The document discusses several theories of how audiences interact with and make sense of media texts: - Uses and Gratification theory which suggests individuals choose media for purposes like entertainment, information, social relationships, and identity. - Hypodermic Syringe Model which proposes that audiences passively absorb information without thought and are easily manipulated. - Two Step Flow theory which argues information spreads from media to opinion leaders and then to less active associates. - Reception Theory which finds that individuals' interpretations are shaped by their own circumstances and ideologies rather than just the text itself.

1. Audience
Audience are the people who the media text is aimed at (target audience)
and the people who consume the media product. Audiences can be sorted
into certain categories such as the demographics and psychographics of the
target market.
Demographics Psychographics
Age Hobbies and Interests
Gender
Religion
Socio-economic
Spending power
In the next few slides are audience theories that explain why audience’s
chose particular media texts (such as horror films) and how the audience
take in the information.

2. Uses and Gratification
Bulmer and Katz developed the Uses and Gratification theory in 1974,
stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following
purposes:
- Entertainment/Diversion
-Information/Surveillance
-Social Relationships
-Personal Identity

3. Hypodermic Syringe Model
Dating from the 1920s, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass
audiences might react to mass media. This theory suggests that information
is absorbed into the human brain without thought.
The consumer is vulnerable from consuming media texts and are easily
manipulated by producers, therefore the consumer will accept dominant
ideologies as the norm.

4. Two Step Flow
Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet analysed the voter’s decision making
process during the 1940 presidential election campaign and published their
results in ‘The People’s Choice’.
Their findings suggested that the information does not flow directly from
the text into the minds of its audience unmediated but its already filtered
through opinion leaders who then communicate it to their less active
associates, over whom they have influence.

5. Reception Theory
Thirty years ago research was conducted on how individuals receive and
interpret a media text, and whether their individual circumstances (age,
gender, class) affected their reading.
Stuart Hall addressed this concluding that audiences take on their own
theories of a media text as people are all different hand have different
ideologies.

6. These audience theories can be relatable to the horror genre.
This can include many people believing that from the
hypodermic syringe model, this can influence the consumer to
then commit these crimes. This perception has led to the
banning of films such as The Exorcist in the past.
However studies have argued this theory claiming that by
viewing horror films it allows us to gain the feeling of the
crimes without having to commit it which therefore satisfies
the consumer. It also allows the consumer to share the
experience with others and gain a sense of empathy.