Censorship

Censorship refers to the extent of which certain material such as cultural, social, sexual and violent is exposed. Censorship is installed in order to determine the influence such matters have on mass audiences, interlinking with the effects model and selective exposure.

Selective exposure is a theory that suggests media recipients consume texts based on preconceived ideologies and beliefs, meaning individuals are more compelled to indulge in sources that agree with their interests and beliefs. As a result of this theory, media recipients are unlikely to consume materials contradictory to their beliefs/ideologies.

Censorship concerns the suppression of media platforms/sources conveying messages that may be considered rude or inappropriate due to moral, ethical, harmful or politically incorrect issues. Censorship is implemented to prevent more vulnerable, receptive minds such as those of children absorbing explicit information before they are even able to comprehend the meaning of these views. It is also important that explicit content is monitored, as children/adolescents are likely to imitate unfavorable behaviour if it represented through humor. One very notable example of censorship is 'The Hays Code': this was a principle that established a set of rules in 1930 that governed what was eligible for inclusion in the film industry. For example, film producers where not permitted to show women's legs any where above the knee, as it was believed that this could evoke sexual thoughts and therefore by adhering to the Hays Code it was possible to control audiences.

The Effects Model

The three components of the effects model are as follows:

a) Imitation
b) Desensitisation
c) Catharsis

Imitation

The primary stage of the effects model suggests that if an audience passively participates in a media text, it is likely that they will imitate this behaviour as it has been presented as acceptable. The media has often criticised games in the mould of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) because it provides the consumer with a virtual world in which they can cause mass destruction, it is debated that some gamers can still be influenced by these games - despite the age restrictions, which are often ignored.

Desensitisation

Throughout the world, images and videos are displayed in the media that thirty years ago would have been seen as socially unacceptable. Desensitiation is the process by which we have become acclimatised to more explicit content due to the exessive but gradual leniency on factors such as swearing, sexual content and violence. Fundamentally, if an explicit threat was to be made on television past the hour of nine o'clock, how many recipients of the text would actually be gobsmacked? This has transmitted through to the real world, it is not uncommon for people to swear on a regular places in working environments or educational institutions, because we have become desensitised to this content.

Catharsis

When watching, reading or listening to a media source that represents a poor living standard or life struggle, it often renders the consumer reassured safe in the knowledge that their life could be worse. When indulging in these texts, it provokes a sense of happiness as we realise that our lives are not as bad as we assume, because we are watching a ficticious world in which life is less favorable. Subconciously, we become much more satisfied with the things around us due to the information processed.