THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY OF MEDIA EFFECTS LAID BARE!!!!!

The hypodermic needle or magic Bullet theory of the media assumed that the mass media had a powerful, lineal and instant effect on their audience. The theorists argued that all mass media messages had a direct effect on the listeners and said the relationship between the mass media and the audience was like the hypodermic needle. This implies that behaviours and attitudes were injected into the people by the media. The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.

Both images used to express this theory (a bullet and a needle) suggest a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. The bullet theory graphically suggests that the message is a bullet, fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head". With similarly emotive imagery the hypodermic needle model suggests that media messages are injected straight into a passive audience which is immediately influenced by the message. They express the view that the media is a dangerous means of communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message.

This model or theory however has a lot of flaws and gaps in its assumptions. It sees the society as composed of fragmented individuals who are subject to powerful and effective propaganda messages which they receive from the media and then reproduce them. However Audiences are not blank sheets of paper on which media messages can be written; members of an audience will have prior attitudes and beliefs, which will determine how effective media messages are. This means that the beliefs and attitudes of individual would determine the effects media messages would have on him/her. For example a child brought up in the strict traditional settings and cultures of Ghana who sees a child talking back to his parents on a TV program would not dare reproduce that action for fear of the consequences of that behaviour.

According to this theory, there is no escape from the effect of the media messages. The people are seen as a sitting duck: passive and waiting for media materials to be shot at them. It assumes that people end up thinking what they are told because the media is the only source of information. This is however far-fetched because school, religion and the society are compelling sources of information and attitude shapers. Most individuals’ attitudes and behaviours are based on the messages or propagandas from their culture, parents, and religious figures. So the mass media is not all powerful and therefore it can be escaped.

It is wrong to assume that just because an audience sees acts of violence in media, they would actually commit them. Of the millions of people who watch violent films, only a small number have carried out acts of violence as a direct result. People regularly exposed to violent media usually grow up to be completely normal people. If there are any effects from media, they only affect a very small number of people. Moreover humans are not copycats and can realize what is wrong and what is right. There are other social and cultural factors in behaviour in which the media are not the basic. People who are influenced by and reproduce violent images on the media usually are not mentally stable.


References
Davis, D.K. & Baron, S.J. (1981). A History of Our Understanding of Mass Communication. In: Davis, D.K. & Baron, S.J. (Eds.). Mass Communication and Everyday Life: A Perspective on Theory and Effects (19-52). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing.

DeFleur, Melvin L. Theories of Mass Communication New York: Longman Inc., 1989

Severin, Werner J. and James W. Tankard, Jr. Communication Theories -- Origins, Methods and Uses New York: Hastings House, 1979.

Abercrombie 1996, 140

Barker, Martin, & Petley, Julian, eds (2001), Ill Effects: The media/violence debate - Second edition, London: Routledge

HIPLIFE IS NOT DEAD

“See we were searching for the answer
Cos we wanna live the happy ever after.
We should open a new chapter
And write this story again
Cos we killing the GAME”
This is the hook sang by Richie in Obour’s THE GAME I listen t this track and g like wow what a masterpiece! Aside from the great collaborations, the awesome beat and great melody not forgetting a great chorus from the Hook master Richie, the song is so heavily laced with advice and admonitions
I have personally have not been s intrigued with local tracks. And I was given a trashing in the track when Obour complained about Ghanaians not patronizing works of local artistes but going gaga over works of international acts like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. But how can we not when most when our local artistes produce mediocre songs? Seriously some of our local songs are pathetic. Eish do those artists listen to themselves?
As I continue to listen to the song, I feel Obour and co took the words right from my mouth. They hit on the problems facing the HIPLIFE and the Music industry in Ghana as a whole. The beautifully give very practical solutions to these problems.
They talk about the envy, strife and bad blood between local artistes. I wonder why these people should be beefing. Hell they aint The Game, %o Cent, Kanye West and neither are they Lil Wayne. Or Pharreeal so its better they get real. Yeah it might be a publicity stunt but that’s so out of place here in Ghana. Don’t copy blindly.
Like Okyeame Kwame said. We must not wait for the whites or foreigners to come and change our situation for the better. We must change it ourselves. I don’t get it like the also don’t when some artiste talk of going international when don’t don’t even have a single local hit.
Eih producers don’t sit on the works of promising artist. It’s not very right for a song to be popular cos a producer paid for its airplay. Ok if you have to do that then don’t pay for the work of another artiste to be sidelined.
Djs stop demanding Payola to play a song. Don’t hype a song unnecessarily cos you have been paid to doo that. Hype a song on its merit.
Obouor tell them. Before shooting a music video there’s a need to rehearse. You don’t just get up one day and gather dancers, friends and a camera and start shooting a video. I wonder why Ghanaians copy people but they don’t copy properly. Those foreign artistes you guys so wanna be like take weeks to shoot a video not to talk about the rehearsals and efforts they put in. not the 2 hours stuff that is being done here.
Yes if these artistes will partner with mobile and internet service providers, fans would be able to download their work and pay for it. This would be a great marketing strategy. Its done outside why not here?
All in all I think Obour is so on point. Great collaboration. It adds spice to the song,. This is what other artistes should be doing instead of going at each others throats. Team up people. Big up Lynx and One Mic entertainment you guys are the bomb. Richie and Jayso your beats rock. Keep up the good work and RESSURECT THE GAME. AM OUT

