Theories

Media researchers have discovered a number of theories that can explain the relationship between the audience and a media text- how the Media effects a mass audience and the individual.

THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE MODEL
The model suggests that the media is like a syringe, injecting beliefs and attitudes into the audience and the audience have little choice but to be influenced. It suggests that the audience is passive and that it manipulates society-in other words, audiences and society do not have a choice but to believe what they see in the media (cannot choose for themselves). For example it is saying that if someone watches something violent then they might go and do something violent.
This theory has been considered when people have been looking at violence in films, films such as the 'Exorcist' (1973) and 'A Clockwork Orange'(1971) have been banned in the past because people have believed that some crimes within the films could be encouraged and thought that they may be copied. The Director of the film 'A Clockwork Orange' Stanley Kubrick was the one that withdrew the film from Britain a year after its release because of the violence that was copied from it.
Examples:
A teenage boy named Simon Everitt was murdered by a woman and two men (2008). The victim was tied to a tree, forced to drink petrol and was then set alight. the Jurors were told that the murder replicated a scene form the horror film 'Severance' (2006).
Another example would be when two schoolboys stabbed their friend, who were thought to be influenced by the film 'Scream'. The young boy was stabbed in the head several times and the attack was said to be planned. A teacher of the two boys said that they had drawn knives in their textbooks and drawn masks similar to the one worn in 'Scream'.
Even though these acts of violence can be seen that the hypodermic model is effective, not everyone will be affected by these texts in the same way, the model does not take into account of people's individuality therefore it can be seen as simplistic. The theory is mainly used when a crime has been committed by a young person and the media will try to link it with a violent text.

This model will not effect the trailer that i will produce, as it will have to be suitable to be seen by all ages, therefore the content within the trailer will not include anything that is dangerous which could be copied by an individual.

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY
According to this theory, everyone has different reasons and different uses for the type of media that they consume and that they choose what they want to watch. The theory is saying that an audience do not watch watch media for the sake of it, but watch because they get something out of it i.e. gratification.
This theory suggests that the individual has power over what they consume-unlike the hypodermic model which suggests the individual is passive-and selects a media text that bests suits their needs.
Researchers identified four types of gratification that an audience may receive whilst consuming a media text.
1. INFORMATION - we want to find out about society and the world-we want to satisfy our curiosity. This would fit the news and documentaries which give us a sense that we are learning about the world in which we live.
2. PERSONAL IDENTITY - we may watch TV in order to look for models of our own behavior. For example we may identify with characters that you see in a soap. The characters help us to decide what we feel about ourselves and if we agree with their actions, we then feel better about ourselves.
However, even though this theory is generally used by critics, there are criticisms to this theory. One of them is that we cannot always decide what text we wish to consume, for example you do not have the choice in which posters that you see on billboards, even if you find the offensive- you have no choice but to consume. similarly your family will not have a choice as to listen to the music that you will be playing.

THE TWO STEP FLOW
The two step flow was devised by three researchers Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet, they discovered that information does not flow directly from the media text into the minds of the audience, but it is filtered through 'opinion leaders'. These are people that communicate their ideas of the text to their less active friends and family, their friends and family are the influenced by what the 'opinion leader' has said . Therefore this is showing that an a mass audience is not directly influenced by the media but by a two step flow, as when they come to watch the text that will be influenced by what the 'opinion leader' told them of the text.