Importance Of Hypodermic Syringe Model For Young People's And Children's Media Literacy Assignment Sample

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Introduction - Importance Of Hypodermic Syringe Model For Young People's And Children’s Media Literacy

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It is more important than ever to comprehend how the media shapes public opinions and how quickly it is changing our media landscape. In the past, theories like as the Hypodermic Syringe Model (HSM) proposed that media messages have a strong and direct impact on viewers who are passive. This essay explores the history and criticisms of the HSM, challenging its applicability in the digital era of today, which is marked by engaged audience engagement. In addition, given the growing concerns about media literacy, particularly among youth, this essay will also look at methods teachers can use to help their students become more media literate so they can interact critically with and successfully navigate the intricate web of contemporary media.

Understanding of this model (HSM)

The 1930s saw a great deal of research on the effects of the media, especially radio and cinema, as their influence grew. There were legitimate worries about the possibility of manipulation through mass media, as the world had witnessed the potent effects of propaganda during World War I (Europeana.eu, 2019). These worries gave rise to the HSM. The fundamental tenet of the HSM is that the audience is passive. It simply takes in the information without actively interpreting or disputing it. According to the HSM, everyone receives and interprets media messages in the same way, which results in an audience response or effect that is consistent. According to the paradigm, media messages have instant effects and no long-term or delayed consequences (Mcleod, Wise and Perryman, 2020). The HSM is sometimes criticised for oversimplifying the ways in which viewers engage with media. It disregards individual histories, worldviews, and life experiences that could colour interpretation. Absence of Empirical Support: Over time, empirical research has consistently been unable to offer proof in favour of the HSM's theory of immediate and direct impacts (Moore, Chapman and Aiken, 2009).

Validation

In the modern era, audiences are busier than ever. Social media and digital platforms have made it possible for consumers to create, share, and interact with material in addition to consuming it. The HSM's idea of a passive audience is called into question by this interactivity. People are exposed to a wide range of viewpoints due to the abundance of media sources available today, which enables more intelligent and discriminating consumption. This weakens the notion that everyone would be affected equally and instantly by a single media message (Moore, Chapman and Aiken, 2009).

Media consumption has become extremely personalised on platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, and Facebook, where algorithms are used to adapt material to individual users' preferences. This calls into question the HSM's notion of uniform reception (Barnhart, 2021). The emphasis on media literacy education which teaches people to critically assess media content has increased during the past few decades. A viewership that possesses media literacy abilities is less vulnerable to being "injected" with media messages without engaging in critical analysis.

Although the HSM as originally proposed may not be very persuasive, some of its characteristics can be seen in the phenomena of echo chambers and filter bubbles, in which users are mostly exposed to information that confirms their preexisting opinions. In these kinds of situations, media messages may be more effective and direct, but not in the comprehensive way that the HSM suggests (GCF Global, 2019). Further, audiences are more likely to examine and question media information in the digital age than they are to accept it at face value, even though this paradigm may have made sense in the 1940s when media was just getting started and audience literacy was growing.

On contrary, the audience is seen as a homogeneous group in the hypodermic syringe model. But audiences today are significantly more diverse than they were in the past, which makes this approach less applicable. From a more complex angle, Fran (2021) depicted one could contend that in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, the populace was actively involved in fabricating a false reality rather than being duped passively.

Thirdly, the model's explanation of societal difficulties is unduly simplistic. Bohner, Moskowitz and Chaiken, (1995) says It is simplistic to blame media alone for societal violence or any other social issue, ignoring the plethora of underlying factors. Further, with regard to Bandura's model of imitative aggression, the study's well-regulated and artificial settings hardly capture the complexity of aggressive real-world scenarios.

Long considered outdated, the hypodermic syringe paradigm has gained fresh relevance with the emergence of new media trends, particularly the virality phenomena. This phrase refers to the quick transmission of information from one person to another via the internet. When information becomes viral, it is constantly copied, altered, and shared, garnering a lot of attention and promoting dialogue among the general population (Mcleod, Wise and Perryman, 2020). It is identified that the public reacted to several viral news stories, discovered that the most common response was "actively passive." This study highlights the bullet theory's continued relevance in the current digital era. Viral content still works like a "magic bullet," drawing users' attention to particular subjects even if it can appear in a variety of media, including memes, news articles, videos, and more (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2020). What was once viewed as a straightforward transmission model has evolved into a paradigm where a single piece of content, despite its reproductions and adaptations, retains its potent and immediate influence on its audience.

