2. Audience Theories
Why are they important…?
- An audience theory is the starting point for many
media studies tasks, whether a text is being
constructed or analysed.
- A media studies practitioner must always consider
the destination of a text. In other words, the text’s
target audience, and how certain audiences will
read it and respond to it.
- It is transferable across a wide range of media
texts and formats, such as film, newspapers, radio,
television, video games, etc.
3. Audience Theories
Introduction…
- In covering this topic we need to be aware of a
broad shift from a perception of mass audience to
one that recognises that, whatever the size of
audience, it is made up of individuals.
- Along with this altered view is a shift in emphasis
from what the media do to the audience, to an
acceptance that audiences bring many different
approaches to the media with which they engage.
4. Audience Theories
Background information…
- Over the course of the past century or so, media
analysts have developed several effects models.
- These are theoretical explanations of how humans
ingest information transmitted by media texts and
how this might influence their behaviour.
- Effects theories are still a hotly debated area of
media and psychology research, as no one is able
to come up with indisputable evidence that
audiences will always react to media texts one way
or another.
5. Audience Theories
Background information…
- Research into media audiences was dominated by the debate
about 'media effects‘. In particular, the link between on-screen
violence and real-life aggression.
- Several moral panics fuelled these claims, such as…
* Rambo had influenced Michael Ryan to commit the Hungerford
massacre (USA, 1987) FILM
* Child's Play 3 had motivated the killers of toddler James
Bulger (UK, 1993) FILM
* Doom had driven Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to commit the
Columbine massacre (USA, 1999) VIDEO GAME
* WWE is linked to teenage male aggression (global, 1990s–
present) TV
6. Audience Theories
The task…
- Each group will be allocated a theory.
- You will need to create a presentation
on this theory, which will then be
presented to the rest of the class in the
subsequent lesson.
- In your presentation, you will need to
explain the theory, give examples of
the theory (linking it to a media
industry and texts) and evaluate the
theory.
