Hypodermic model based on passive consumption which is significant to advertising. The idea of telling someone to do something and they do it.
Harold Laswell – Propaganda Technique in the World War “subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers… knocked them into submission”. As Martin Moore notes, Laswell, as a behavioural scientist researching areas connected with political communication and propaganda, believed each government had ‘manipulated the mass media in order to justify its actions’ in World War 1.
Shannon and Weaver in 1949, as the Transmission model of Communication, which included other elements, such as NOISE, ERROR, ENCODING and FEEDBACK.
In other words, there is the suggestion that the process of sending and receiving a message is NOT clear-cut, predictable or reliable and is dependent on a range of other factors that need to be taken into consideration.
Early theoretical work on the relationship of media consumption are often traced back to Harold Lasswell, 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’ . As Martin Moore notes, Lasswell, as a behavioural scientist researching areas connected with political communication and propaganda, believed each government had ‘manipulated the mass media in order to justify its actions’ in World War 1.
To illustrate his hypothesis, in 1948 he developed a linear model of communication, one that breaks down the line of communication from point A to point B, in which the SENDER is transferring a MESSAGE, through a MEDIUM (eg Print, radio, TV, etc) that has a direct effect on the RECEIVER.
components of lasswells model.
if i had a product which i was advertising, i would employee people with the same aspects on the product, if they were truly passionate about the product they would be able sell it well.😘
Early theoretical work on the relationship (or effects) of media consumption are often traced back to Harold Laswell.
After the end of WWII, social science researchers began to investigate the way in which communication – and particularly, political communication – was used to disseminate propaganda.
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’.
– Increase in audience research during WW2, propaganda used through a hypodermic model
– Hypodermic model (passive consumption): done as told through media and adverting… such as propaganda during WW2
– Passive consumption, very significant to advertising – the slow and instilled forced idea and/or belief into someone own theories through various media techniques
– Active consumption: The people engage in the media themselves, consciously, to then buy a product by choice, despite it may being an ill wise decision
– 2 step flow of communication: When the information for the media is the first step, and then the info goes to the main influencers to then be consumed by the masses through the influencers
– Lasswell’s Linear Model of Communication: Who (sender)…. Says What (message)…. Channel (medium)…. To Whom (receiver)…. The Effect (Feedback)
– In 1927 Harold Lasswell 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’
-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.
-Simple linear process: Harold Laswell’s idea of the linear model of communication. ->WHO > SAYS WHAT > THROUGH WHAT CHANNEL > TO WHOM > TO WHAT EFFECT.
–Two-Step Flow: – The two-step flow of communication model says that most people form their opinions under the influence of opinion leaders, who in turn are influenced by the mass media.
–Active consumption: The idea that people engage with the media, causing them to purchase the product
After World War 2, the use of mass media increased. In the 1940’s and 50’s, mainstream media took off. TV’s were widely used, this kick started research into the way in which audiences are influenced.
The ‘Hypodermic Needle Theory’ = The passive consumption of audiences. When audiences are being ‘injected’ with media, they are ‘knocked into submission’ and go along with the messages the media promote.
Harold Laswell = Wrote a novel called ‘Propaganda Technique in The World War’ in 1927 following his own experience serving in WWI. He later created a linear model of communication. Theory work around the effect of media communication and consumption trace back to him.
‘Two Step Flow of Communication’ = Encapsulates the idea that media messages are not directly ‘injected’ into the mass audience, they are ‘injected’ into the ‘important’ people, or ‘opinion leaders’, who then promote this message to the masses.
Shannonand Weaver = 1949, Adapted Laswell’s theory and created the ‘Transmission model of Communication‘
Paul Lazarfeld = Believed that the linear communication model was too simple and did not factor in the different ways in which media messages could be communicated.
Uses and Gratifications (Active Selection) – Elihu Katz posed the question of ‘what does media do to people?’. Research into this started with McQuail and Blumler.
Two Step Flow of Communication
Psychographic Profiles (Used to distinguish the different types of audiences and product customers):
The Explorer – motivated by the need for discovery.
The Resigned– motivated by survival needs.
The Aspirer – motivated by esteem/status needs.
The Mainstreamer – motivated by belonging needs.
The Reformer – motivated by enlightenment needs.
The Succeeder – motivated by the need for control.
