Audience theory

1. Audience Theory
 All mediaproductshave atarget audience
 Theyalsosometimestrytoconstruct an audience
 Productscan have a massor niche audience
 The producerstextsneedtoknow the importance of theiraudience whenmakingproducts
The Frankfurt School
 The Frankfurtschool (a groupof mediatheoristsinthe 1920’s and 1930’s) were concerned
aboutthe possible effectsof massmedia
 Theyenvisionedthe mediaasa hypodermicneedle
 The contentsof the mediawere injectedintothe thoughtsof the audience,whoaccepted
the attitudes, opinionsandbeliefsexpressedbythe medium, withoutquestion
 Linearcommunicationtheory
 Passive audience
 No individual difference
The Two Step Flow
 DevelopedbyLazarsfeld(The people’sChoice 1940’s) and Katz(Personal Influence) inthe
40’s and50’s
 Two steps:
 First:Opinionleadersgetinfofromamediasource
 Second:Opinionleadersthenpassthe infoalongwiththeirowninterpretationontoothers
(Friends,family,fansetc...)
 More likelytobe influencedbyindividualsratherthanmassmedia(The people’sChoice
1940’s)
 Opinionleadersplayclose attentiontothe massmedia
 The audience isnolongerpassive
 In 2012 twitterproducedstatisticstobackup the Twosteptheory
 We are more likelytobuysomethingif someoneyoutrusttellsyouhow gooditis
 Strengths:Audiencesare active andseenaspart of a society
 Limitations:More than2 stepsinthe flow of communication?
Uses and Gratifications Theory
 Duringthe 60’s, as the firstgenerationtogrow up withtelevisionbecame grownups,it
became increasinglyapparenttomediatheorists thataudiencesmade choicesaboutwhat
theydidwhenconsumingtexts
 Far from beingapassive mass,audienceswere made upof individualswhoactively
consumedtextsfordifferentreasonsandindifferentways
 BlumlerandKatzexpandedthistheoryin1974, statingthat individualsmightchoose and
use a textfor the followingpurposes:
 Diversion:escape fromeverydayproblemsandroutine
 Personal relationships:usingthe mediaforemotionalandotherinteractions,e.g.
substitutingsoapoperasforfamilylife

2.  Personal identity: findingyourself reflectedintexts,learningvaluesandbehaviourfrom
texts
 Surveillance:Informationwhichcouldbe usefulforlivinge.g.Weatherreports,financial
news,holiday bargains.
 Since thenthe listof usesand gratificationhasbeenextended,particularlyasnew media
formshave come along.E.g. Videogames,the internet,social media,fashion,instant
messaging)
Instant Messaging
 For heavyusersitfoundthat affectionandsociabilitywere the mainmotivators
 For lightusersitwas fashionthatmotivatedthem
 For womenitwasto chat fora longtime andfor sociable reasons
 For menit wasshort conversationsandforentertainment
Video Games
 Enjoyment,social interaction,success,accomplishment
Social Media
 Nowusedas a place to ventyour opinion
David Morley (1980’s)
 Concernedwithreadingtexts
 Saidthere are 3 mainways we read:
 Dominantreading:The readersharesthe programmescode andfullyacceptsthe
programmes‘preferredreadings’
 Negotiatedreading:The readerpartlyshares the programmescode andbroadlyacceptsthe
preferredreading.Butaltersitina waywhichreflects theirpositionandinterests
 Oppositionalreading:The readerdoesnotshare the programmescode andrejectsthe
preferredreading,bringingtoframe an alternative view