Audience Theory

Description Audiences have a very important relationship with the

products they use or media they consume. A lot of what

user’s consume is based on their lifestyle and interests and

can often be conveyed in certain ways.

Media consumers Media consumers have a large relationship with what they

watch and read in the media. The makers of all types of

Media produce their pieces for their audiences to read in a

certain way but this could be said otherwise as each

individual reader comes from different backgrounds, lifestyles

and also have different interests.

Aiming at Audiences Media consumers can be organised into groups based on

things like lifestyle and interests or income. These figures or

facts are then used by advertisers, broadcasters and

producers so they can optimize who they target for their

product.

Most magazines are produced to make the biggest amount of

money possible so in doing this they aim at audiences

between ages 24-54 so that they can target those who are

most likely to have a good income.

Definition Uses and gratification theory is the understanding of what

people do with media or why they use it.

Some people may use it for social needs or some may use it

to gain knowledge.

Uses and Gratification Theory

Why do people choose certain

Media? People may choose to watch/read/listen to media to become

knowledgeable in a certain group i.e. friendship group.

Others may do it for the gain of knowledge.

Others may do it for entertainment.

Blumler and Katz Both of these theorists published their own views describing

that people may choose media for different purposes:

Personal Relationships would suggest that people would

choose media for social or relationship interaction.

Escaping from everyday problems by indulging in what Media

offers.

For a certain identity, maybe to learn something new or

reflect on certain values.

For Surveillance, this would help benefit the user.

Laswell Laswell suggested that the Media served people for different

purposes in society:

Entertainment

Cultural conversing

Correlation

Surveillance

Description Reception theory is the theory that the audience should be a

part of the creation process to help cater it to them, it is also

how the audience interpret the piece. It is the interaction

between the audience and the piece of Media.

Reception Theory

Stuart Hall Stuart Hall stated that the interpretation of mass media is

affected by different social positioning and social groups.

There are three models he speaks

about, dominant, negotiated and oppositional.

Dominant Model The reader/watcher is in agreement and shares the same

beliefs as what is said and then tries to reproduce the

preffered reading to others.

Negotiated Model The reader/watcher partially agrees and shares beliefs with

what is said but sometimes may resist or modify the piece in

a way which shows what they are interested in, they have

experienced and what position they stand.

Oppositional model Oppositional reading is for those who reject the piece putting

them in a directly opposite relation to the dominant place.

They understand what is being said but choose to reject it as

they believe in an alternative.

Description Audience positioning is the composer of the piece putting the

audience into a position so that they can understand the

ideology behind.

It also helps to put ideology into the audience’s head and

helps benefit the audience’s reading experience.

Audience Positioning

Example The image to the right is trying to convey the

idea that apples are good. This being shown

by a green tick next to the apple.

The image to the right is now showing that

apples will make you strong and healthy, this

is shown by the person who is smiling and

also has large muscles.

The image to the right shows now that

somebody being put together with the apple

shows that you become strong and healthy.

This positioning is telling the audience that apples are

good and are a positive thing by putting this idea.