Narrative homework

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. 

One film that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium is "Home Alone". The equilibrium of Home Alone is when the family is going on holiday however the night before Kevin gets in trouble and gets sent to the loft to sleep there for the night. The following morning the large family was in a rush as they are about to miss their flight so they were rushing to get ready and leave and Kevin was still fast asleep in the loft.
The family completely forgot about Kevin and went to the Airport and boarded the plane.
The disequilibrium is when the mother of Kevin realised that they had left him home when the plane was in the air and there was no going back. They panicked but there was nothing to do until they arrived in Paris. The new equilibrium is when the issue was sorted and the mother of Kevin was able to get to her son in time for Christmas and there was a happy ending. 


2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.

3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.
   A example of Propp's character role is Vin Diesel. In Fast and Furious he is the protagonist.
   Another example of Propp's character role is the Joker in Batman. The joker is the antagonist in this film.
   The third example of Propp's characters role is Thanos is Infinity War. In Infinity War the antagonist is         Thanos.


4) Give an example of a binary opposition. Villain/ Hero

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values? The example that is provided in the factsheet for the ways narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values is the series of Family Guy. In each episode of Family Guy the equilibrium is usually resolved at the end of each episode. Audiences can watch the episodes in any order and each episode starts with a new equilibrium and isn't related with the previous episodes narrative.

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?
Enigma codes offer gratification for audiences because it is controlling how much the audiences see's and helps hold the audiences interest. Enigma codes also creates a mystery during the narrative so it makes the audience question what will happen as a result. For example, in a action movie someone might get kidnapped and the audience will be questioning: Will he/she be killed or be saved? Action codes offer gratification for audiences because it develops the narrative e.g. If a weapon is being used it may suggest that the narrative will be action/violent. 
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7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:

• Episodic narrative (the series) In the series of Stranger Things, William is on his way back home from his friends house however, something abnormal approaches him and takes him. Over the series it shows how the family and friends get William back from the abnormal creature.
• Overarching narrative (the serial) In The Flash, Barry uses his extremely fast speed to prevent crime and then towards the end of the serial, the audience gets to see whether Barry was successful or unsuccessful.
• Mixed narrative
• Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative) In Eastenders, Max and his daughters as they don't get along with their father and a huge fight kicks off whereas, Dot is concerned about her shop as she is being told to shut it down. 

8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative?  The factsheet suggests that adverts use narrative by creating a equilibrium then a disequilibrium interrupts the narrative however, it is resolved with a new equilibrium.

Effects Debate Factsheet

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?') 1. Yes I do watch violent films however, I am not violent in real life. 2. Yes, advertisements of the latest iPhone made me want to buy it. 3. I have watched a countless amount of documentaries however, it hasn't drawn my attention to an issue which I feel strongly about.

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories? Direct effect theories, diffusion theories, indirect effect theories, and the pluralist approach.

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 
The exampled provided for the hypodermic needle theory where media texts have been blamed for certain events is: 1.Child’s Play – The murder of Jamie Bulger 2.Marilyn Manson – The Columbine High School shootings 3.Natural Born Killers – a number of murders committed by
romantically linked couples. in one case, the director was sued
for inciting violence although the court case was later dismissed

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet. The 1999 Columbine massacre was when two twelve grade students named Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and 1 teacher. They injured 21 additional people with gunshots. This resulted in debates over gun control laws, bullying as well as moral panics over gun culture and social outcasts along with teenage internet use and violence in video games.

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest? Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggests that the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour. Gerbner's Cultivation theory also suggests that repeated exposure to certain ideas and values may make the audience less critical of the ideas presented as they appear normal.

7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory? The Mail Online version of the story is here.

Above the headline it says "Anti-age your neck, chin and decolletage" Next to this is a picture of a lady with a sharp jawline. This would make the audience think that people with a sharp jawline makes them look young. The more it get's advertised the more people will think to look young you'll need a sharp jawline. The main headline says "Under-5s glued to screens 4 hours each day". People often give their child the phone to watch YouTube video so they stop misbehaving however, as people keep seeing this happen they're starting to think this is normal but in reality this is affecting the child's mind development if they aren't physically doing anything.

8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet? One criticism is that the theory makes simplified judgements about the audience as the theory thinks they all respond the same towards the media.

10) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings? The 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour is considered as so controversial today because it was extremely racist but was shown as comedy however, modern viewers now view it as racist and offensive. This tells us that reception theory is taking place and audiences create meanings by many factors e.g. race. In this case, the racist jokes might've been towards a particular race which might've been seen as normal in the 1970s but now it is wrong.

11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?
Example of Hall's negotiated reading: A broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with
some personal modification
Example of Hall's oppositional reading: An oppositional reading of an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection of it in favour of one created by the individual

12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why? It is important that you develop critical autonomy in judging the arguments for and against different theories and form your own opinion on these issues. In my opinion, the most convincing audience theory is the Cultivation theory. This is because it happens on a daily basis. People see something online and the more they see it the more desensitised they are becoming to it and are starting to think this is normal. This is a issue because some of the things we view online shouldn't become second nature to us and we should act upon it and take action.

Audience Theory 2

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence? Yes, I think the media is massively responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence because on websites such as Youtube there are videos that glamorise anti-social behaviour and violence which leads to young people/ teenagers being violent. 

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples. Social learning theory is relevant in the digital age because social media pages such as Instagram allow people to share videos and anyone can view the video. An example of this is the Dele Ali challenge. Dele Ali shared a video of him doing a trick which went viral and this led to everyone trying to do what he has done.

