The music video for "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams has both positive and negative effects on its audience. Positively, the video is catchy and entertaining, meant to be fun party music per Robin Thicke. However, many found the video's portrayal of women negatively objectifying and encouraging of male dominance. It relies on two-step flow theory by influencing opinion leaders who shape broader public opinion. The nearly naked female dancers and gestures from the singers towards them were seen as "rapey," and the power dynamic shown by the fully clothed men contrasted with scantily dressed women furthered negative stereotypes.

1. Discuss thepositive and negative media effects a product you have studied
might have on its audience.
The media productI will be discussing is the music video of the song Blurred
Lines by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. This product has the positive
effects of it being catchy, entertaining and enjoyableas people would watch
the music video perhaps becausethey are intrigued with the artist or justwant
to hear the song. The theory applied to these opinions on this music video is
uses of gratification which is a popular way to understanding mass
communication whereit focuses on the consumer and audience rather than
the actual messagethe music video. This is the theory linked to this as it is
obvious they didn’tshow a messageto the song they justmade a video that
would get a lot of attention from the public as they have used woman dancers
with them and made them wear very little and whatthey are wearing is very
skin coloured and pale. Robin Thicke also said the video was ‘justmeant to be
a party video’ which is a positive effect as it was supposed to be abit of fun and
justa piece of artistic impression designed to give people a degree of pleasure.
This is partof Stuart Hall’s reception theory as he apparently meant for it to be
very positive and a fun video but the audience didn’t see it that way and found
it very negative. The audience took an opposition reading of it and found the
video very harmfulto woman. Even opinion leaders took an oppositional
reading to it which leads to the two step flow theory.
However to contrastthis, it is easily impressionableespecially through the
strong and x rated choice of words. This is the 2 step flow theory as it sets a
negative impact on how girls are treated by men. This is clearly shown by how
the singers actaround the women and by the hand gestures they usetowards
them, hence why it was described as a ‘rapey song’. This is two step flow as it
has decision making involved for the audience’s interpretations and aspects on
the video and what it shows. Italso is a negative effect as it encourages male
dominance through male gazeas the men areshowing a negative view of
woman and how they should look, dress, and act around men. The video
shows men in charge of themselves and in charge of the women shown by
their gestures towards the women. The video also shows the men’s power
through their clothes as the men are fully clothed in suits trying to show the
audiences they are mature and in chargeof themselves and others whereas
the woman are in very little clothing which doesn’t show they are mature at
all.