THST 2450 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Social Constructionism, Tabula Rasa, Cultural Capital
20 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Most media studies scholars no longer assume that the user/audience is a blank slate or empty container waiting to be filled with just any media message. This kind of media effect theory tended to ignore audience agency in constructing meaning and also ignored the user previous experiences, ideologies and through that he or she will bring to bear in deciding media messages. Media may have considerable power to shape debates, normalize particular ideologies, represent particular worldviews. But active audience theory reminds us that power relations are everywhere, including between the audience and media (not just a one way street) Media messages are up against the agency of audience members. Don"t forget or underestimate the considerable power (access to cultural capital, $ capital) of many media. Don"t forget that the social constructionist view, we are profoundly shaped by all that we have encountered (social norms, dominant forms of socialization)
