LO6: Starter

LO6: Starter

The two main areas when media products are discussed are passive audience theory and active audience theory.

Example of passive audience theory:

When the mass media demonised groups, people or products that they believe become a threat to society, values and interests it is called a moral panic.

         - Stanley Cohen, 1972

Example of active audience theory:

"We have uses and gratifications; people use media for their own purposes"

          - McQuail, 1972

An example of a media product that caused a moral panic:

"Doom launched by Bethesda at E3 2015, swiftly criticised for being too violent"

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BBFC

British Board of Film Classification, used to be called British Board of Film Censors until 1984. Gives age ratings to films to protect the public from violent or inappropriate content.

Before the BBFC changed its name in 1984, they used to block films and prevent the general public from watching them. After this time when VHS became popular the BBFC realised they could no longer censor everything the public watched as going to the cinema was no longer the only way to watch a film.

Video Recordings Act 1984

This meant that films had to have an age rating

BBFC Age Ratings