Gratifications Theory

Obviously, all teenagers choose what they want to listen to for a particular reason. The main reason is because they like it. In the case of my topic, the teens who listen to hip hop may do so because they enjoy it. However the gratifications theory illustrates other ways in which we choose to engage with a certain media text. It is not simply for mindless entertainment, rather we expect to gain something from it. Personal Identity Being able to identify with a hip hop artist is one of the reasons why teens listen to an artist's music. Having similar characteristics and lifestyles as an artist will enable teens to engage with them on a deeper level. Information Teens are curious, they are constantly developing and hence, want to know more in order to satisfy their curiosity. Social Integration Listening to hip hop music may make a teenager feel sympathetic towards the artist and so are in effect relating to that character through their feelings. The music allows teens to engage with the artist enabling them to understand their predicament.

Desensitization/ Culmination Theory

This theory concerns my topic as many teenagers are less sensitive towards shootings and death due to their over exposure towards these issues produced in media texts. The desensitization theory is basically how over exposure of a particular idea shown through a media product can make individuals less sensitive. In the case of my project... ...Violence and gun culture is desesitized for many teenagers because of their over exposure to hip hop music and the guns that are publicised as acceptable alongside dominant hip hop artists. Therefore some teenagers take gun culture for granted as a result of desensitization. Could this be the case with Jamie Bulger?? The children were so young, surely their perceptions on harming others and murder were desensitized by their over exposure from media texts?

Theories concerning my topic

Hypodermic Syringe This theory heavily concerns my topic as it is based around how teenagers are influenced into mimicking what they hear/ see produced to them through the hip hop music. The theory is termed the Hypodermic Syringe because it puts the media in the form of an injection, inserting attitudes and beliefs into the minds of the audience. The hypodermic syringe subtracts the power from the audience, making them heavily influenced by what they are exposed to in the media. An example of the hypodermic syringe in practice If a man watches a woman doing the ironing on television he will automatically expect that all women should do the ironing. So, he assumes what he see's on Television to be reality and has difficulty in differenciating between the two. Interestingly, many dominant ideologies that exist in today's society are reinforced by what the audience absorb from the media.

MEDIA FORM HYPODERMIC REALITY

SYRINGE ACTUALIY

On a more serious note, a current example of the hypodermic syringe in pracise would be the Virginia Tech Massacre that took place this week in the United States. In this shocking incident, a young Korean student named Cho Seung-Hui

"carried violent images of violence in his head- but then turned them into a horrific reality" (Paul Harris- Daily Mail)

These photo's were taken of Cho Seung- Hui, himself and it is interesting to compare them with scenes (below his photo) from one of the most violent Korean films, 'Oldboy' directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2003.

Quotations that I found useful from Paul Harris' Daily Mail article:

"In his twisted mind he carried images of a violent Korean movie that appears to have scripted his thoughts."

"He had carefully modelled some of his on-screen poses on those of the anti-hero in the award winning Korean movie, called Old Boy"

David Gardner quotes:

"If they were not so readily available.. there would be fewer such incidents."

"The ghastly violence embedded in thousands of films and video games, which most of us manage to keep at bay, somehow invaded and took control of, the boy"

.."borrowing a scene from the ultra violent South Korean film Oldboy."

"Hollywood's glamorising of brutal and conscience- less violence has spread across the planet and infected us all."

"...He watched violent films and hour upon hour of mindless Television."

"Enjoyed playing violent video games"

"Listened interminably to forlorn and nihilistic music"

"So far had he retreated from the real world into his modern media inspired alternative reality."

By Jamie-Lee