Audience Investigation

Jordan Harrison

What is audience?

An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video game (in which they are called "players"), or academics in any medium. Audience members participate in different ways in different kinds of art; some events invite overt audience participation and others allowing only modest clapping and criticism and reception.

What theorists relate to audience?

The hypodermic syringe model dated from the 1920s suggests that audiences passively receive information via a media text without any attempt to challenge the text, accepting these dominant ideologies as the norm.

The two step flow by Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz challenges this as the said that information does not flow directly from the texts into the minds of its audiece unmediated but its filtered through ‘opinion leaders’ who then communicate it to their less active associates over whom they have influence, a two step flow.

The uses and gratification theory Blulmer and Katz 1974 suggested that media texts had several functions for individuals and society (diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance).

What theories can relate to the horror genre?

The hypodermic syringe model can be linked to the genre of horror as a common belief amongst some people that certain audiences watches horror films are encouraged to carry out such violence however this is not the case for all audience.

Also the reception theory, which can also relate to representation can apply where individuals can receive and interpret a texts depended on the demographics and psychographics.