Using the three theories give examples using WE media - Mrs. McDonald

The Hypodermic Needle Model is a theory that suggests that all the information delivered through media "passes through the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated". The theory suggests that the audience believe everything that they are told in the media. The main example of WE media regarding this theory is North Korea.

The communist country restrict the amount of media that the citizens are allowed to access, they infamously murdered ten of their government officials for watching South Korean television. Also if you access the internet in North Korea and search the country you will only find positive sites that glorify the nation and propaganda, all negative websites are removed. This allows them to have control over the citizens and you can see how the Hypodermic Needle Theory relates to this country. The video below emphasises the oppression of the country in regards to media.

However the (Blumler and Katz) Uses and Gratifications theory opposes the Hypodermic Needle Model. This theory believes that the audience is active rather than passive, that individuals "use texts in different ways and the audience are no longer viewed as passive receivers". There are four identified needs of the audience that this theory employs and this can be linked in with WE media. If you take football (as it is documented and recorded around the world) you can apply each of the needs. 

The first one is entertainment and diversion this means that the audience view media as a form of escapism and watch football through television to forget the stresses of daily life. 

The second need is personal relationships/social interaction which allows the audience to socialise regarding events and in terms of football there is social media where people can voice their opinions the match or news involving the sport.

The third need is Personal Identity which means that the audience can compare their lives to the lives of characters or situations presented through the media. In relation to football the audience can compare their lives to those of the footballers and they can learn of their lifestyles through their social media accounts and the internet.

The fourth and final need is Information/Education this allows the audience to find out what is going in the world. Regarding football the audience can keep up to date through various methods such as television, radio, internet, newspapers and social media. This need relates to many forms of WE media.

The final theory is (David Buckingham) The Creative Audience. This theory suggests that young people are using the media as a "wallpaper" something to pass the time due to boredom. This theory relates to social media as nearly everyone has either a Facebook or Twitter account or both. They document things that happen in their lives onto the internet for all the world to see and this can be seen as a time passer and something to do because you are bored. 

Buckingham says that "young people use media to help make sense of their experiences". I think that due to the age that our generation have grown up in social media has become a part of our lives and I personally check my social media accounts daily. This video is an insight into the affect that social media has had on sociey.