SEE YA AND DON’T FOORGET TO COMMENT.

Sorry

my last posting had some errors and therefore the pics are quite not as i had wanted em to be. bear withy me and accept my apologies but i cant seem to set them right. this will not happen again

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD OR DUMB?

Celebrities Celebrities Celebrities. There is always drama surrounding a celebrity. Or is it because they are actors? Hmmm all I can do is wonder oo. Now why am i starting this post with such an opener? I just heard that Pop/RnB singer Rihanna is considering taking co RnB star and boyfriend Chris Brown back ( after he assualted her on February 8 prior to her scheduled Grammy Awards performance) if he appears and apologises to her on Oprah Winfrey's show. When I heard this news my first reaction was WTF? What is wrong with Rihanna? Is she soo deeply in love that she’s willing to take back Chris after the assaults and threats he rained on her? And here I was thinking she was matured and now a grown up girl. Seems like she’s now a good girl gone dumb!

One might however say that Chris Brown should be given a second chance and that he might have really changed and needed a break. But I seriously believe that Chris aint going to change.

Why? Because most men turn abusive when they are insecured in a relationship. Surprised huh? Yes Chris is highly insecured. Now wouldn’t you be if you were dating a Grammy Award winning multi-platinum girl? To top it all Rihanna is a year older than Chris and to make matters worse is more popular and successful than him.

Most men in such relationships tend to be abusive to prove their masculinity and boost their pitiful egos. This is why I say he would still abuse her if she takes him back.

Now there have been a lot of theories and speculations as to why Chris beat Rihanna up. Some say he beat her when she confronted him about allegations that he was cheating on her. Another far-fetched and hilarious one claims Rihanna gave Chris herpes and this led to the assault. The latter one has however been vigorously been denied by Rhin Rhi’s camp. (Obviously what do you expect?)

Well here are the semi-facts as I gathered them. Rihanna and Chris Brown began squabbling after leaving Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party on the 7^th of February. Shortly after midnight, things blew up. Brown pulled his silver Lambourghini to the side of a street in L.A.’s Hancock Park neighborhood. That’s when, per the source, Rihanna grabbed the car keys and tossed them out the window, sending Brown into a rage. He tried in vain to find the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around her neck and, according to the insider, said, “I’m going to kill you!” The 20-year-old “Disturbia” singer told police that she lost consciousness, the source says, and when she awoke, Brown had fled.

Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire station on February 8, 2009 and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats,^[36] while under investigation for domestic violence charges, following an argument with an unidentified woman. The police report did not name the female in the incident as is policy, but stated that the she had "suffered visible injuries." However, various news media such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and MSNBC said that sources had identified the alleged victim as his girlfriend and fellow R&B singer Rihanna. This was because Rihanna used her real name; Robyn Fenty. Following his arrest, several of his commercial ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations, and he withdrew from public appearances, including one at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Brown, who is free on $50,000 bail after turning himself in during the Grammy Awards on the day of the alleged incident, could face a sentence ranging from probation to nearly five years in state prison if convicted of assaulting Rihanna.

An unidentified source said Brown, 19, returned to his home state of Virginia to be with family and seek counseling in anticipation of his arraignment Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, People.com reported Friday.

The "Run It!" singer took time during his visit to play basketball with some students at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., one of those students said.

"He seemed like he was in a pretty jovial mood. I think he was trying to relax. I think he's in Virginia to get away from it all," business administration senior Matthew Treacy said of Brown.

Meanwhile, Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, told People.com his daughter had returned to her native Barbados amid the celebrity scandal.

"She's home," Fenty said of his 21-year-old daughter. "She is in good spirits. And she sounds great."

Now the part that gets me spinning the most is where Rihanna claims shes undecided as to whether to break up with Chris Brown or forgive him.

