This document provides summaries of several media theories and concepts: 1) Adorno's hypodermic model which views media as very powerful in influencing audiences. 2) Blumler and Ketz's users and gratifications model which sees media use as fulfilling personal relationships and diversion needs. 3) Hall's encoding/decoding model where media producers encode messages and audiences can decode them in dominant, negotiated, or oppositional ways based on their own experiences and values.

1. Theory handbook
By Shannon

2. Adorno- Hypodermic model
Blumler and ketz- Users and gratifications model
Hall- Encoding/decoding
SASSURE- signs
Pierce- Icon, symbol, index
Dyer- stereotypes
Mulvey- Male gaze
Remember these:

3. Adorno- Hypodermic model
This is the theory where media is
very powerful and influences the
audience. Injects message into the
audience. This means audience are
controlled by media.

4. Blumler and ketz- Users and
gratifications model
Is about person relationships and diversion.
Personal relationships means identifying with others and gaining sense of
belonging and helping to carry out social roles, gaining insight into
circumstances of others; social empathy.
Diversion means escaping or being diverted from problems, relaxing, filling
time.

5. Hall- Encoding/decoding
Hall argues that media producers encode their preferred reading through the use of technical
codes and conventions. The audience then use their understanding to decode the meaning.
This is an active audience model.
Preferred reading- the meaning/message the producers want to communicate to audience
Encoding- the process of constructing meaning through the use of codes and conventions
Decoding- the way in which the audience makes sense of a media text
Hall argues decoding's do not follow inevitably from encodings and suggests that audience
members respond to the preferred reading of a media tect in one of three ways-
Dominant/hegemonic position- the audience fully accepts the idea
Negotiated- audience accept the proffered reading but disagrees slightly due to their own
experience and values
Oppositional- the audience rejects the proffered reading

6. SASSURE- signs
Saussure believes that sigs are made up of two parts, the signifier and the
signified. The signifier is the from the sign takes. Whereas the signified is the
concept it represents.

7. Pierce-Icon, symbol, index
Pierce categorised signs into the three types:
Icon- A signifier that physically resembles the signified
Symbol- A signifier that cannot exist without the presence of the signified
Index- A signifier that represents the signified and is culturally learned

8. Dyer- stereotypes
Stereotypes now largely seen as negative.
Simple, striking and an easily-grasped form of representation.

9. Mulvey- Male gaze
She argues that males and females are represented differently
Females are for visual pleasure
Males connote to be looked-at-ness