To what extent do the media shape the audience’s attitudes and
behaviour?
Candidates will need to look at the ways in which the media can shape the
attitudes and behaviour of the audience. A wide range of different media may be
considered. The argument that the media does not influence the audience’s
attitudes and behaviour could also be discussed in evaluation. Examples may be
used to strengthen the points made.
Possible answers:
For
• Advertising is all around us and is used to try and persuade people to
spend their money and consume material goods leading to the creation
of a consumer culture and an acceptance of capitalism;
• Prevalence of new and social media means, for postmodernists, that the
media is all around us, and with things ‘going viral’, this will affect
attitudes and behaviour;
• Imitation – the audience may copy what they see in the media, e.g.
Grand Theft Auto video game copy catting incident in Japan, school
shootings in America etc.;
• The media can be used to set the agenda and thus tell the public what
is important in society, influencing attitudes and behaviour;
• News values in the media determine media content and this can
determine how the audience think and behave
• Biased media reporting, propaganda and censorship controls content of
the media and thus affects the thoughts and actions of the audience;
• Marxists believe that the media conveys the dominant ideology to the
masses and ensures that ruling class power is maintained;
• Feminists believe that the media conveys a patriarchal ideology to the
audience and thus supports gendered inequalities in society;
• Seeing and hearing the same messages and images on a regular basis
in the media makes the audience more likely to be affected by and
accept them - cultural effects model;
• The use of role models in the media are a big influence on the audience
and so can shape attitudes and behaviour, e.g. attitudes to drugs,
fashion sense, language used etc.;
• Media can often be used to shape gender identity, perhaps also used as
part of primary socialisation;
• The hypodermic syringe theory and other passive audience models
argue that the audience are directly affected by what they see and the
media;
• Moral panics and the creation of folk devils in the media can shape the
audience’s attitudes and behaviour towards crime and deviance;
• Other reasonable response.
Against
• The audience do not have to accept and believe the media version of
events – negotiated and oppositional readings frequently occur (Hall);
• Active audience models, such as the uses and gratifications theory,
argue that it is the public who decide the effects the media have upon
them: it is about choice;
• The two-step flow model indicates that it is opinion leaders, rather than
the media, that influences the audience’s attitudes and opinions;
• In the postmodern world media outlets are everywhere and there is a
diverse range of material and viewpoints for the audience to choose
from, therefore the range of beliefs available to the audience are vast
and diverse;
• The new media allow the audience to be actively involved in media
content through interactivity, therefore the role of the media in shaping
attitudes and behaviour can be questioned – user-generated content
etc.;
• Agencies of socialisation, such as the family and the peer group, may
be more influential in shaping attitudes and behaviour than the media;
• If the media were solely responsible for creating attitudes and
determining how people behave then there would be high levels of
consensus across the globe – this is not the case, with a wide range of
alternative ideologies being in existence;
• Other reasonable response.
Band 0 (0)
No creditworthy response.
Band 1 (1–4)
Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense
showing limited knowledge of whether the media shape the audience’s attitudes
and behaviour. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses
may be short, undeveloped and one-sided, e.g. the audience buy what they see
in adverts. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points.
Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points or
provide a weak definition of key terms, i.e. attitudes are how we think and
behaviour is how we act, in the question.
Band 2 (5–8)
In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of whether the media
shape the audience’s attitudes and behaviour. Alternatively, they may offer an
answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the
issues raised by the question. There may be limited use of sociological terms or
concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Candidates may
give examples of TV shows, newspapers and films and how these may affect the
audience, e.g. children copying the violence they see in computer games.
Answers may be simplistic and two-sided responses are unlikely. Lower in the
band, the response will be rather narrow in the points covered and there will be
little development. Higher in the band, more points will be covered and there will
be limited development of some points. Alternatively, a list-like answer with little
development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks.
A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks.
Band 3 (9–12)
Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding
of whether the media shape the audience’s attitudes and behaviour. Sociological
terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the
most part, answers will be well developed, focused on the question and there will
be a range of points presented. Candidates may discuss media effects theories,
such as the hypodermic needle and the uses and gratifications model. They may
also give specific examples, such as voting patterns, body image and
advertising. Concepts such as imitation and role modelling may be referred to.
There will be a two-sided response, but this may be unbalanced. At the bottom of
the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of well-developed points. At
the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the
question.
Band 4 (13–15)
Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of
whether the media shape the audience’s attitudes and behaviour. There will be a
strong grasp of the argument, as well as accurate and frequent use of
sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well developed, clearly focused
on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Candidates may refer to the
idea that the audience are all individuals and thus be aware that it is impossible
to generalise the effects of the media on attitudes and behaviour. Responses will
be two-sided and balanced. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer
may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt
to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent??’ part of the question through a
focused conclusion. Candidates should show consideration of points for and
against the idea of whether the media shape the audience’s attitudes and
behaviour, citing some of the examples given.