Rihanna has reportedly demanded that her boyfriend Chris Brown publicly apologises to her on an upcoming OPRAH show.
Sources claim that Oprah Winfrey has been secretly talking with the Umbrella hitmaker and has told Rihanna not to reconcile with Brown on her daily show.
But Rihanna wants her on/off boyfriend to sit beside her on Oprah's sofa.
She is rumoured to have asked Brown to not only pay a visit to Oprah but apologise to her on the show.
the source says, "Rihanna has been talking to Oprah Winfrey on a regular basis since late February, when Oprah begged her not to take Chris back. She’s been having second thoughts about them being back together. Agreeing to go on Oprah’s show and tell the world how sorry he is will help make up her mind."
Winfrey aides are denying the story.
Brown is scheduled to be arraigned on making criminal threats and assault charges on 6 April.

Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ.com—which revealed Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi has proposed a law called "Rihanna's Law", which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims. Gil Kaufman of VH1 reported "the nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases.”

Can someone assault me so that i get a law enacted in my name? How about SKINBIS LAW? Sounds cool. Problem is I aint no celeb. Too bad.

NOW ALL I CAN SAY IS RIHANNA PLEASE DON’T TAKE HIM BACK. DUMP HIM DUMP HIM DUMP HIM. GROW UP GIRL.

NOW YALL BETTER NOT FORGET TO COMMENT SEE YA

T for TROUBLE P for PAIN

Now i know its been a while since i visited my own blog. Whew can you imaging that? Welll now am here and i promise to do my best to be constant. Now now dont blame me too much blame my lazy bones. Lol.

Wondering what the topic for today is? Well its quite simple. A lil bird whispered in my ears that Faheem Rasheed Najm popularly known as T-Pain, whom we all know is an American Hip Hop artiste has been allegedly arrested during the annual Radio One Springfest concertat Miami on the 28th of April.

Now before i come and give yal the facts and fiction of this lets get to know this guy a lil more.
is an American hip hop, R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, and producer known for his use of auto-tune. He began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. Maybe thats where he gets his signature Nappy Boy from. Neways this artiste became our darling with hit tracks like Bartender and Buy You a Drink.

His recent work Thr33 Ringz which features T.I., Lil Wayne, Ludacris, DJ Khaled, Ciara, Chris Brown, Kanye West and many more can be labeled as chart topper. With tracks like Chop and Skrewed and Cant Believe It, U cant help bit believe T-pain is in his element.

But i think i enjoy T-Pain best when he is featured on a track. lets give it to the guy all his featured tracks are hits. example "She Got It" by 2 Pistols, "Go Girl" by Ciara, "The Boss" by Rick Ross, "Cash Flow" by Ace Hood, "Shawty Get Loose" by Lil Mama, "One More Drink" by Ludacris, and "Go Hard" by DJ Khaled with Kanye West.

Now lets go back to his scuffle with the law. Apparently he was a scheduled performer at the event, which took place at the Bayfront Amphitheater.

Witnesses in attendance said who was the closing act became furious when he was asked to cut his set short, despite chanting fans wanting a show from the singer.

"He started telling the crowd they were trying to shorten his show and that he wasn't going for it," the source told BallerStatus. "He was told he had 30 [minutes] and he wasn't getting off that stage until those 30 [minutes] were up. He said a lot of other things to the crowd in reference to what was going on. During all that the whole backstage area was blanketed by 20-plus police trying to cut the sound off to stop the show."

The singer ignored requests to cut his performance, continuing to put on his show, all while the backstage area began to fill with police officers.

An eyewitness said that T-Pain's manager ran off stage, pushed down a female police officer while trying to make his way to the DJ booth, which is when he was surrounded by authorities before running back to the stage.

While this was going on, other officers argued with event organizers backstage to shut down T-Pain's show, but the singer continued on.

When the singer finally broke into "Buy You A Drink," his latest single, T-Pain's music was finally cut. He then tossed his mic and became furious, jumping up and down, while throwing middle fingers at the police and screaming "f*** you."

Before chaos could ensue, T-Pain and his entourage exited to their van outside the venue, followed by police who proceeded to pull all members from the vehicle including the singer.

"The police immediately ran up to the van and pulled T-Pain's crew out of the van," the source said. "His road manager Boogie's shirt was pulled up and around his face as the grabbed him out the van. Tay Dizm, one of T-Pain's performers, got pulled out the van and thrown on the ground. T-Pain got pulled on too. The officers took all of their jewelry off, even J-Lyric's who was not even in the van and didn't get arrested.

"The police were very angry and seemed like they had a point to prove as they dragged T-Pain and crew to the office away from everyone else," he continued.

Although it is unclear what the charges were, he was arrested shortly afterward and taken into custody.