ANALYSE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIGNIFIERS AND SIGNIFIEDS IN THE TWO CSP GAMES COVERS.
The relationship between signifiers and signified in the two CSP games covers can be seen and analysed in multiple different ways. For example, feminist film expert, Laura Mulvey invented the concept of women being looked at in a very sexualised way by males in order to make them feel important and better about themselves, objectifying them. This is called the ‘Male Gaze’. For example, in ‘Tomb Raider’ the main thought as you look at the front cover is immediately the stereotype of women in a ‘man’s eyes’ in video games. This can be supported by the iconic signs such as the props Lara Croft is holding/has on her person, which symbolises her being strong, appearing more attractive to males. Another part of this to mention is the way Lara Croft has been portrayed with exaggerated body parts in order for the males to enjoy the game more, which of course is seen as reactionary.
While Tomb Raider can be seen as a very negative representation of feminism and is reactionary for its audience, you could also argue that it is radical. For example, the very fact that it shows a woman having the ability to be strong, involved in action and have the practice in firearms, proves that women do not always have to be the ‘damsel in distress’ as several videos ‘Feminist Frequency’ have posted explaining. Most video games that include female characters usually have them kidnapped or something happen to them at the beginning of the story, so the main character (a male) can save them from the danger, subtly hinting that women cannot save themselves. The quote “This poor representation of Asian women perpetuates the stereotype that they are meek, submissive, sexual objects who exist purely for men’s entertainment” from the article ‘Levelling up Representation’ indicates in detail about not only women in general but women with specific ethnicities being sexualised and objectified for men’s entertainment.
Another way that further explains this is the concept of ‘Feminist, female, feminine’ introduced by Toril Moi, where the difference between the three is explained, and how there is ‘male’ and ‘manly’ but no equivalent for ‘feminist’. This instantly shows that males have always had a sense of authority and hierarchy over females, which can be seen in the game cover of Metroid. The cover presents a very strong, manly character in a suit that can be described as ‘only male characters wear’. At the very end of the game, the manly character reveals themselves to be female. This suggests how nobody knows until the end of the game, many people who play the game automatically assume it’s a male because of the appearance in the ’suit’ and that stereotypically, women don’t present themselves that way, once again showing that males have more authority over women. Once Samus (the character) reveals to be a female, it shows that you will never know what gender the character is. Would it decrease sales of the game if it was known from the start that Samus was a female? When she reveals herself, she is massively over sexualised wearing a tight blue suit and has her hair in a long ponytail. The juxtaposition between a very ‘manly’, strong character who ends up being, yet another over sexualised female is major and should not be allowed.
In summary, I believe that the two game covers are reactionary for its audience, both males. For Tomb Raider, the character is female and extremely over sexualised, allowing customers to purchase the game more as they are attracted to the front cover. For Metroid, the character is male and is perceived as strong, again allowing the customers to buy it more as the male audience like the fact the character is strong and manly. Both are seen as reactionary and radical in their own ways and I personally think that they should do better and think about how they are perceiving women and how damaging that is.
After the end of WWII, social science researchers began to investigate the way in which communication – and particularly, political communication – was used to disseminate propaganda. As such, from the end of the 1940’s and into the 1950’s, there was not only an expansion of new media forms, for example, the number of TV licences shot up from 763,000 in 1951 to 3.2 million in 1954 (How the Coronation kick-started the love of television), but, there was also an expansion of research into the effects of television. Many of which are now found on the specifications of media studies courses.
1. Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
Early theoretical work on the relationship (or effects) of media consumption are often traced back to Harold Lasswell, 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’ (link). As Martin Moore notes, Lasswell, as a behavioural scientist researching areas connected with political communication and propaganda, believed each government had ‘manipulated the mass media in order to justify its actions’ in World War 1 (2019:122).
To illustrate his hypothesis, in 1948 he developed a linear model of communication, one that breaks down the line of communication from point A to point B, in which the SENDER is transferring a MESSAGE, through a MEDIUM (eg Print, radio, TV, etc) that has a direct effect on the RECEIVER.
Or to be correct: WHO, SAYS WHAT, THROUGH WHAT CHANNEL, TO WHOM, TO WHAT EFFECT.
In this sense, this is a HYPODERMIC MODEL OF MEDIA EFFECT, in that the model proposes a clear, linear (and perhaps unaltered) connection between message sent > message received. This model has, as we shall highlight, been the subject of much analysis and review. However, the basic premise remains, that we need to understand what message is being sent, to who, how and to what (intended) effect. Further, that there is a clear relationship between sending a message and receiving a message.
