Notes on The Cultural Effects theory and how it applies to music videos

‘The cultural effects’ theory is a way of explaining the effects of media on audiences. More specifically, ‘The cultural effects’ theory regards the evolving effect of media on audiences and how it is not drastically impacting but more so builds up over time. The process is slow and very much gradual. This relates, and can be used in correlation, to Marxism, which is the concept that society dictates our actions and how we feel compelled to meet certain social expectations throughout our lives. This theory links because it relates to a lack of control over audiences, with the effect of the media not even being immediately noticeable. The more consistent an idea becomes in the media industry, then the more likely it is to be accepted by citizens, referring to market trends, such as the pop genre being the most socially common.

An example of this can be seen in the current trend in pop music videos being very explicit and grown up in content. This has sparked controversy and resulted in parental advisories at the beginning of selected music videos, such as Iggy Azalea's song 'Fancy.' This demonstrates an effect of music videos which has built up until it has become too extreme to ignore.

 

We will refer to this theory by following contemporary trends within the punk rock genre, such as the element of rebellion via a setting containing graffiti and the passion behind the lyrical content being visually presented through the performance shots of the artists.