Trouble does not end the for T-Pain. He and his management are being sued for cancelling a concert in celebration of carnival in Guyana after receiving what a promoter calls “credible death and kidnapping threats.” Well now it looks like he, his Nappy Boy Touring and Chase Entertainment management/promotion company were served with a $5 million lawsuit Monday for canceling the concert.

Promoter Hits and Jams Entertainment filed the lawsuit in Florida’s Broward Circuit Court siting that the entertainer’s cancellation was a breach of contract, responsible for libel and defamation.

Any ways am done now but can anyone tell me wats up with T-Pain and his costumes now? Jeez do they freak me out. thanks to his hedious clown master or ring master whatever costumes i cant watch his videos anymore cos they give me nightmares. Worse is the fact that i cant listen to his tracks cos i always imagine him in those clothes. Wheres the Old lovely T-pain? or has the fame gotten to his head? Whats happening to our celebrities?

HALLA AND DONT FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS SEE YALL SOON

MC Baby

DOLL DOMINATION

Now what is being dominated? This is the first question that comes to my mind whenever i hear the title of the Pussycat Dolls sophomore album, Doll Domination.
having come a long wayt from Burlesque troupe to a recording group, i cant help but admire the Dolls made up of lead singer Nicole scherzinger, Melody Thorton, Jessica Sutta, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts.
Even though some critics has labeled the album as a carbon copy of their debut PCD, i believe that these two albums are very different in their similarities.
Yes the Dolls still maintain the sassy sexy image they created in PCD. But the irony here is that they becomes realistic and human in Doll Domination.
In PCD they teased, flirted and flaunted in tracks like Don't Cha, Beep, Buttons, Wait A Minute and I dont need a Man. ( Now i ask myself, what are we guys supposed to do if these sexy gals tel us the dont need us?)
In Doll Domination however they still flirted with R Kelly and Polow Da Don in Out of this Club, asserts superiority over competitors in Whatchamacalit, strut their stuff in Bottle Pop which featured a cameo by Snoop Dogg who also made an appearance in Buttons of PCD.
They state that they've got the power in Magic and they take over the World in Takin over the World.
In Doll Domination however, the dolls flaunts a new accessory and thats a ''breakable heart".
In I Hate This Part, Nicole is allowed to emote fully on the track. She sings all the lead and background vocals. The song depicts a girl who is hurting cos there isnt enough communication with her boyfriend. Now who would have ever thought a pin-up girl would ever get heartbroken?
In Halo Nicole states shes not a superwoman or an angell and therefore shes bound to make mistakes just like a human does.
Who could have thought the dolls would ever advice people to beware of the world of fame and stardom and that not all that glitters is gold? Well they did that awesomely in When I Grow Up but still maintain their attitude.
In Doll Domination, the Dolls' bark is as big as their bite. Scherzinger lays down the law to a deadbeat boyfriend on the Missy Elliott-assisted Whatcha Think About That, while threatening to "hurt" and "kick" another on In Person with a line like: how u gon explain to your boys how tou got beat up bye a chic. And on Happily Never After, written by Ne-Yo, she narrates the tale of a woman who bolts a damaging relationship.
Even with fun tracks like Elevator which had vocals from Melod, they talk about the up and downs of relationships.

Doll Domination comes with a deluxe edition which features solos from all the five dolls. and on thiis one Melody Thorton blows me away with he melismatic voice on Space, in which she leaves a complaining boyfriend.

The dolls have always been criticised for the over presence of Nicole Scherzinger in their albums. They are also labeled as being at the mercy of their songwriters.
I was disappointed when i read somewhere that Nicole came running to the dolls like a dog with its tail between its legs when she failed to launch her solo album.
The truth is she put a hold on that album to work on Doll Domination and to rewrite some tracks. thats all.
It should also be noted that Nicole is the only doll that has writing credits on all their albums. And moreover some of the songs on Doll Domination like whos Gonna love You and Happily Never After was taken from her album.
so Yall Nicole haters give her a break.

Recently, the Dolls has recored three soundtracks name Jai Ho from Slumdung Millionaire, Bad Girl from The Confessions Of A Shopaholic and Top Of the World from MTV series The City which he song peak at number 29 on the US iTunes and number 15 on Canada iTunes with no radioplay, no official video and no promotion. "Top of the World" debuted at number 79 on Billboard Hot 100. How cool is that?

With great productions from R. Kelly, Timbaland, Rodney Dark Child Jerkins, Polow Da Don, Danja etc. Doll Domination works for me.Now the Pussycat Dolls are stocking a little empathy along with the attitude.

Pussycat Dolls DOMINATE me baby. LOL
see ya and dont forget to comment.