TASK 1:
Create a new post called AUDIENCE THEORY (don’t forget to give it a category / categories – Audience, exam prep, notes etc).
Make some notes about hypodermic model, passive audience, Lasswell etc.
Draw out Lasswell’s model (use PPT, save as JPEG and upload to your blog) in relation to 1 or 2 of your research adverts.
This approach was later adapted by Shannon and Weaver in 1949, as the Transmission model of Communication, which included other elements, such as NOISE, ERROR, ENCODING and FEEDBACK.
In other words, there is the suggestion that the process of sending and receiving a message is NOT clear-cut, predictable or reliable and is dependent on a range of other factors that need to be taken into consideration.
Task 2:
Adapt your model from Task 1 and add in some points which show a disruption to this linear process. In other words, think about what might happen at each stage of the process to disrupt or alter the process of communication. You would be well to discuss this proposition in a small group first and then draw out your adapted model. Again use ppt, save as JPEG and upload to the blog.
Task 3:
Can you now put your product that you are looking to advertise into Lasswell’s communication model? Make sure you note any possible disruption (ie Shannon and Weaver). As ever, save as JPEG and upload to your blog.
Textual analysis– brand (Killian) iconic sign of perfume, flowers and marshmallows.
Semiotic analysis- dominant signifier is also the iconic sign which is the perfume product itself. A symbolic sign could be the colour pink and marshmallows which gives a sweet and girly connotation which promotes the brand for women.
Representation analysis-reactionary representation for a women’s perfume. It is lying on a nest of petals to represent the romance and softness of the perfume and it is also surrounded by marshmallows and vanilla flowers which is a sweet scent and typically “girly”, connotating that if you use this product this is how you will be perceived. The petals show that the consumer will attract romance and maybe chivalry into their lives. The top of the lid and engraving is gold and that represents the expense and and a sense of sophistication that someone will possess if they buy this product.
Textual Analysis- brand (Chanel) iconic sign of perfume and ants.
Semiotic analysis-dominant signifier is also an iconic sign which is the perfume product itself. The picture also shows a trail of ants running towards the perfume. A symbolic sign could be the colour pink which gives a “girly” connotation promoting the brand for women.
Representation analysis– reactionary representation for a women’s perfume because it uses the colour pink which is seen as a female dominant colour. The perfume has been given the allusion of looking like a syrup like honey which gives the effect of a heavily sweet scent. the ants can be seen running towards the perfume which shows the strong attraction the perfume holds, making the consumer feel powerful and in control.
Textual analysis-Brand (Miss Dior )- iconic sign of perfume and a woman.
Semiotic analysis– Dominant signifier is a woman behind the perfume to show the hierarchy of what the audience should be focusing on. The symbolic sign of the bow in her hair and the bow around the bottle lid gives the impression that women who use this product will become like her (sexy, confident, maybe have the desired body type)_. The name of the brand is “Miss Dior” which roughly translates from French into English meaning “Miss Golden” giving the indexical sign that this perfume is associated with wealth.
Representation- reactionary representation for a women’s perfume as it uses the colour pink which connotates as a female dominant colour. It also uses a woman’s half naked top body to appeal to sexual attraction; women wanting to be considered or feel sexy. It also shows her as vulnerable which is a negative stereotype of femininity.
Textual analysis- brand (Jasmin Noir) iconic sign of woman and a lion.
Semiotic Analysis-Dominant signifier is a woman holding a huge version of the perfume to show the purpose of the advert. It also shows the significance of the perfume and its importance in a woman’s life. The perfume was placed in front of the woman’s breasts in a seductive manner to draw the attention of the viewer to the perfume. The iconic sign of a lion which is a dangerous, beautiful and rare animal gives the impression that women who use this product are bold and one of a kind, maybe wild and unattainable too. (sexy, and confident)
Representation-reactionary representation for a women’s perfume as it uses a woman with no clothing on which encourages the objectification of women and also appeals the male gaze; that women exist for male pleasure. It shows the illusion of “beauty and the beast” connotation that this perfume will attract a masculine man which encourages toxic masculinity and a negative stereotype of men. It also shows her as vulnerable which is a negative stereotype of femininity.
