2. WHAT IS AN AUDIENCE?
• Audience are the people that the media text is aimed at (target audience) and the people
who consume the media product. Audiences can be split into two different categories;
demographics and psychographics.
3. AUDIENCE THEORISTS
• Uses and Gratifications Theory; Bulmer and Katz developed the uses and gratifications theory in 1974
believing that people might choose and use text for the following purposes;
• Entertainment
• Information
• Social relationships
• Personal identity
• Hypodermic Syringe Model; this theory was the first attempt to explain mass audiences might react to
mass media. This theory suggests that information is absorbed into the human brain without thought.
The consumer is vulnerable from consuming media texts and are easily manipulated by the prodcuers.
4. AUDIENCE THEORIES LINKING TO THE
HORROR GENRE
• Audience theories can be related to the horror genre, this can include many people
believing that from the hypodermic syringe model, this can influence the audience into
committing crimes. This has led to banning some horror films.
• However studies have argued that by viewing horror films it allows us to gain the
feelings of the crimes without having to commit it which therefore satisfies the
consumers. It allows the consumer to share the experience with others and gain a sense
of empathy.
