2. Media audiences
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Transcript of 2. Media audiences
media audiences
Lesson objectives
one Know how a media industry identifies
audiences for its products
two Understand how media products are
construcred for specific audiences
three Understand how audiences can
respond to media products
audience is used to describe a
group of individually unidentifiable and mutually anonymous people, usually
united by their participation in media use.
It is used to refer to large groups of people like the
mass audience …
for television programmes,
newspaper readership,
people attending a sporting event,
or a music concert.
People is such groups are seen as
having little connection
with each other, other than
interest in the event they are
attending or witnessing.
The word audience may also
be used to refer to a relatively
small groups like people
who attend …
a school play,
a theatre performance,
or a poetry reading.
media product is anything made by the
media industries.
media products are made
for a particular audience. We
enjoy some media products, but we may be uninterested in others.
Analysing a media product is much easier once you have
identified the target audience.
target audience is a specific
group of people at which a
product or marketing messages are aimed.
Once you know your target audience you can start to look
for particular features of the
product that appeal to that
audience.
A common and traditional method of audience research is known as
demographics.
producers need to know the
demographics of a potential
audience so they can shape
their product to appeal to a
group with known viewing habits.
psychographics is a way of
describing an audience by looking at the behaviour and personality traits of its members.
psychographics labels a
particular type of person and makes an assessment about their viewing and spending habits.
audience theory
the hypodermic model In this model the media is seen as powerful and able to inject ideas into an audience who are
seen as weak and passive.
It was thought that a mass
audience could be influenced by the same
message.
Powerful German films such as Triumph of the will seemed to use propaganda methods to ‘inject’ Nazi cause into the German audience.
That is why this this theory is
known as the hypodermic model.
It suggests that media can
‘inject’ ideas, values and attitudes
into passive audience who
might then act upon them.
This theory also suggests
that media products have only one message which the audience must pick up.
This theory stems from a fear of
the mass media, and gives the
media much more power than
it can ever have in a democracy.
It also ignores the obvious fact that not everyone in
the audience behaves in the same way.
Two Step Flow Theory Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955)
assumed a slightly more active audience. They suggest that
messages from the media move in two distinct ways.
First, individuals who are opinion
leaders, receive messages from
the media and pass on their own
interpretations in addition to
the actual media content.
The information does not flow
directly from the text into the minds
of its audience, but is filtered
through the opinion leaders who then
pass it on to a more passive audience.
The audience then mediate the
information received directly from the media with the ideas and thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus
being influenced not by a direct
process, but by a two step flow.
This theory appeared to reduce the power of the media, and some
researchers concluded that social factors were also important in the way in which audiences interpret texts. This
led to the idea of active audiences.
uses and gratification theory This model stems from the idea
that audiences are a complex mixture of individuals who select media products that best suit their needs.
This model suggests that media
audiences are active and make
active decisions about what
they consume in relation to their social and cultural setting and their needs.
The message of the media is not being forced on them as
such, they are choosing to
interpret its message.
Here power lies with
the audience not the producers.
The main idea is that media does
not fully control an audience, but rather the media is subjective per person as they use it to meet their needs.
Blumier and Katz (1975) went into greater detail and identified four main uses:
Surveillance – our need to know what is going on in the world By keeping up to date with news about local and international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers.
Personal relationships – our need for to interact with other people This is provided by forming virtual relationships with characters in soaps, films and all kinds of drama, and other programmes and other media texts.
Personal identity – our need to define our identity and sense of self Part of our sense of self is informed by making judgements about all sorts of people and things. This is also true of judgements we make about TV and film characters, and celebrities.
Our choice of music, the shows we watch, the stars we like can be an expression of our identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement. This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar beliefs to those we hold.
Diversion – the need for escape, entertainment and relaxation All types of television programmes can be ‘used’ to wind down and offer diversion, as well as satisfying some of the other needs at the same time.
Next class will be on
moral panics
homework task Read chapter on ‘Media audiences, interpreters and users’ by Sonia
Livingstone. In your reading pay extra
attention to the concept of moral panic,
which we’ll discuss at the next class.