People's media literacy can be developed by parents

Parents are in a unique position to impart media literacy ideas to their children because they are the key influencers during their formative years. Their engagement extends beyond the surface level of simply knowing which shows or apps kids watch or use. Rather, the focus should be on integrating critical thinking into a child's media consumption habits (Metzger et al., 2008). For example, a parent watching a show with their child may stop and talk about how a character is portrayed, which can spark larger discussions about moral principles, biases, and stereotypes.

When they browse the internet together, they may highlight the risks of echo chambers and fake news while demonstrating how to fact-check material using reputable sources. Furthermore, Rhodes, (2021) depicted that parents can clarify the distinction between sponsored posts and real information in this era of influencers and targeted advertising, preventing their children from being readily influenced by persuasive marketing strategies. Additionally, parents provide a safety net for their children by creating an atmosphere in which they feel comfortable talking about their experiences whether it be a perplexing article they read or a run-in with a cyberbully and by doing so, they provide guidance, assurance, and remedial action when necessary (Huang and Wei, 2022). Children are guaranteed to not just consume media but also to comprehend, inquire about, and thoughtfully interact with it thanks to our detailed, practical method.

Media literacy delves deeper into understanding the underlying meanings that different media kinds transmit, going beyond simply being able to identify them. Children nowadays are constantly exposed to a deluge of information from a wide range of sources. This is not the traditional media that many parents were exposed to growing up, such as radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines. Children of today are exposed to a never-ending stream of media, including text messages, memes, viral material, social media, video games, and ads (Muppalla et al., 2023). All of these various media formats, though, are united by a single fact: they are the products of persons or organisations with distinct goals. Understanding these goals is the fundamental basis of media literacy (Huang and Wei, 2022). In order to ensure that their children become informed and critical consumers in a world that is becoming more and more digital, parents must teach their children how to understand the "why" behind media content. This is known as nurturing media literacy.

Conclusion

In a time of unparalleled media exposure and technology breakthroughs, comprehending the media environment is essential. Though historically relevant, the Hypodermic Syringe Model's passive audience concept may seem archaic. Nonetheless, aspects of this theory are still relevant in today's digital landscape, particularly in relation to phenomena like virality. However, the model's general approach has obvious drawbacks as audiences get more sophisticated and interactive.

It is critical to acknowledge how media consumption is changing. Media literacy is becoming more and more important as viewers get more critical, varied, and engaged. As the main educators, parents are essential in helping children develop this literacy from an early age.

References

• Barnhart, B. (2021). Everything you need to know about social media algorithms. [online] Sprout Social. Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-algorithms/.
• Bohner, G., Moskowitz, G.B. and Chaiken, S. (1995). The Interplay of Heuristic and Systematic Processing of Social Information. European Review of Social Psychology, 6(1), pp.33–68. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779443000003.
• Europeana.eu (2019). The rise of mass media. [online] www.europeana.eu. Available at: https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/a-century-of-technology/the-rise-of-mass-media.
• Fran (2021). What is media literacy and why does it matter? [online] FutureLearn. Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/what-is-media-literacy.
• GCF Global (2019). Digital Media Literacy: What is an Echo Chamber? [online] GCF Global. Available at: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/digital-media-literacy/what-is-an-echo-chamber/1/.
• Huang, Q. and Wei, L. (2022). Explaining education-based difference in systematic processing of COVID-19 information: Insights into global recovery from infodemic. Information Processing & Management, 59(4), p.102989. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2022.102989.
• Mcleod, D., Wise, D. and Perryman, M. (2020). Thinking about the media: a review of theory and research on media perceptions, media effects perceptions, and their consequences. Open Access Respiratory, [online] 5(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2017.05.01.013.
• Metzger, M., Flanagin, A., The, J. and Macarthur, C. (2008). Digital Media, Youth and Credibility. Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning, [online] 3(7). doi:https://doi.org/10.1162/dmal.9780262562324.vii.
• Moore, S., Chapman, S. and Aiken, D. (2009). Sociology A2 for AQA. London: Collins Educational.
• Muppalla, S.K., Vuppalapati, S., Pulliahgaru, A.R. and Sreenivasulu, H. (2023). Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management. Cureus, [online] 15(6). doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.40608.
• Nwabueze, C. and Okonkwo, E. (2020). Rethinking the Bullet Theory in the Digital Age. International Journal of Media, Journalism and Mass Communications, [online] 4(2), pp.1–10. doi:https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9479.0402001.
• Rhodes, S.C. (2021). Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers, and Fake News: How Social Media Conditions Individuals to Be Less Critical of Political Misinformation. Political Communication, 39(1), pp.1–22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2021.1910887.