Key Concepts - AudienceL.O learn concepts and terminology connected with Media Audiences

Starter: How can applying the theories of audience to our surveys benefit our results on this A2 course?

Synthesize the theories into a survey to find out more about how to categorize your audience.

Learn about different audience reception models

The concept of audience

The measure of audience is something that happens in two ways:Quantitative – how many of what kind of people consume what media products?Qualitative – what kinds of people, in terms of lifestyle, desires and outlook on life, use what media products for what.

Basic demographics - The traditional segmentation model

This is a standard quantitative measure of audience. It comes from advertising, because it works on the basis of how much disposal income each group has got – no point advertising Gucci watches and Prada handbags during a programme watched

by grade D or E people

How do quantitative measures work?So you know the sex, age, status and income of the possible target audience for your media product – how do you know they will consume it?This kind of audience measure comes from a traditional theory about audience and media – the hypodermic needle model:

Audiences are passiveEasily led, influenced & manipulated

Gullible, sheep-like fashion-followers

Media consumption influences the attitudes and behaviour of audiencesLinked to a theory of psychology called behaviourism

Which types of media texts might show this

model in action?

The Uses & Gratifications Model

PIES

Audiences are active in choosing media for their own ‘gratifications’ (pleasure)

Developed by Blumler & KatzMain reasons for using media:

Personal Identity – to define who we are(sometimes called self-surveillance) InformationEntertainment – includes escape, distractionSocial Interaction – to help us socialise with like-minded people

What about qualitative measures?Since the 1990s, but especially in the age of Netflix and YouTube, media producers have recognised that audiences do not passively consume media texts according to their intended meaning; the actively seek them out and make what meaning of them the will, according to their own needs. One example of a way of modelling this is:

Working with Uses and GratificationsRead the document, which provides a full walk-through of the theory applied to television.Using the different aspects, as applied to different forms of television, write a list of all the uses and gratifications associated with:• Watching films at the cinema• Watching a streaming service such as Netflix

The next model goes even further into the lifestyle and behaviours of consumers (all consumers, not just media consumers) in order to

try and predict what uses they will make of media texts.

(Young & Rubicam’s 4Cs model) cross cultural consumer characterization model

Making sense of it. . .Complete the worksheet – see if you can predict which one of Young and Rubicam’s 7 consumer types would go for which mode of transport.

It is the explanation of why a survey about someone’s film choices might ask them what supermarket they go to and what their favourite newspaper is. . . Why?

The final model delves into the psychology of media consumption. See if you can predict where it links to

the previous two active audience models.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Information

Social Integration

Personal Identity

Entertainment

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Maslow compared with Young and Rubicam

Applying to textual researchYou would find it useful to go back to the textual research and, for selected poster and opening scene analyses, explain how you could apply one or two audience models.This way, when you have to make choices for your thriller, based on your audience research, you will already have an idea of how to make the link between audience and content.Practice in groups by applying at least two linked models to the poster you have been given.