B.F Skinner – Operant Conditioning (Behavioural Science)
The notion of free will is fiction. “The fiction of free will”
Actions are shaped by controlling the environment
Schedule of reinforcement
Propaganda vs Persuasion
Harold Lasswell – Propaganda technique in the world war (1927) – The brew of ‘subtle poison which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers….knocked them into submission’
Shoshana Zuboff
The age of surviving capitalism
- ” a major segment of the emerging behaviour control technology is concerned with conditioning, through which various forms of persuasion are used to stimulate certain types of behaviours while supressing others”
Individuality & Personal freedom v Behaviour modification
- “Technology has begun to develop new methods of behaviour control capable of altering not just an individual’s action but his very personality and manner of thinking”
Cambridge Analytica – Alexander Nix
WHO, SAYS WHAT, THROUGH WHAT CHANNEL, TO WHOM, TO WHAT EFFECT
Who – Will Hazell
Says What – People want schools and nurseries to be open during second lockdown, says poll
Channel – The i
To Whom – centralists (due to political and general viewpoint of The i)
With what effect- To inform the readers about others viewpoint
Shannon and Weaver – 1949
Developed Laswell’s model to Transmission model of Communication. This included elements such as noise, error, encoding and feedback.
Paul Lazarfeld – 1950(ish)
He developed the Two Step flow model of communication. The role of key individuals in society all of whom are capable of exerting an influence on the process of communication. This makes it subject to bias, interpretation, rejection, amplification, support and change.
Audiences are active not passive. Audience consumption is based on consideration of what others think.
Uses and Gratifications – 1960’s
- information / education
- empathy and identity
- social interaction
- entertainment
- escapism
Rather than categorising the audience as passive consumers of messages, either directly from source or from opinion leaders.
& Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1954)
It argues that people actively looked to satisfy their needs based on a hierarchy of social and psychological desires
- Physiological – Breathing, food, water, sex.
- Safety – Security of body, employment, morality.
- Love/belonging – Friendship, family, sexual intimacy.
- Esteem – Self-esteem, confidence, achievement.
- Self-actualization – morality, creativity, spontaneity.
George Gerbner – 1970’s
Cultivation theory – “television cultivates from infancy the very predispositions and preferences that used to be acquired from other primary sources” – (television shapes the way individuals within society think and relate to each other)
Stuart Hall – 1980’s
The theory of preferred reading.
- A dominant position accepts the dominant message
- A negotiated position both accepts and rejects the dominant reading
- An oppositional position rejects the dominant reading
Clay Shirky – 2000’s
Instead of the choice of three subject positions as offered by the theory of preferred reading, there were limitless, individual subject positions available to all of us, at any time, in any place, from any perspective?
Says there are no audiences, but individuals – not the same but target each one for their needs.
A position which allowed us to produce our commentary and communication on the outside world, while still maintaining the ability to comment, feedback, accept or deny