This document discusses several theories about how audiences interact with media: 1) The Hypodermic Needle Theory suggested media could passively change audiences' thinking, but it is now seen as too simplistic. 2) Uses and Gratification Theory argues audiences actively seek media to fulfill needs like diversion, social interaction, information, and identity. 3) Two Step Flow Theory proposes ideas spread from media to opinion leaders and then to the general public. 4) Reception Theory recognizes audiences actively interpret media based on social and personal factors, though encodings aim to guide interpretations.

1. Audience Theories Becca Newton

2. This is a theory that suggests that the media can change the way we think and it shows that everyone is passive and willing to take in new ideas. It was the first of its kind that attempted to explain the way that the audience thinks whilst taking in media. Although this theory is considered useless in the modern world it was a theory that was used in the first and second wars to control the media by producing propaganda and influence the people’s way of thinking . The Hypodermic Needle Theory

3. The Uses and Gratification Theory This theory suggests that the audience are not passive in the way that they receive media text but says that audience receive text for four reasons: Diversion – Audience use the media to break away from their everyday problems. Personal Relationships – Audience use media as a way to express their emotions and interact with others. Different types of texts can be used for the relationship they are trying to create. For example a couple may watch a TV programme about a marriage because they aspire to be like that. Surveillance – This is where the audience use the media to gather information and knowledge from the world around them. For example watching the news to catch up on recent events. Personal Identity – This is where the audience use the media because they can see themselves reflected in the characters they see in media. This can help an audience learn more about themselves. As modern times hit the media this theory has been expanded from the 1948 version to a 1972 version including new media such as the Internet and mobile phones.

4. The Two Step Flow Theory This is a theory that was based on the decision making process that the voters did during the Presidential campaign of 1940. It suggests that that ideas and opinions don’t ‘flow’ direct from the media but from opinion leaders. Opinion leaders have influence over the audience and the way media texts are interpreted is down to social factors.

5. The Reception Theory This is a theory that includes some of the basics from the Uses and Gratification Theory showing that audiences receive a media text actively and not passively. In 1980, Stuart Hall developed a method called encoding and decoding model, which tried to explain the relationship that audiences have with the media. The producers of the media text are the ones that encode it and it’s the audience that decode it. The way in which this happens is due to social factors like age, race as well as personal encounters meaing that two people could view the same text in completely differently ways. However this is a theory that says that the ‘encoder’ of the media text can also have an influence on the reader as it can guide the audience in a particular direction by using conventions. This could be familiar actors or places etc.

6. Finally all these theories suggest that the audience of a media text are not directly ‘spoon fed’ by the media but subtleties added in by the producers can influence the way that the audience thinks about the media text.