The Cultural Effects Theory

• The Cultural Effects Theory is an example of an Indirect Effect Theory
• The Cultural Effects Theory argues that the media affects the attitudes & behaviour of different social groups in different ways depending on their cultural background
• In the Cultural Effects Theory, the effect of media messages will vary according to the gender, social class, ethnicity and age
• The Cultural Effects Theory argued that a new report about binge drinking will be viewed differently by younger & older audiences
• According to the Cultural Effects Theory, media effects though significant, are not direct but are shaped by norms, values & experiences of the audience
• The Cultural Effects Theory links with the research of some theorists from Marxist, Neo-Marxist & Interpretivist Perspectives
• Neo-Marxist research in the Cultural Effects Theory emphasise ways in which the media reflects the values of rich & powerful members of society, such as those who own, control & produce the media
• According to the Neo-Marxist research in the Cultural Effects Theory, the audience will interpret media message differently according to their cultural background and experiences but will tend to adopt a view that is influenced by the dominant perspective of those with power in society because the messages are constructed to be read this way
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) was a Marxist Thinker who analysed the Cultural Effects Theory
• Antonio Gramsci was a Marxist Thinker who analysed the Cultural Effects Theory in 1987
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) saw certain institutions such as the media as a site of struggle for hearts & minds and argued that the media has to be continuously alert to the need to keep the audience on the side of Capitalism
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) used the term 'Hegemony' to discuss the way in which Capitalist ideas were presented as 'common sense' and seen as 'natural' in order to maintain control
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) believed that the audience must consent to the ideas that Capitalism is 'normal' and the media had an important role in gaining this consent
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) emphasises the 'struggle' involved in the process and noted that 'common sense is not something rigid and immobile, but is continually transforming itself' (Gramsci, cited in Hall, 1982)
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) was aware that the social experience of the Proletariat contradicted the ideology being projected by the media, and therefore, was a constant struggle to maintain Hegemony, meaning the experience of the audience is an important factor in interaction with the media and has an indirect effect on the way the messages are received
• The Cultural Effects Theory and other Indirect Effect Theories are sometimes described as 'Drip-Drip' Models in their perspective on how the media is seen as shaping the norms & values of the audience
• The 'Drip-Drip' Model is regarded as happening gradually over long-term exposure to the media, helping to shape norms & values over a long time
• The Concept of Desensitisation can be applied to the 'Drip-Drip' Model as it describes the way that the audience's norms can be altered by viewing particular images, such as those of a violent nature, claiming that overtime the audience stops finding such images disturbing and violence becomes more acceptable
• The Concept of Desensitisation has also been applied to the effect of media images of famine & poverty in developing countries, in that prolonged exposure to distressing images of poverty & famine is associated with 'Compassionate Fatigue', which could be seen as a type of desensitisation
• 'Drip-Drip' Theories do not describe such media effects as being immediate and powerful but as occurring gradually over time and as depending on other influences such as those of opinion leaders and wider cultural norms
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) uses the concept of 'Hegemony' explains that the ruling class maintains control not just through coercion but by creating and perpetuating a cultural consensus that aligns with their interests, where dominant ideas are accepted as "common sense" by the majority of the population, even if they may work against the interests of that population
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) argues the media plays a significant role in maintaining hegemony by reinforcing the dominant ideology of the ruling class - Similarly, the Cultural Effects Theory argues that media content subtly reinforces dominant cultural values and norms over time which aligns with Gramsci’s idea that the ruling class uses culture to maintain their dominance by shaping what people think is 'natural' or 'common sense'
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) believed that the ruling class maintains power by controlling institutions like the media, which slowly shape public consciousness - Cultural Effects Theory also focuses on how media has a cumulative, long-term influence on the audience’s worldview, embedding hegemonic values over time rather than through immediate or overt persuasion
• Antonio Gramsci (1987) uses the concept of hegemony emphasizes that power is maintained through the consent of the governed rather than just through force - Media, according to the Cultural Effects Theory, helps manufacture this consent by gradually aligning audience beliefs with dominant ideologies, making these ideologies seem like natural, unchallenged truths