Julian McDougall argues that audiences in the online age are harder to define as stable groups. However, audiences still make sense of and give meaning to cultural products. McDougall describes audiences as "temporary collectives" that form around cultural works but may not represent fixed demographic segments. This theory can help identify a product's audience as alternative rather than mainstream, mass, or niche based on its popularity within genres and overall audience size.

1. Julian McDougall
Julian McDougall suggests that in the online age it is getting
harder to conceive a media audience as a stable, identifiable
group.
However- audiences still clearly make sense and give meaning
to cultural products.
An audience can be described as a "temporary collective"
(McQuail, 1972).
Key terms:
Mass/Niche & Mainstream/Alternative
This theory can be applied to my products when identifying our
audience as alternative rather than mainstream, mass or niche
because it isn't found within the most popular of genres although
it has still got a large audience size.