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Ill Effects How do the media really affect people? Can cinema, television and video be blamed for problems in society? Are young people as vulnerable to the influences of ‘video nasties’ and horror movies as is often claimed? Ill Effects is a radical re-examination of the whole ‘media effects’ debate. It questions not only whether the media are capable of directly influencing people but also whether the idea of ‘effects’ is the most useful way of conceptualising the relationship between the media and audiences. Ill Effects looks at the reasons why the media are routinely blamed for horrific events such as the murders of James Bulger and Suzanne Capper and the Hungerford massacre, as well as for perceived trends such as the alleged ‘death of the family’ and the rise of ‘yob culture’. The authors’ concern goes beyond individual cases: they discuss the development and current state of play of research into media effects, the remarkable power of ‘common sense’ notions of media effects and the way in which the effects issue has become embroiled in debates about censorship and freedom of expression. They suggest how audiences really respond to media texts, and argue that there is an urgent need for informed and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the media. Contributors Martin Barker, David Buckingham, Ann Hagell, Patricia Holland, Mark Kermode, Graham Murdock, Tim Newburn, Julian Petley, Willard D.Rowland, Bill Thompson, Ian Vine. Editors Martin Barker is Head of School of Cultural Studies at the University of the West of England. Julian Petley is a Lecturer in Communications and Information Studies at Brunel University.
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Ill Effects The media/violence debate
Edited by Martin Barker and Julian Petley
London and New York
First published 1997 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collecti