Online, Social Participatory Index:

Audience Theory: blog task

Hypodermic needle model

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

The hypodermic needle model is a theory from the 1920's that suggests media injects information into the demographic like a hypodermic needle and therefore can have a detrimental effect on society. This article is promoting the fact that if people were to play violent video games consisting of a large amount of conflict, it results in an increase in short term aggression. Therefore people begin to presume the fact that  the world was hostile and behave aggressively because of brutal games such as "Call of Duty". This links to the hypodermic needle as the media industry is distributing violent video games to the community which can influence their behaviour and the way they act towards others in a critical way. This can lead to the use of conflict not only in video games but in real life situations. Long term effects additionally occur to people participating in these types of video games as it can be compared to smoking a cigarette. This is due to the fact that when you smoke a cigarette it doesn't have a huge impact on your body as it is only a single cigarette, however this can lead to you becoming addicted, and as you keep taking cigarettes it vastly increases the risk of you developing lung cancer. In comparison to video games, if you play it once it doesn't have as much of an effect on your aggression, conversely if you consistently continue to play video games consisting of atrocious actions it can lead to having an accruing impact on a persons aggression. This links to the hypodermic needle model as the media is promoting brutality through video games to the demographic manipulating the audience and pushing them towards violence, resulting on a dangerous effect towards the community.

 
 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? 

This article is about a 15 year old child that was arrested due to the fact that he put the banking details of four million households at risk as he never left his room and didn't want to attend school for his education. he additionally had gotten himself in to trouble a numerous amount of times in school, thus he had to be home schooled. His priority was seen to be the violent video games which he was addicted to and had stayed "up all night in his bedroom" consistently playing these video games throughout the night.

 This links to the hypodermic needle model due to the fact that the violent media promoted has had a great influence on this teenagers behaviour, stimulating his aggression and violence therefore creating a dangerous effect on him. This is because the media had impacted him greatly through the fact that he had committed this crime and affected others by leaking there personal details for his own gratification. This proves how much of an effect the hypodermic needle model creates on an individual. Referring to how it is compared to a cigarette as it is not as bad when you do one however it makes u addicted and leads to a detrimental cause on your body. Similar to this situation as he grows to become obsessed to a video game consisting of violence that causes him to mix a fantasy world with reality and generate his aggressive emotions towards real life behaviour.

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 suggests we are mainly influenced by people who are known as 'opinion leaders'. These are people within the media that influence how the audience reacts to media texts and events. This theory suggests that the media is not all powerful and that social factors are significant such as , You-tubers, product placement, Trump etc.

In my opinion i most definitely think the two step flow model is still relevant today due to the fact that nowadays a numerous amount of people are viewed to be role models and an inspiration to others. This is common within YouTube as there are many social media influencers that have channels which promote different types of media which then the audience consume and this affects them in many ways. The two step flow model has a lot of power towards people as it could control the way they act , the things they choose to buy , what they wear etc. This could mostly be seen through YouTube as their idols may be game critics leading them to buy certain games, or beauty bloggers leading them to buy certain products. Some YouTuber's are paid to promote these certain products and this is known as product placement. 

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?

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?