This document discusses various theories and concepts related to audiences, including media effects theories by Bandura and Gerbner, reception theory by Hall, and theories of fandom and the "end of audience" by Jenkins and Shirky. It categorizes audiences by demographics and psychographics. It distinguishes between primary, secondary, active, and passive audiences and between mass and niche audiences. It outlines Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory of why audiences access different media. It discusses the importance of targeting and creating audiences through marketing campaigns and provides examples relating to the TV show Humans.

1. AUDIENCES

2. • Media effects, including Albert Bandura
• Cultivation theory, including George Gerbner
• Reception theory, including Stuart Hall
• Fandom, including Henry Jenkins
• ‘End of audience’ theories - Clay Shirky.

3. Audiences can be grouped by…
• Age
• Gender
• Sexuality
• Race and ethnicity
• Religion
• Social class/wealth
• Location
• Values and beliefs
• Hobbies/interests
• Education
• Lifestyle choices
• Attitudes
• Political persuasion

4. • Demographic audience A-E
• A= higher management
• B= middle managers
• C1= skilled workers- including nurses/office workers
• C2= skilled manual workers
• D= semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers
• E= unemployed, students and pensioners

6. • The primary audience is the main target audience – the
people the producers are deliberately trying to appeal to
when they create the text. Secondary audiences – other
people who might also enjoy the text.
• Audiences who seek out the media text are called ACTIVE
audiences.
• Audiences who may like the text but view it through
circumstance are called PASSIVE audiences.

7. Mass and Niche audiences
• A Mass audience is a large/mainstream audience.
• A Niche audience is a very select/specific audience.
.

8. Blumler and Katz (theorists)
Uses and Gratifications Theory – media consumers choose texts that fulfil one or more
of these needs:
• INFORMED and EDUCATED about the world
• IDENTIFY personally with characters and situations
• ENTERTAINED by a range of texts
• To use the media as talking point for SOCIAL INTERACTION
• To ESCAPE from the ‘daily grind’
• WRITE THIS DOWN: “when applying the uses and gratifications theory, an audience
might access this text to…”

9. Targeting an audience
• This is an essential component when planning any media product.
• When a media text is being planned, perhaps the most important
question the producers consider is "Does it have an audience?" If the
answer to this is 'no', then there is no point in going any further. If no
one is going to watch/read/play/buy the text, the producers aren't
going to make any money or get their message across. Audience
research is a major part of any media company's work. They use
questionnaires, focus groups, and comparisons to existing media
texts, and spend a great deal of time and money finding out if there is
anyone out there who might be interested in their idea.

10. Creating an audience
• Once a media text has been made, its producers need to ensure that it
reaches the audience it is intended for. All media texts will have some sort
of marketing campaign attached to them. Elements of this might include
• posters
• print, radio, TV and internet advertisements
• trailers
• promotional interviews (eg stars appearing on chat shows, information
leaked to Internet bloggers)
• tie-in campaigns (eg a blockbuster movie using McDonalds meals)
• merchandising (t-shirts, baseball caps, key rings)

11. Humans Series 2 marketing campaign
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7k-DwrITI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvnrD3MHz4s
• Postmodern advertising technique.
• Playing with codes and conventions.
• They hope social media will spread the advert

12. By releasing a snap chat “synth”
filter, Humans were able to create an
active, involved audience. It is also an
example of media convergence.
Broadcast media has essentially
converged with digital media to
promote the show.

15. Fandom refers to the social structures and cultural practices created
by the most passionately engaged consumers of mass media
properties
Participatory culture refers more broadly to any kind of cultural
production which starts at the grassroots level and which is open to
broad participation
Web 2.0 is a business model that sustains many web-based projects
that rely on principles such as user-creation and moderation, social
networking, and "crowdsourcing.” Web 2.0 marks the change from
static websites to dynamic (ever-changing) websites. Web 2.0 allows
for user generated content.

16. Examples of Fandom and Participatory culture
• http://theforce.net
• http://www.mugglenet.com
• https://cronaldodaily.com