AUDIENCE Robyn Marshall-Dawson

ACTIVE AUDIENCEDifferent audiences can understand a media message but can have different responses to it. Some people believe and accept the message, others reject it using knowledge from their own experience or can use processes of logic or other rationale to criticise what is being said.

ACTIVE AUDIENCEThere are different ways of consuming media texts: Primary media(Texts demand close and concentrated attention from audience, e.g. films in cinemas Secondary media:(Texts provide a background for an audience who are often doing something else at the same time and are distracted, e.g. Radio and some TV programmes)

AUDIENCE THEORIES There are three theories of audience that we can apply to help us come to a better understanding about the relationship between texts and audience.

1. The Effects Model or the Hypodermic Model2. The Uses and Gratifications Model3. Reception Theory

THE EFFECTS MODEL The consumption of media texts has an effect or influence upon the model It is normally considered that this effect is negative Audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the influence The power lies with the message of the text THIS MODEL IS ALSO CALLED THE HYPODERMIC MODEL Here, the messages in the media texts are injected into the audience like a powerful syringe, meaning the audience cannot resist. Therefore, the media works like a drug and the audience is addicted

THE EFFECTS MODEL Key evidence for the Effects Model1. The Frankfurt school theorised in the 1920’s and 30’s that the

mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments.

2. The Bobo Doll Experiment:This is a very controversial piece of research that apparently proved that children copy violent behaviour. This is where children watched a video where an adult violently attacked a toy clown, the children were then taken to a room with attractive toys that they were not permitted to touch. The children were then led to another room with Bobo Dolls. 88% of children imitated the behaviour that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later, 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour.

KEY EXAMPLES SITED AS CAUSING OR BEING CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS ARE: The film Childs Play 3, was the cause of the murder of James Bulger in 1993, as the young children that committed the crime had recently watched the film. The game Manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc. The film A Clockwork Orange in a number of rapes and violent attacks.

THE USES AND GRATIFICATIONS MODEL The yses and gratifications model is the opposite of the effects model.

The audience is active. The audiences uses the texts and is NOT used by it. The audience uses the texts for their own gratification or pleasure. Here, power lies with the audience NOT the producers. This theory emphasises what audiences do with media texts - how and why they use them.

Far from being addicted to the media, the audience is free to reject, use or play with media meanings as they see fit.

THE USES AND GRATIFICATIONS MODEL Audiences therefore use media texts to gratify needs for :1. Diversion2. Escapism3. Information4. Pleasure5. Comparing relationships and lifestyles with ones

own6. Sexual stimulation

THE USES AND GRATIFICATIONS MODEL The audience is in control and consumption of the media helps people with issues such as:1. Learning 2. Emotional satisfaction3. Relaxation 4. Help with issues of personal identity5. Help with issues of social identity6. Help with issues of aggression and violence

RECEPTION THEORY Given that the Effects Model and the Uses and Gratifications have their problems and limitations a different approach to audiences was developed by the academic Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970’s. This considered how texts were encoded with meaning by producers and then decoded by the audience. The theory suggests that: When a producer constructs a text it is encoded with a meaning or message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience In some instances audiences will correctly decode the message and understand what the producer was trying to say In some instances the audience will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message

RECEPTION THEORY Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings of the text:

1.Dominant or preferred2.Negotiated 3.Oppositional

DOMINANT

Where the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with it E.g. watching a political speech and agreeing with it

NEGOTIATED Where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previously held views E.g. neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested.

OPPOSITIONAL Where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons. E.g. Total rejection of the political speech and active opposition