Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median and Mode
Audience theory
1. Audience Theory
All mediaproductshave atarget audience.
Productscan have a massaudience ora niche audience.
The producersneedtoknowthe importance of whotheiraudience iswhenmakingproducts.
The FrankfurtSchool (1920s 1930s(time of war and propaganda))- Hypodermicsyringe
The contentof the mediawere injectedintothe thoughtsof the passive audients,whoacceptedthe
attitudes,opinionsandbeliefsexpressedbythe mediumwithoutquestion.
LazarfeldandKatz (1940s 1950s)-The Two StepFlow
Two steps-
Firststep- Opinionleadersgetinformationfromamediasource
Secondstep- Opinionleadersthenpassthe information,alongwiththeirinterpretation,toothers
Thissuggeststhe audience isnotactive notpassive. The trendingonsocial mediaandabilityto
share,retweetandrepostisan example of the evolutionof the twosteptheory.
BlulmerandKatz(1974)- Uses and gratifications
The introductionof television.
Individualsmightchoose anduse atextfor the followingpurposes
1. Diversion- escapefromeverydayproblemsandroutine.
2. Personal Relationships-usingthe mediaforemotional andotherinteraction
3. Personal identity- findingyourself reflectedintexts,learningbehaviourandvaluesfrom
texts.
4. Surveillance- Informationwhichcouldbe useful forliving
Uses andgratification Examples How doesitappeal to the
audience
Diversion Justwatchedmusicvideo
whichisa formof diversion.
Entertainment.
Clothes,dance routine,
alcohol,party,havingfun
Personal relationships Know whothe spice girlsare
by magazines,spice girl
annuals,newspapers
Posters,magazines,spicegirl
annuals
Personal identity Causingmischief,boisterous Copytheirbehaviour,relate to
one of them
Surveillance n/a n/a
DavidMorley(1980s) – televisionaudiencesandcultural studies
3 waysto reada mediatext
Dominant/hegemonicreading- The readershare the programmescode andfullyacceptsthe
programmespreferredreading
2. Negotiatedreading- The readerpartlysharesthe programmescode andbroadlyacceptsthe
preferredreading,butmodifiesitinaway whichreflectstheirpositionandinterests.
Oppositionalreading-the readerdoesnotshare the programmescode andrejectsthe preferred
reading,bringingtobearan alternative frame of interpretation.
