Backmasking Research Paper

than in Tristan because the sensuous elements Media Manipulation and Effects, a Case of Backmasking

Abstract

Media and its capacity to influence the audience is a heavily researched subject. Throughout the history, media messages have been played with to manipulate the audience into thinking in a particular way about certain points of interest. The purpose of this study is to explore such media manipulation and its influence over the audience in context to one specific technique of audio subliminal messaging called Backmasking. Backmasking is a common subliminal messaging technique in rock music and is viewed to be a part of a bigger media conspiracy. Therefore, the researcher attempted to analyze the opinion formation of young audience after

As soon as we get exposed to it, we become vulnerable to the possibilities of having our beliefs, opinions and identities redefined. This power of media has been exploited by many individuals or groups to fulfill their own interests. Television, radio, newspapers and all other forms of media have been used to serve different ulterior motives, which is why the role of media is still viewed to be highly influenced and controlled. Several phenomena have been declared as media conspiracy because of their manipulative nature.

Backmasking in rock music is also a part of an alleged media conspiracy which aims at promoting satanic values among the listeners and to sway their opinions in the favor of Satanism. By attempting to manipulate the young listeners with such hidden content, Backmasking in rock music is creating media distrust among the audience. Therefore, this research aims at exploring the manipulative role of media in context of backmasked rock

The idea of placing messages without making them obvious is a practice that has long existed in mass media. The effects of audio/visual hidden messages have been discussed a lot by several researchers and experts. A research study by Kayoko Takahashi (2008) focuses on the same subject. In his study, Takahashi conducted a face recognition test with a group of students to see how subliminal messages and suggestions affected memory. Using audio subliminal messages in the background and providing subliminal suggestions visually, the results of the test proved the proposed hypotheses that subliminal messages will not have any effect on the memories of the participants. An important feature in the study was the elimination of Placebo effect which suggested that people get affected by what they believe will affect them. A questionnaire was filled by the participants to learn about their knowledge and belief over subliminal messages so it could be known if the Placebo effect is expected or not. It was concluded that manipulation through hidden messages is a false concept and the claimed effects of such messages in rock music or in advertising are in fact not empirically