An audience is a group of people that consume media texts. Media texts are created with an intended audience in mind. Audiences can be categorized by their demographics and psychographics. Early audience theory, like the hypodermic needle model from the 1920s, suggested audiences passively accept media messages. However, the two-step flow theory proposed information spreads from media to opinion leaders to their associates, mediated by social influence. Later, uses and gratifications theory found individuals actively seek different functions from media, like diversion, relationships, identity, and information. Reception theory also noted interpretation depends on individual characteristics.

1. What is audience?
A group of people, large or small, that consume media texts. They can differ in a number of
ways so these groups may consist of subgroups and we categorise audiences in sub groups.
All media texts are made with an audience in mind. i.e. the people who will receive it make
sense out of it. Groups of people are categorized by their demographics and psycho-dynamics.

2. Audience Theorists
The Hypodermic Needle Model
Dated from the 1920's, the model was the first attempt to
explain how mass audiences might react to mass media.
It suggests that audiences passively receive information via a
media text without any attempt to challenge the text,
accepting these dominant ideologies as the norm. The model
proposed that the information from a text passes into
the consciousness of the audience unmediated.

3. Two Step Flow - challenges the syringe model. This idea challenges the
previous theory and was thought of as a more sophisticated explanation
between audience and text.
Proposed by Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudent – analysed the voters’ decision
making process during a 1940 presidential election. Their findings suggested
that the information does not flow directly from the texts into the minds of its
audience unmediated but it’s filtered through ‘opinion leaders’ who then
communicate it to their less active associates over whom they have influence.
The audience then mediate the information received with the ideas and
thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a
direct process, but by a two step flow.

4. Uses and Gratification Theory
Researchers Blulmer and Katz 1974 expanded the theory Laswell has
propsed in 1948 suggesting that media texts had several functions for
individuals and society. They publised their own and stated that
individuals use media texts in different ways and for different reasons:
• Diversion - method of escapism from reality and everyday life.
• Personal Relationships - using media for emotional and other
interaction.
• Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in media texts.
• Surveillance - source of information which could be useful.
Reception theory
research was conducted on how individuals received and
interpreted a media text. Finding suggested that it depended on
demographics and psychographics.

5. The hypodermic syringe model can be linked to the genre of
horror as a common belief amongst many people was that
audiences watching horror films would be encouraged to carry
out such violence that they were being portrayed to, influencing
the consumer.
However this idea has drawn many counter arguments against it,
as it is not possible to suggest that every individual who watches
horror films will become a serial killer and take example from the
characters in the film.