3) Research five examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics? 1. One moral panic that everyone has been worried about recently is when Donald Trump became president. This was a massive concern for some people as they were not sure what Donald Trump would do with his powers. 2. Another moral panic is that people have been worried about the increase in terrorist attacks and the media has been building up on this topic which led to public concerns. 3. The third moral panic has been knife crime in London. The massive increase in knife crime has led to parents being concerned about their children as there has been stabbings all over London. In March 2018 there has been over 40,000 people carry knives or have been injured by knives. This has been the highest in the last 8 years. This is a huge concern because people are worried to leave their house as they might be interrupted by youths and get stabbed or threatened. As a result of the increase, the mayor of London has had more police officers patrolling London and more stop and searches have been taking place. 4. Another moral panic was Ebola. Ebola was the headline of all media products and created fear for everyone as it could be easily transmitted by simply just touching someone. There were over 12,000 victims of Ebola and 4,000 dead.
The fifth moral panic within the last 50 years has been Islamophobia. After the 9/11 attacks people have hated Muslims and have blamed Muslims for the attack. The media have had headlines which made Muslims look evil.
        
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society? The examples are: Online child safety, digital privacy, and cybersecurity. 

5) How does the author suggest that technopanics should be addressed - rather than through government regulation? The author suggests that technopanics should be addressed by ongoing societal learning, experimentation, resiliency, and coping strategies rather than by regulation.

6) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online? No I don't think the internet should be regulated. In my opinion, adults should be able to access whatever they'd like on the internet however, for children there is a parental control option which prevents children from accessing things they shouldn't.

7) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse?  Gerbner's theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. Yes, the internet is creating a fearful population as there are always videos being shared of things such as shootings, stabbings, police brutality. This causes the population to believe that this is happening everywhere when it isn't e.g. police brutality often happens in America however, people who aren't from America might start assuming this also takes place in their current country.

8) Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? How would you define 'heavy internet use'? Yes heavy internet use is something be should be extremely worried about. This is because people are starting to stay home more rather than going out and meeting up with friends and family. They are forgetting basic verbal communication skills as they've become so used to texting. Heavy internet use also leads to people staying home more and this is possibly one of the factors of the obesity crisis as people are just staying home, using their phones and eating. I would define heavy internet use as: When someone does not go out often to meet up with friends and family, often binge watches the latest series and uses more than 2-3 hours of their day on social media.

Audience Theory 1

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model? This would link to the hypodermic needle model because people would start panicking thinking children are able to hack into big companies and parent's would start getting paranoid into thinking that if their child is playing violent video games, they may also be a hacker.

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? Someone might criticise this front page because the daily mail clearly says 'Son of a single mother' and the hypodermic needle model would come into use as people would start thinking single mothers are useless and can't take care of their child.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today? The two-step flow model was invented in the 1940s. The two-step flow model suggests that we are mainly influenced by people. The theory also suggests that the media is not all powerful, social factors are important

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

3) How this this Telegraph feature on Britain's most popular tweeters fit the two-step flow model? Do you think these accounts genuinely have an influence over their audience? Yes, I think these accounts genuinely have an influence over their audience. This is because they'd like to share what they see from their perspective and most of their fans would often believe what they share and agree with them.

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model? Jamal Edwards links to the two-step flow model because he is the one who is creating media in a certain way so the audience knows how to perceive it.

Uses and Gratifications theory

Diversion: Escape from everyday problems and routine. - Entertainment

Personal Relationships: Using the media for emotional and other interaction (E.g. developing affection for characters) 

Personal Identity: Finding ourselves reflected in the texts or learning behaviour and values from the media. - Reality TV

 

Surveillance: Information useful for living - Weather

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view? Yes I agree that audiences have become dependent on the media. Examples are that people use instagram nowadays to see what is going on in the world rather than reading newspapers. People use media as a source of entertainment rather than actually going out and having fun.

2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem? In the last 15 years, people have become more reliant on media and this is a new problem because people are staying home and using new digital technology to communicate with friends and family rather than actually going out. People stay home and use their phones and eat and this is one of the possible factors of the obesity crisis in the UK.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and wellbeing? Why? Overall, I think is has a positive impact on health as it tells us how much calories we burn everyday via walking and running. Furthermore, it keeps us updated with what is going on locally and globally. 

Psychographic Groups

Who you are working with: Daneeshta 

The psychographic group you are researching: Reformers

Introduce your example couple that represents your group: 

1) Make up their names: Stewart and Jessie

2) Where do they work/study? They are currently studying in University.

3) What do they do in their spare time? In their spare time they read books, follow trends, use twitter, voluntary work.


Now suggest their media consumption:

Print: What newspapers/magazines does your group read (if any)? Is this on paper or tablet? Most likely to be reading The Guardian/ The Independent on a tablet.


Broadcast: What TV programmes/channels do your group watch? Radio stations? TV package – Freeview or Sky? Films? Netflix, Now TV, Amazon Prime.


Online: What technology do they own? What websites do they visit (if any)? What social media do they use? They own iPhones and other Apple products. The social media they use is Twitter and Instagram.

2) Which psychographic group do you feel best fits your lifestyle and personality? Explain how and why you made your decision and provide evidence justifying this. The psychographic group I think that best fits my lifestyle and personality is Explorers. This is because I like facing new challenges and overcoming them and I am also the one who enjoys adventures. Furthermore, I like trying out new brands so what I wear is unique and not basic.