
and examples.
It is also intended to persuade skeptics that Media Studies deserve to
be taken seriously.
Jon Meier

2. Postmodernism
1 Nothing is original
2 Parody & Pastiche
3 Bricolage
4 Self-reflective
5 Hybrid
6 Blurring of trad. boundaries
7 mix of high & low culture
8 Form over content
9 Intertextuality
Hyperreality
Mentioned in
the Matrix
Baudrillard
Match these up with the
definitions on the left:
a) Aesthetics
b) Imitation
c) Simulation, replica,
duplication
d) Mixing styles/genres
e) Sticking together
random elements
f) One text referring to
another
g) e.g. male/female
h) Aware of its own
status as construction
i)e.g. Ballet & breakdance
In what ways in QI
postmodern?
Think of other
media examples
Music?
Facebook?

3. NARRATIVE & GENRE THEORY
Todorov
Propp
Levi-Strauss
8 character types
Binary opposition
3 part structure
LINK the following:
Narrative frame
Backstory
Flashback
Flash forward
Sequel & prequel
enigma
(non) -linear
multistrand
Fractured/ fragmented narrative
Open(-ended) vs closed
Series vs serial
Cliff-hanger
Todorov:
Equilibrium
Disruption
Resolution
Repertoire of elements
Iconography
Repetition & variation
Repetition & difference
Hybrid vs pure
iconography
Once upon a time …
and they all (nearly) lived
happily ever after
Is genre dead?
Who is telling the story?
For whom?
Why? Purpose? Message?
Motivation? How do we
know?
MEDIATION - filtering,
omission, selecting, ordering
emphasis (foregrounding)
Syd Field:
3 act structure
Set-up
conflict /confrontation
Resolution / Pay off

4. Auteur TheoryDirector of a film
has full creative
control;
Not the producer
or film company
(studio)
Director controls
every aspect of
the production
process
Like an author, the
film is their
personal vision
Alfred Hitchcock
Stanley Kubrick
Tim Burton
Wes Anderson
Quentin Tarantino
The style is
Distinctive
Original
Quirky
Individual
See: Music video –
Chris Cunningham,
Spike Jonze, David Fincher
They reject:
- Producer/ studio led
domination
- genre
- High concept franchise films

5. Moral PanicsThe mass hysteria
arising from a feeling
that society is in a
state of moral decline
& THAT CERTAIN
GROUPS ARE TO
BLAME
Popular Media
create
scapegoats (‘folk
devils’ who they
blame for
society’s decline
find examples of how
the media use Moral
Panics to stir up
resentment and fear
of minority groups
Moral panics
are seized on
and stirred
up by
popular
media
Moral panics in the media
tend to lead to people
demanding tougher laws,
firmer policing, more
discipline, immigration
controls etc
Links with Hegemony
And pressure to
preserve the
STATUS QUO
http://www.slideshare.net/kimberleyfinn/moral-panic
Stanley Cohen

6. Hegemony
“The ideas of the dominant
classes, are in every epoch, the
dominant ideas” (Karl Marx 1845)
The
power of
a ruling
minority
(elite)
over a
majority
‘upper class’ establishment /
elite / ruling class =
big business & institutions
Aristocracy?
The church?
Landlords? /
Monarchy Government
Oxbridge Rich & Powerful
Editors & media owners
politicians? landowners
Workers (‘the masses’)
ordinary people
Mainstreamers
Mass audiences
In many
societies ,
the rule of a
minority is
imposed on
the people
by force,
tyranny,
dictatorship
and
oppression
Is this true in
the UK?
Who
owns the
media?
Whose
side are
the
media
on?
Gramsci –
says that
hegemony
is achieved
by winning
the
consent of
the masses
Preserving
the STATUS
QUO

7. Pluralism
Sometimes called Liberal Pluralism
The opposite of
hegemony.
Wide variety of media
institutions so there’s
no single dominant view
Multiple opinions.
Generally linked to Western
democracy.
Media objectivity - ‘freedom of the
press’ / freedom of information/
Freedom of expression
Exposing corruption and abuse of
power among the elite
Challenges dominant institutions
Democratization
Digital media,
blogs, protest sites e.g
Object & Everyday
Sexism
The Guardian
Greenpeace
Index on Censorship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY8pxyO0XL8
In the UK, it
could be
argued that
we have a
PLURALIST
media- discuss
Gives a voice to the
ordinary citizens
Empowers users
Covers: User
Generated content,
user control,
democratization
Arab Spring
Citizen journalism

8. Cultivation Theory &
Mean World Syndrome
George Gerbner
1960’s
Focus on TV
Steady exposure to media
violence over a period of
time
desensitizes audiences to
the effects of violence
It cultivates a lack of feeling
among audiences
Desensitization= numbing
Over time, it can affect
attitudes and behaviour
Cultivation Theory Mean World
Syndrome
The more TV people
watch, the more
negative and
pessimistic is their
view of the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msfu8YCCc8Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylhqasb1chI
How reliable are Media
effects models?
Bandura’s Bobo
Doll experiment

9. Uses & Gratifications Model
See Dyer ‘s
utopian pleasures model
Blumler & Katz 1970s
Audiences choose
media for their own
purposes and to
satisfy particular
needs.
Audiences are
active in engaging
with media
Personal
Identity –
defining who
you are by the
media you
consume
Information-
‘surveillance’ - finding
out more
Entertainment
escape
‘diversion’
Social
interaction
Getting on
with others
who share
the same
media tastes;
acceptance
Links with
Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs
http://www.slideshare.net/zlorhenley/uses-
and-gratifications-theory-6933502
See critique here on final slide:
PIES

10. Hypodermic Needle Model
Links to
-Propaganda
-Advertising
See also
Frankfurt school
Flow Theory
Comes from
Behaviorist
models of
audience
behaviour
War of the Worlds
Radio Drama
US 1938 Mass panic
Cultivation Theory
Audiences are
passive receivers
of media content
Media
influences
audience
behaviour
and
attitudes

11. Dyer’s Utopian Pleasures Model
What about dystopian
pleasures? Do you think
dystopian representations
have a function?
Give examples of
‘feelgood’ escapist
texts
Media provides
people with a
form of
diversion,
escape from
their dull
ordinary lives
Dumbing down?
Infotainment?
Sometimes
called: Utopian
Solutions Model
Links to U & G Theory
Relates to
Game shows/
comedies
Action/adventure
movies
Computer games
Social tension vs Utopian Solution
Exhaustion – Energy
Scarcity- Abundance
Dreariness-Intensity
Fragmentation- Community
Richard Dyer

12. How to bring theoretical perspectives
into your critical analysis
• This reflects / illustrates/ shows …the X model
• This ties in with Y’s theories on X
• This could be seen to link with the X model
• There is a link here with X
• We can see a connection here with X / with Y’s
views on…
• At this point it is worth considering Y’s …
• X’s views/ the X model could be relevant here
• Although Y’s views may applied here, I believe…