Following highly publicized cases of violence such as the murder of James Bulger, the media effects debate reached a crescendo, with many forms of media routinely scapegoated as the causes of such brutality. This volume challenges conventional notions of effects, questioning not only whether the media is really capable of directly influencing people's views and actions but also whether this form of debates is the most useful way of conceptualizing the relationship between the media and the audience. With chapters drawn from differing viewpoints, covering issues such as the historical development of the effects tradition, the remarkable power of common sense arguments, children's actual responses to media texts, and the orchestration of popular public anxieties about the media, the book provides a re-examination of so-called media effects and the ways in which they are interpreted for public consumption.
