what do media theorists think about the way we read texts?

Media theorists believe that we interpret texts steriotypically or interpret as the most extreme.
A quote from "Criminal Visions" by paul mason says:
"the report in question turns out to be young people's attitude towards violence, sex and relationships which was carried out for for the zero tolerance charitable trust and published in 1998 the only problem however is that Duval's account of the report seems to be based on a press cariciture of the research findings" this suggests that Duval had emphasised the findings to be extreme. Perhaps to gain more viewers.
Another quote in the same book said: "we are of the opinion that a significant number of viewers would be fascinated by the violence and excited into amoral behavior in other words... harm may be caused" This suggests the effects tradition where the viewer is influenced by what they see and bringing the amoral fiction into real life.

2. How does contemporary representation compare to different time periods?

Modern media texts such as Gavin and Stacey which represent a up-to-date way of life for young adults, suggest that it is now more acceptable for youths to have more experiences in what used to be classed as taboo situations, such as binge drinking and one night stands (shown through the characters Nessa and Smithy). Whereas this would have been seen as highly inappropriate behaviour.