This document outlines the audience analysis for a documentary about the positive and negative impacts of social media on identity. The documentary aims to educate, entertain, and inform a mass audience of all individuals who use social media. The primary target audience is ages 14-25, of all genders and ethnicities, who are middle to upper class, located in cities, and value technology and social connections. A secondary audience includes older adults adapting to technology as well as rural and lower class users. The documentary will be aired on Channel 4 to explore a current social issue and attract viewers through its use of music, transitions, lighting, and interview styles inspired by similar documentaries.

1. Assignment 19: Audience
Topic : Does social media have a positive or negative impact on our identity
Chelsea Fashole – Luke
Rosalin Zein
Russ Monocillo
Marisha Inoke

2. Purpose of our documentary
•
•
•
•
Educate
Entertain
Inform
Cause people to question themselves

3. Niche or Mass?
Niche or Mass?
Explanation
Comparison to similar
documentary
Mass
Topic aimed at all
individuals who use the
web and social networking
sites
Catfish – aimed at people
of all ages

4. Target audience
Category
Details
Explanation
Age
14-25
Statistics show that these are the
main ages that use social media.
Gender
All
Statistics show females use social
networking more often.
Ethnicity
They will most likely use social
media more and so will be
interested on how it impacts them.
Social class
Middle- upper class
Location
Cities
Values/attitudes/lifestyle
Computing, technology, staying
connected, social
Social group/hobbies
Being social – going to events,
messaging, keeping up to date

5. Secondary audience
Category
Details
Age
Explanation
Those who are older are now
adapting to new technology
Gender
All
Ethnicity
Eastern society
Social class
Lower class
Less able to afford new technology
but still part of social media
Location
Rural areas
They are stereotyped as being
community centred which is a
reason why someone may use
social media
Values/attitudes/lifestyle
People who want to gain a better
insight into themselves.
They will want to learn how social
media has impacted on their
idetity
Social group/hobbies
Males less likely to watch as they
spend less time on social media
and so believe it wouldn’t impact
them.

6. Audience relation to topic
How will your audience relate to your topic?
• Will be able to identify if they share similar issues with others
• Our audience will most likely be social network users
Why will they enjoy your topic?
• It is relevant to todays society
• Will learn about how social media affects themselves and others
• Our documentary will contain elements that will hold their attention (music,
transitions etc.)
To put into todays context our topic is relevant/important to our audience because: it
is based around a subject which most audiences have access to and will want to
gain more insight into how it really affects them.

7. Channel choice & audience
• We might put our documentary on Channel 4 because
channel 4 mainly show documentaries that are expository,
participatory and reflexive.
• Similar documentaries on this channel that we were inspired
by were ‘Don’t Blame Facebook’, ‘Food Unwrapped’, ‘Human
Swarm'. They were appropriate for this channel because they
are exploring events that are current and on going in society.
• This connects to our target audience because they like to keep
up to date with current events and affairs in society.

8. Time on TV & audience
On terrestrial TV our documentary would be played at 8:00 – 9:00 pm
because it is convenient for most people who aren’t really interested in
watching entertainment shows such as Xfactor.

9. Platform and audience
In addition to terrestrial TV we would also make our documentary available on :
Additional Platforms
Connection to target audience
4oD
Our target audience will most
likely be online and so will be
able to access 4od
Youtube
YouTube is a form of social
media so they will most likely
have a YouTube account
Netflix/Lovefilm
Younger audiences will know
how to utilise these facilities.
iTunes
Technological convergence is
relevant to everyone

10. Attracting your audience
How will you attract your audience through construction aspects?
Construction
aspects
How will this attract your audience
Comparison to inspirational
documentaries
Music
It will current and relevant and
appropriate to our topic.
Catfish
Transitions
They will have a contemporary edge.
The Gadget Show
Mid shot
when interviewing experts
The culture show: is youtube
the future of tv?
Shallow focus
To focus on the main objects in the
frame. Isolates the foreground to allow
the audience to pay attention.
Tiger: spy in the jungle
Available/natural
lighting
To make the documentary more
realistic and natural looking, causing a
sense of realism.
The woman who woke up
Chinese

11. Uses & Gratifications (McQuail)
Information
Personal identity
Integration & social Entertainment
interaction
• Satisfying
curiosity and
general interest
• Gaining insight
into ones self.
• Finding models
of behaviour
• Identifying with
others.
• Finding a bases
for conversation
and interaction.
• Filling time.
• Being diverted
from problems

12. Reception theory
• Explain how this does/does not apply to your documentary
The reception theory does apply to our documentary because the audience use
different social networking sites which will impact on each individual in various ways,
causing them to perceive things differently.
• How will your audience read your documentary ?
Negotiated reading:
- The reader partly shares the programmes code but modifies it in a way that
reflects their position and interests.
- Our audience will have a negotiated reading because they will take what relates to
their views and values, as well as learn new things that may impact them.

13. The end.