Introduction to media audiences and audience theory for NC Media students.

1. media audiences

2. Lesson objectives
one Know how a media industry identifies
audiences for its products
two Understand how media products are
construcred for specific audiences
three Understand how audiences can
respond to media products

3. audience is used to describe a
group of individually
unidentifiable and mutually
anonymous people, usually
united by their participation
in media use.

4. It is used to refer to large
groups of people like the
mass audience …

5. for television programmes,

6. newspaper readership,

7. people attending a sporting event,

8. or a music concert.

9. People is such groups are seen as
having little connection
with each other, other than
interest in the event they are
attending or witnessing.

10. The word audience may also
be used to refer to a relatively
small groups like people
who attend …

11. a school play,

12. a theatre performance,

13. or a poetry reading.

14. media product is
anything made by the
media industries.

15. media products are made
for a particular audience. We
enjoy some media products, but
we may be uninterested in
others.

16. Analysing a media product
is much easier once you have
identified the target
audience.

17. target audience is a specific
group of people at which a
product or marketing
messages are aimed.

18. Once you know your target
audience you can start to look
for particular features of the
product that appeal to that
audience.

19. A common and traditional
method of audience
research is known as
demographics.

20. producers need to know the
demographics of a potential
audience so they can shape
their product to appeal to a
group with known viewing habits.

21. psychographics is a way of
describing an audience by
looking at the behaviour and
personality traits of its members.

22. psychographics labels a
particular type of person and
makes an assessment about their
viewing and spending habits.

23. audience theory

24. the hypodermic model
In this model the media is seen
as powerful and able to inject
ideas into an audience who are
seen as weak and passive.

25. It was thought that a mass
audience could be
influenced by the same
message.

26. Powerful German films such as Triumph of the will
seemed to use propaganda methods to ‘inject’ Nazi
cause into the German audience.

27. That is why this this theory is
known as the hypodermic
model.

28. It suggests that media can
‘inject’ ideas, values and attitudes
into passive audience who
might then act upon them.

29. This theory also suggests
that media products
have only one message which
the audience must pick up.

30. This theory stems from a fear of
the mass media, and gives the
media much more power than
it can ever have in a democracy.

31. It also ignores the obvious
fact that not everyone in
the audience behaves in
the same way.

32. Two Step Flow Theory
Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955)
assumed a slightly more active
audience. They suggest that
messages from the media move in
two distinct ways.

33. First, individuals who are opinion
leaders, receive messages from
the media and pass on their own
interpretations in addition to
the actual media content.

34. The information does not flow
directly from the text into the minds
of its audience, but is filtered
through the opinion leaders who then
pass it on to a more passive
audience.

35. The audience then mediate the
information received directly from the
media with the ideas and thoughts
expressed by the opinion leaders, thus
being influenced not by a direct
process, but by a two step flow.

36. This theory appeared to reduce the
power of the media, and some
researchers concluded that social
factors were also important in the way
in which audiences interpret texts. This
led to the idea of active audiences.

37. uses and gratification theory
This model stems from the idea
that audiences are a complex
mixture of individuals who select
media products that best suit their
needs.

38. This model suggests that media
audiences are active and make
active decisions about what
they consume in relation to their
social and cultural setting and
their needs.

39. The message of the media is
not being forced on them as
such, they are choosing to
interpret its message.

40. Here power lies with
the audience not the
producers.

41. The main idea is that media does
not fully control an audience,
but rather the media is subjective
per person as they use it to meet
their needs.

42. Blumier and Katz (1975)
went into greater detail
and identified four main
uses:

43. Surveillance – our need to know
what is going on in the world
By keeping up to date with news about
local and international events we feel we
have the knowledge to avoid or deal with
dangers.

44. Personal relationships – our need
for to interact with other people
This is provided by forming virtual
relationships with characters in soaps,
films and all kinds of drama, and other
programmes and other media texts.

45. Personal identity – our need to
define our identity and sense of self
Part of our sense of self is informed by
making judgements about all sorts of people
and things. This is also true of judgements we
make about TV and film characters, and
celebrities.

46. Our choice of music, the shows we watch,
the stars we like can be an expression of
our identities. One aspect of this type of
gratification is known as value
reinforcement. This is where we choose
television programmes or newspapers
that have similar beliefs to those we hold.

47. Diversion – the need for escape,
entertainment and relaxation
All types of television programmes can
be ‘used’ to wind down and offer
diversion, as well as satisfying some of
the other needs at the same time.

48. Next class will be on
moral panics

49. homework task
Read chapter on ‘Media audiences,
interpreters and users’ by Sonia
Livingstone. In your reading pay extra
attention to the concept of moral panic,
which we’ll discuss at the next class.