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Audience Theory. Key Questions for G325 Q1b. Who is the target audience for the production? Define by age, race gender, social class etc. What are the social classifications of the audience i.e. ABC1, youth tribe, ACORN classification etc.
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Key Questions for G325 Q1b • Who is the target audience for the production? • Define by age, race gender, social class etc. • What are the social classifications of the audience i.e. ABC1, youth tribe, ACORN classification etc. • Why will the production appeal to this target audience? • What techniques and lines of appeal has the production used to attract the target audience? • What uses and pleasures will the target audience get from the production? • How might theories of audience be applied to this production?
Introduction • 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. • For example, 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.
Audience Theory • There are a range of audience theories: • Hypodermic needle or effects theory • Uses and Gratifications • Reception Theory
HYPODERMIC SYRINGE Vance Packard (1957) the hidden persuaders Media can directly injectmessage Audience is; • passive – weak & inactive • homogeneous • like blank pages
CULTURAL EFFECTS MODELtwo step flow The audience is diverse & more complex Diversity in the way we identify & recognise – due to different backgrounds and experiences • Preferred (or dominant) reading • Ruling classes bombard audience • It becomes difficult to ignore and retain a critical viewpoint • This is not a direct process but has a ‘drip-drip-drip’ process
Uses and Gratification Theory Definition • Uses and gratification theory provides a way of 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.
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 (U&G) • 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 (U&G) • Laswell suggested that the Media served people for different purposes in society: • Entertainment • Cultural conversing • Correlation • Surveillance
Reception Theory Description • Reception theory • The audience is be a part of the creation process • The audience determines the meaning of the text • The effect – if there is one – is in the interaction between the audience and the piece of Media.
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 preferred reading -the reading of the text that is dominant in society.
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 and their own position.
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.
Audience Positioning Description • Audience positioning is the producer of the text putting the audience into a position so that they can understand the idea (or even ideology) behind it. • Many audiences are positioned by texts and products all the time. Look at this advert that I found my kids watching yesterday: • http://youtu.be/LoaylmIGoTA
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.
