The document summarizes five audience theories: the hypodermic syringe theory, which argues that audiences passively accept media messages without questioning; the two-step flow theory, where opinion leaders influence passive audiences; uses and gratifications theory, where active audiences seek to fulfill needs from media; reception analysis theory, where audiences interpret media based on their experiences; and culmination theory, where repeated exposure may influence audience behaviors over time. It analyzes how some theories could apply to the document's production while others may not due to the intended sophisticated audience.

1. Audience Theories

2. Introduction
Within this presentation I am going to be looking at the five main audience
theories and whether they are going to be applicable or not to our production, and
if so how.
Much of these theories argue whether the audience is either active or passive which
can also coincide with their social standing.
The passive theories suggest that the audience can not resist the power of the media
and therefore openly digest the empty promises of mass entertainment. Passive
audience tend to believe whatever is portrayed to them without second thought,
hence why it would be applied to an unsophisticated C2-E audience.
On the flip side an active audience uses media texts and production to gratify our
needs. An active audience would question the media content and would not
instantaneously and openly believe the media text without thinking about it first.

3. Hypodermic Syringe
The hypodermic syringe theory effectively states that media can
be consumed by the audience without any sort of reaction that
would potentially dispute or disagree with the media.
It implies that the audience wouldn’t necessarily watch the
media product to gratify their needs, which is basically them not
gaining anything back in return.
This theory dates back to the 1950’s where governments and
political leaders inform their listens with intent and thought.
The propaganda was believed by the audience without any
questions, thus proving the theory has some foundation.

4. Continued…
This theory uses the analogy of an injection (hence the name) in a
substance to describe how audience are influenced by the media itself, it is
being consumed, mainly be a passive audience.
The syringe is used as a part of imagery to the introduce the idea that it
injects certain beliefs and ideologies into our society who take in the media
product.
This is a passive theory as the media text is believed by the audience
without questioning what it actually might be saying. An active audience
could challenge this idea and use the media product to satisfy their needs.
We could apply this theory to our production and argue that the primary
audience would be able to gratify needs of excitement but but then tame
that down with heart felt sorrow.

5. The Two-Step flow theory
The two step flow theory is slightly more complex than the previous. It relates to two different
stages, starting with the opinion leader, who are highly respected in society, these are a
sophisticated demographic, after they have consumed the media product they pass the
information they receive onto others.
The seconds stage of this theory involves the people in social contact with the opinion leader.
These people will receive the information along with the leaders opinion from the opinion
leader. The people in social contact with the leader then consume what the opinion leader says
without question. Based on the respect that the consumer has for the opinion leader, they are
more than likely going to ingest the information given to them.
This again is a passive theory as the audience who are listening to opinion leaders passively
digest the information given to them without having to think about it. The audience don’t feel
the urge to question or to argue with what the opinion leaders are saying to them.

6. Continued
We won’t really be able to apply this to our production as
this is aimed more at a passive and unsophisticated
audience, however it could be stated that we have some
opinion leaders watching our production and may
therefore want to pass down the information, ideologies
and such that they get from the product and feed this
information to the passive audience that have respect for
them because of their income bracket.

7. Uses and Gratifications
The uses and gratification model implies that the audience,
when consuming the media, have a set of needs they desire that
delivered by the media.
These four needs are:
Personal identity
Information
Social interaction
Entertainment

8. Continued..
This theory is for more of an active audience who consume the
product and then decide what needs that they want and then
what they can gain from the product, they do not consume it
without realising what they are watching.
We could apply this to our production as the active audience
would watch our production and then decide what uses and
gratifications they are receiving.

9. Morley’s Reception Analysis
Theory
Reception analysis theory focuses on the audience reaction to a particular
media text, with the audience interpreting the meaning of the media and
then providing judgement, which is then influenced by the past
experiences of the audience and how they feel.
An effective example of this is a documentary that shows an actor in a
positive light throughout, which cuts anything potentially negative about
the actor to a bare minimum. A member of the audience after viewing this,
would analyse the media and provide judgement based on their
circumstances.
This theory looks at three different parts; The negotiated reading, the
dominant reading and the oppositional reading.

10. Continued…
The dominant reading is the one which stares at you plain in the
face, it’s the one which the producers show plainly and the
audience accept.
The oppositional is the one where the audience disagree with
what is right in front of their face and go against the ideology
presented.
The negotiated reading is where the audience read a text and and
think that it could be seen as partially the dominant reading and
also a part of the oppositional reading.

11. Continued…
The audience member could disapprove or approve just based on what they have personally
seen throughout their life.
This differs heavily if another person was asked about their opinion because no two people are
going to have experienced the same things in their life.
This theory is clearly an active theory as the audience are going to interpret the text however
they judge to see it, but no two members of the audience will be able to see it in completely the
same light as they both share different previous experiences.
We could apply this to our production as the audience may feel moved if they have lost a loved
one because the husband dies at the end of the production, however we can also talk about
how the audience may perceive the wife to be the antagonist in the film as she is the one who is
going to kill the husband (which is what the film implies however doesn’t show, keeping the
sophisticated audience guessing).

12. Culmination theory
This theory is about the effects on an individual if they
were to watch something over and over again for a long
period of time. It talks about the way in which someone
may behave prior to watching a media product and after
watching a media product. Someone may be sensitive to
blood or violence but if it sort of becomes the norm then
people begin to accept this a lot more.

13. Continued…
This theory is very hard to prove correct depending on who
the person is receiving the media text and viewing different
things in very different ways. Many people over time have
tried to prove the culmination theory correct but there has
never been any concrete success.
We wouldn’t be able to apply this theory to or production
as we have a sophisticated audience who challenge what
they see in front of them and think more outside the box.