MediaFocus Lecture: A-Level Media Studies Theories

Introduction

• Lecture by Michael Collins
• Overview of 19 A-Level Media Studies theories
• Theories aim to help answer questions, not provide facts
• Theories have flaws and should be critiqued, but focus here is on understanding and exam prep

Categories of Theories

1. Media Language Theories
2. Representation Theories
3. Industry Theories
4. Audience Theories

Media Language Theories

1. Roland Barthes and Semiotics

• The world is understood through signs, which hold meaning
• Different types of codes:
  • Hermeneutic Codes (Enigma Codes): Poses questions (e.g., a corpse in a drama)
  • Proairetic Codes (Action Codes): Suggest actions (e.g., knuckle-cracking implies a fight)
  • Symbolic Codes: Deeper meanings (e.g., red rose for love)
  • Referential Codes (Intertextuality): References to other media (e.g., Anita's eye in "Humans" refers to "Blade Runner")
• Myths are stories helping to make sense of the world (e.g., science, religion)

2. Narratology (Tzvetan Todorov)

• Narratives move from equilibrium to disequilibrium and back
• Example: Theresa May's depiction in media

3. Steve Neale and Genre

• Media products categorized by genre
• Example: Beyoncé's "Formation" shows repetition and difference

4. Claude Lévi-Strauss and Structuralism

• World understood through binary oppositions
• Media relies on oppositions (e.g., Anitha vs. Laura in "Humans")

5. Jean Baudrillard and Post-modernism

• Breaking conventions, hyperreality more real than reality
• Example: Anita in "Humans" as hyperreal

Representation Theories

1. Stuart Hall: Representation

• Media representations are re-presentations
• Influence reality, e.g., stereotypes in news media
• Constructed through media language

2. David Gauntlett: Identity

• Audiences construct identity through media products
• Example: "Assassin's Creed" merchandise

3. Lisbet van Zoonen: Feminist Theory

• Different encoding for male and female bodies
• Women's bodies often as spectacle

4. Bell Hooks: Feminism for Everyone

• Feminism affects all genders
• Patriarchal hegemony affects representation

5. Judith Butler: Gender Performativity

• Gender as a performance, not just biological
• Affects societal interactions

6. Paul Gilroy: Ethnicity and Post-colonial

• United Kingdom's colonial past affects current racial representations

Industry Theories

1. Curran and Seaton: Power and Media

• Media is controlled by few companies, focused on profit

2. Livingston and Lunt: Regulation

• Digital convergence undermines traditional regulation

3. David Hesmondhalgh: Cultural Industries

• Media industry specialization minimizes risk, maximizes profit

Audience Theories

1. Albert Bandura: Media Effects

• Media influences behavior, especially in children

2. George Gerbner: Cultivation

• Long-term exposure reinforces dominant ideologies

3. Stuart Hall: Reception Theory

• Audiences actively interpret media

4. Henry Jenkins: Fandom

• Fans actively engage and create with media

5. Clay Shirky: End of Audience

• Audiences are now also creators, blurring lines with producers

Conclusion

• Overview of key theories for A-Level Media Studies
• Encourages application of theories in exams