2. Audience theory
Three questions:
1. Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?
2.How do they consume texts?
3.What happens when they consume texts?
3. Audience theory
There are three theories of audience that we can apply
to help us come to a better understanding about the
relationship between texts and audience.
1. The Effects Model or the Hypodermic Model
2. The Uses and Gratifications Model
3. Reception Theory
4. The Effects Model
• The consumption of media texts has an effect or
influence upon the audience.
• It is normally considered that this effect is negative.
• Audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the
influence.
• The power lies with the message of the text.
5. The Effects Model
• This model is also called The Hypodermic Model
• Here, the messages in the media texts are injected
into the audience by powerful, syringe-like, media.
• The audience is powerless to resist.
• Therefore, the media works like a drug and the
audience is drugged, addicted, doped or duped.
6. The Uses and Gratifications Model
• The uses and Gratifications Model is the opposite of
the Effects Model.
• The audience is active.
• The audience uses the text and is not used by it.
• The audience uses the text for its own gratification or
pleasure.
7. The Uses and Gratifications Model
• Here, power lies with the audience and not the
producers.
• This theory emphasises what audiences do with
media texts – how and why they use them.
• Far from being duped by the media, the audience is
free to reject, use or play with the media meanings
as they see fit.
8. The Uses and Gratifications Model
• Audiences therefore use media texts to gratify needs
for:
• Diversion
• Escapism
• Information
• Pleasure
• Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one’s own
• Sexual stimulation
9. The Uses and Gratifications Model
• The audience is in control and consumption of the
media helps people with issues such as:
• Learning
• Emotional satisfaction
• Relaxation
• Help with issues of personal identity
• Help with issues of social identity
• Help with issues of aggression and violence
10. The Uses and Gratifications Model
• Controversially, the theory suggests the consumption
of violent images can be helpful rather than harmful.
• The theory suggests that audiences act out their
violent impulses through the consumption of media
violence.
• The audience’s inclination towards violence is
therefore sublimated, and they are less likely to
commit violent acts.
11. Reception Theory
• Given that the Effects Model and the Uses and
Gratifications have their own problems and
limitations, a different approach to audiences was
developed by Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in
the 1970s.
• This considered how texts were encoded with
meaning by the producers and then decoded
(understood) by the audience.
12. Reception Theory
• This theory suggests that;
• When a producer constructs a text, it is encoded
with a meaning or message that the producer
wishes to convey to the audience.
• In some instances, audiences will correctly decode
the message or meaning and understand what the
producer was trying to say.
• In some instances, the audience will either reject or
fail to correctly understand the message.
13. Reception Theory
• Stuart Hall identified three types of audience
readings (or decoding) of the text:
• Dominant or preferred
• Negotiated
• Oppositional
14. Reception Theory - Dominant
• Where the audience decodes the message as the
producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with
it.
• E.g. Watching a political speech and agreeing with it.
15. Reception Theory - Negotiated
• Where the audience accepts, rejects or refines
elements of the text in light of previously held views
• E.g. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political
speech or being disinterested.
16. Reception Theory - Oppositional
• Where the dominant meaning is recognised but
rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons.
• E.g. Total rejection of the political speech and active
opposition.
17. Reception Theory
• Audience Decodes Meaning/Message
Producer
Encodes
Meaning
Dominant or Preferred
Negotiated
Oppositional
