1. Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
Harold Laswell , who developed the theoretical tool of ‘content analysis’ and in 1927 wrote Propaganda Technique in the World War which highlighted the brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’
Hypodermic model (passvie consumption)
its passive and about changing behaviour, a linear consumptive model.
Harold Lasswell wrote a book called Propaganda Technique in the World war written in 1927 . it highlighted the brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’
audience is important
Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
Harold Lasswell developed the theoretical tool of ‘content analysis’ and in 1927 wrote Propaganda Technique in the World which highlighted the brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’
Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
Media consumption was often traced back to Harold Lasswell. In 1972 he wrote Propaganda Technique in the World War. He spoke about individuals being influenced using the term ‘Injected’.
The Hypodermic model: Telling someone to do something and they listen through media.
Passive Consumption: The idea of people being drip fed an idea or belief to slowly change someone’s view on a subject over time through media.
Hypodermic Needle– used to disseminate propaganda via popular forms of media
Hypodermic model– Passive consumption , used in ww2 to manipulate the masses through the media to justify the govs actions
Who?– Dyson
Says what?– If you buy Dyson hairdryers, you will be trendy and have nice hair
Channel-This ad was featured inside of a women’s gossip magazine
To whom?– This ad would be targeted at the same demographic that read women’s magazines
With what effect?-This add would generally make the viewer want to buy a dyson hairdryer in hopes that they can be cool and have nice hair.
Who?-Gucci
Says what?-Women will come running if you wear this aftershave
Channel-Ad would be an advert during the broadcast of a UFC fight
To whom?-Targeted at males 16yr-45yr olds
With what effect?-This add would ideally convince the viewer that if you buy this aftershave then more women will be attracted to you if you wear it.
My product- Gucci Aftershave
Ideal endorser- Travis Scott
in 1927 writer Harold Laswell who wrote the Propaganda Technique in the World War where he talks about a ‘brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected (passive consumption) into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’’ this also relates to the hypodermic model where this subtle poison that is injected (passive consumption) to change the behavioural pattern within someone and changing them to be something different
I would have Tom Daley, Olympic diver, to endorse the product I am advertising as he is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and would fit the campaign attached to the product.
Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
Harold Lasswell was a key figure in the development of understanding how media is consumed. In 1927 he wrote Propaganda Technique in the World War which “highlighted the brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’” – which effectively means, how did the leaders in the first world war convince civilians that war was worth fighting and that it was worth dying for?
Two Step Flow of Communication (active consumption)
At the same time Paul Lazarfeld recognised that a simple, linear model may not be sufficiently complex to understanding the relationship between message sent > message received. As such, in 1948 he developed the Two Step Flow model of communication.
Approaches to audience theory will either adopt a QUANTITATIVE ie number based approach (so counting sales, audience figures, costs etc) OR QUALITATIVE (a more individual interpretative approach considering not how many, but why audiences consume or engage)
There are many different categories of people, as described by Young and Rubicam:
| RESEARCH PRODUCT 1 (Cristiano Ronaldo Shampoo) | RESEARCH PRODUCT 2 (Nivea Shampoo) | MY PRODUCT (Deodorant) | |
| Quantitative | Middle/upper class, 16-25 year old men, lots of disposable income, relatively decent education | Middle class, 16-50 year old men, fair disposable income, fair education | Lower/Middle class, 12-40 year old males, fair amount of disposable income, fair education |
| Qualitative | Mainstreamer, Aspirer | Mainstreamer, Reformed | Mainstreamer, Struggler |
In this essay, I will be applying a semiotic analysis to both the Metroid and Tomb Raider video game covers. This will include analyzing the semiotics (the study of signs, symbols, and signification) including symbolism and representation featured on the covers.
I will argue that the representation of the female character on the cover of the Tomb Raider videogame is reactionary, in that it follows common sexualization and diminishment of females in the media industry. Firstly Lara Croft’s posture and her exaggerated body features is a classic example of the effect of Lara Mulvey’s theory The Male Gaze, in which she theorizes the male gaze is “the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer.” This is a direct contrast to the main character on the Metroid games cover. This character
Moreover, Tomb Raider’s games arguably portray women in a positive sense in many other ways. The key signifier, Lara croft, is holding multiple guns in the very center of the cover because the game only has a 12-year-old rating (stereotypical young male video game players, a particularly susceptible group, are fully exposed to the use of guns and in a way, this will desensitize them as well as alter their expectations of everyday life, creating this alternative perception of the real world as well as how women act and are perceived.
The character on the cover of Metroid is completely radical, in that it is an unfamiliar representation of a female character as for once they are not overexposed to appeal to certain demographic so that a major corporation can capitalize on the modern portrayal of females in the gaming industry by using their body to attract attention and gain sales; for once the female character is full clothes and is in fact wearing a futuristic, warrior-esque metal combat suit and is confidently brandishing a large weapon. This portrayal of a female videogame protagonist simply just presents the character as a warrior.
In conclusion, both the ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Metroid’ covers feature signifiers tied to masculinity and power which are opposed by the use of two female characters. Both characters are represented in an equal way as a result of the main character being female, this is presumed as both can be said that they suggest some sort of radical representation due to their bravery and independence as well as their female body’s being sexualized to please and entertain the assumed straight male demographic that these mega-corporations try to appeal to in an attempt to make maximum sales and profit. However, the Metroid cover could be argued to be in fact, less radical as a result of the assumption that the main character is a male on the front cover because of their stature, build, weapon, and large appearance.