Popular Culture Review 30.1
that “ the show actually doesn ’ t present a viable alternative to suicide ” ( Thorbecke , “‘ 13 Reasons Why ’ Faces Backlash from Suicide Prevention Advocacy Group ”). Besides navigating the social relevance and impact of 13 Reasons Why , the debate surrounding the perceived influence of the series , both positive and negative , continues historical debates regarding the greater influence of media texts on audiences , and whether they can be held wholly accountable for provoking subsequent audience behaviors .
FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY
For its theoretical framework , this research essay employs audience reception and social learning theory . Audience reception is a qualitative theory used to deconstruct audience interpretation of media texts . Development of the theory is popularly attributed to sociologist Stuart Hall , who argued that audiences could develop varied interpretations of the same media content , some resistant to the dominant ideology , or “ preferred reading ” ( 9 ), of their peer groups . Hall used several contemporary television series for his research , such as the 1960s western series The Virginian ( 7 ). Thus , audience reception is an appropriate framework through which to navigate the varied interpretations of 13 Reasons Why , particularly that rebuke the “ preferred reading ” of the series as communicating deterrent to self-harm . Additionally , social learning theory , developed by psychologists Albert Bandura and Richard Walters in the 1960s , suggests that individuals can adopt new behaviors through observing and subsequently imitating others ( Signorelli 16 ). The prominence of television in contemporary American culture suggests that the medium can provide models for younger , more impressionable viewers to base personal behavior on ( Duvall et al . 101 ), even potentially fatal behavior .
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