Uses and gratification theory, reception theory and effects theory.

Uses and gratification theory

Uses and gratification theory is the opposite of effects theory. Uses and gratification theory assumes an active audience, which chooses the text it consumes and where individuals have reasons for consuming these texts.

Reception theory

The reception theory sometimes known as reception analysis which focuses on what people see in the media, on the meanings they produce when they interpret media texts. This theory assumes an active audience.

• A key theorist is David Morley

Effects theory

Started by Frankfurt School, specifically a group of social scientists originally based at the institution for social research in years between the two world wars. They were concerned with the power in mass media and made clear criticisms of a capitalist system which controlled media output as a result this theory assumes to a passive audience.
Ø Hypodermic needle model
Ø Violence in the media
Ø Cultivation theory
Ø Two-step flow

Similarities between the three theories

Ø Uses and gratification theory and reception theory both assume an active audience.
Ø Effects theory and uses and gratification theory both are very simplistic, meaning they are both to/over simple.
Ø Reception theory and effects theory refer to the concept of hegemony but in different concepts.

Differences between the three theories

Ø Uses and gratification and reception both assume an active audience whereas, effects theory assumes a passive audience.
Ø Reception theory concentrates on the audience itself and how it responds to the text. It is based on the ideas that no text has one single meaning instead the audience themselves help create the meaning of the text, whereas, the uses and gratification theory concentrates on why we read the text in a certain way.
Ø The effects theory thinks that the mass audience get manipulated by the media; hegemony of the ruling classes, however the other tow theories say different things.
Ø Uses and gratification theory has more choices than reception theory

Most useable theory

I think the most useable is the uses and gratification theory because we as a audience have the chance to decide what text we want to watch and are not forces as a result we are a active audience. It is also useable because we do watch the text we decide for a reason, the main reason I watch certain text is for entertainment and to pass time when I have nothing to do. To a certain extent, effects theory can be used because of moral panics such as the people wearing hoodies are thugs, well this how the media represents them as and the media can be seen as the ruling class (hegemony). Reception theory is also a useable theory, for example where David Morley conducted the detailed study, and discovered the three main types of readings such as the dominant (hegemonic), negotiated and oppositional reading. These three reading depends on the audience and how they want to read the text, though it also depends on the text itself as well.