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?
I think the media maybe part responsible for anti-social behaviour but it is not the only reason because there are several different things that can make some one more aggressive. The media does play a big part to encouraging anti-social behaviour because people become attached to it and assume that to do anything they will need the media and therefore avoid trying to look for different approaches. Also, the media is how people find out about what sort of events are going on in the world and from the news we get to see what sort of violence there is in some countries. Some people become more aggressive when they see some sort of violence on the news and from that observation they will imitate what they have seen on to others.
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.
The social learning theory is relevant in the digital age because people are now learning behaviours from social media and the internet. For example, youngsters use apps like Snapchat and Instagram where they can follow famous people or anyone really. From using apps like these people can be influenced and imitate the same sort of behaviour such as a young person seeing a video or an older person smoking making it seem 'cool,' and the young person decides to smoke because others were and it seemed fun. In my opinion, I think that a lot of people mostly learn behaviours from the media. Another example is young kids watching a semi-violent action film and the modelling the same sort of violent moves on each other, this shows that through the media is how people are learning behaviours from.
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?
- Fredic Werthem was a respected psychologist who was a pioneer in working with troubled youth. During his time Wertham noticed many of them were fans of comics and assumed that the comics were responsible for the trouble these kids were facing. He thought that Wonder Woman was a lesbian and that Batman and Robin were gay lovers.
- A guest on the Oprah Winfrey show believed that 'Rainbow parties' were 'wild sex parties' that were being held by teenagers all over America. It was believed that each girl would wear a different colour of lipstick for each boy they were with. This story was widely believed that people started to investigate these parties. Sex educators did not find any evidence that these parties were real or had ever taken place.
- People assumed that the Dungeons and Dragons is ether an occult training manual used to lure youngsters into Satanism, or it's a dangerous fantasy world that traps teenagers and leads them to madness, suicide or murder. The moral panic started in 1982 when Patricia Pulling's teenage son committed suicide and she decided to turn to D&D as an explanation of his death.
- After two kids attempted suicide in 1985, their parents accused the heavy metal band Judas Priest of hidinh subliminal messages in their songs to convinced their listeners to kill themselves. The case was dropped against Judas Priest because people realised that why would he want to tell his customers to die when they are what makes him successful.
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society?
Online child safety, digital privacy, cyber security
5) How does the author suggest that technopanics should be addressed - rather than through government regulation?
The author suggests that technopnics should be addressed by considering the structure of fear appeal arguments in technology policy debates, and then outline how those arguments can be deconstructed and refuted in both cultural and economic contexts. Several examples of fear appeal arguments will be offered with a particular focus on online child safety, digital privacy, and cybersecurity. The various factors contributing to “fear cycles” in these policy areas will be documented. To the extent that these concerns are valid, they are best addressed by ongoing societal learning, experimentation, resiliency, and coping strategies rather than by regulation. If steps must be taken to address these concerns, education- and empowerment-based solutions represent superior approaches to dealing with them compared to a precautionary principle approach, which would limit beneficial learning opportunities and retard technological progress.
6) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
No, I think they shouldn't restrict what we can access because the governments perspective is different to the people and they would assume certain things are not important to us when they are. By controlling what we can access restricts everything because it could block important information out that we need.
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?
I think that we are becoming desensitised to online threats. trolling and abuse because there is always stories being developed constantly about different sorts of online threats which make people assume that the situation is not that bad because it is not happening to them and that the matter is not that serious.
8) Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? How would you define 'heavy internet use'?
Heavy internet use can be defined as using the internet for long periods of time or engaging in online activity. Heavy internet use can have a dangerous effect on the users because they will become very dependent on it and will assume that everything that they see is true. Heavy internet users are exposed to more violence and therefore are affected by the Mean World Syndrome, the belief that the world is far more worse and dangerous than it actually is.
I think the media maybe part responsible for anti-social behaviour but it is not the only reason because there are several different things that can make some one more aggressive. The media does play a big part to encouraging anti-social behaviour because people become attached to it and assume that to do anything they will need the media and therefore avoid trying to look for different approaches. Also, the media is how people find out about what sort of events are going on in the world and from the news we get to see what sort of violence there is in some countries. Some people become more aggressive when they see some sort of violence on the news and from that observation they will imitate what they have seen on to others.
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.
The social learning theory is relevant in the digital age because people are now learning behaviours from social media and the internet. For example, youngsters use apps like Snapchat and Instagram where they can follow famous people or anyone really. From using apps like these people can be influenced and imitate the same sort of behaviour such as a young person seeing a video or an older person smoking making it seem 'cool,' and the young person decides to smoke because others were and it seemed fun. In my opinion, I think that a lot of people mostly learn behaviours from the media. Another example is young kids watching a semi-violent action film and the modelling the same sort of violent moves on each other, this shows that through the media is how people are learning behaviours from.
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?
- Fredic Werthem was a respected psychologist who was a pioneer in working with troubled youth. During his time Wertham noticed many of them were fans of comics and assumed that the comics were responsible for the trouble these kids were facing. He thought that Wonder Woman was a lesbian and that Batman and Robin were gay lovers.
- A guest on the Oprah Winfrey show believed that 'Rainbow parties' were 'wild sex parties' that were being held by teenagers all over America. It was believed that each girl would wear a different colour of lipstick for each boy they were with. This story was widely believed that people started to investigate these parties. Sex educators did not find any evidence that these parties were real or had ever taken place.
- People assumed that the Dungeons and Dragons is ether an occult training manual used to lure youngsters into Satanism, or it's a dangerous fantasy world that traps teenagers and leads them to madness, suicide or murder. The moral panic started in 1982 when Patricia Pulling's teenage son committed suicide and she decided to turn to D&D as an explanation of his death.
- After two kids attempted suicide in 1985, their parents accused the heavy metal band Judas Priest of hidinh subliminal messages in their songs to convinced their listeners to kill themselves. The case was dropped against Judas Priest because people realised that why would he want to tell his customers to die when they are what makes him successful.
4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society?
Online child safety, digital privacy, cyber security
5) How does the author suggest that technopanics should be addressed - rather than through government regulation?
The author suggests that technopnics should be addressed by considering the structure of fear appeal arguments in technology policy debates, and then outline how those arguments can be deconstructed and refuted in both cultural and economic contexts. Several examples of fear appeal arguments will be offered with a particular focus on online child safety, digital privacy, and cybersecurity. The various factors contributing to “fear cycles” in these policy areas will be documented. To the extent that these concerns are valid, they are best addressed by ongoing societal learning, experimentation, resiliency, and coping strategies rather than by regulation. If steps must be taken to address these concerns, education- and empowerment-based solutions represent superior approaches to dealing with them compared to a precautionary principle approach, which would limit beneficial learning opportunities and retard technological progress.
6) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?
No, I think they shouldn't restrict what we can access because the governments perspective is different to the people and they would assume certain things are not important to us when they are. By controlling what we can access restricts everything because it could block important information out that we need.
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?
I think that we are becoming desensitised to online threats. trolling and abuse because there is always stories being developed constantly about different sorts of online threats which make people assume that the situation is not that bad because it is not happening to them and that the matter is not that serious.
8) Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? How would you define 'heavy internet use'?
Heavy internet use can be defined as using the internet for long periods of time or engaging in online activity. Heavy internet use can have a dangerous effect on the users because they will become very dependent on it and will assume that everything that they see is true. Heavy internet users are exposed to more violence and therefore are affected by the Mean World Syndrome, the belief that the world is far more worse and dangerous than it actually is.
Comments
Post a Comment