Audience: Effects theory 2

As well as studying reception theory and media effects theory, we also need to explore WHY audiences enjoy using the media.

Audience theory: key notes and terminology

Reminder: Passive & Active audiences

Passive: This is the view that audiences passively take in information from the media and that these messages have the same effect on everyone.

Active: This is the more modern and generally accepted view that audiences interact with and make conscious choices regarding the media they consume.

Uses and Gratifications - Blumler & Katz

Blumler and Katz stated that audiences are active in using or enjoying the media. They said audiences consume media products for 4 main reasons:

INFORMATION/SURVEILLANCE: learning information that you did not already know or that is useful for living (e.g. documentaries; weather or traffic). 

IDENTITY: personally relating to something - seeing your lifestyle on screen.

DIVERSION/ENTERTAINMENT: escapism and being entertained away from your normal life.

RELATIONSHIPS: social interaction, caring about characters or celebrities, forming relationships e.g watching a soap opera for a long time because you care about what happens to long-standing characters.

Extension theory: the 3 Vs

An additional audience theory is the 3 Vs. This suggests that audiences enjoy the media for the following reasons:

VISCERAL PLEASURE: Physical thrill of watching something e.g hairs on the back of your neck in a horror film, sport, big explosions.

 
VICARIOUS PLEASURE: Experiencing something through the characters. 

VOYEURISTIC PLEASURE: Watching people e.g hidden camera shows / elements of reality TV like Big Brother.

Audience effects theory: blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called ‘Audience Effects Theory’ and complete the following tasks:

1) Write down a media product for each category of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory and WHY it fits that particular audience use/gratification. The first one is done for you: 

INFORMATION/SURVEILLANCE

Example media product: The Times newspaper
Why audiences enjoy it: It tells audiences important information about politics, the world and more.

PERSONAL IDENTITY

Example media product: 

Why audiences enjoy it:   

DIVERSION/ENTERTAINMENT

Example media product: 

Why audiences enjoy it:   

RELATIONSHIPS

Example media product: 

Why audiences enjoy it:   

2) Re-watch the clip from Blue Planet above and write a paragraph analysing how elements of the clip offer the audience pleasures or gratifications (use media terminology from Uses and Gratifications theory and the 3 Vs - notes outlined above). 

Extension: To take this further, select a media text of your own choice, embed it in your blog and write another detailed paragraph analysing the audience pleasures in that product.

Finish for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson - due date on Google Classroom.

Audience: Effects theory 1

As well as studying target audience and reception theory, we also need to explore WHY audiences enjoy using and interacting with the media and what effect the media has on them.

This means learning a range of audience theories to add to our work on Stuart Hall's Reception theory. 

Audience theory: key notes and terminology

Passive & Active

Passive: This is the view that audiences passively take in information from the media and that these messages have the same effect on everyone.

Active: This is the more modern and generally accepted view that audiences interact with and make conscious choices regarding the media they consume.

Hypodermic Needle Theory

This is the suggestion that audiences are always passive and therefore take the intended message from the producer as if it was injected into their minds. This assumes no individual difference in audience members. 

Here's a short video further explaining the Hypodermic needle model:

Two-step flow theory

This is the theory that consumers form their opinions based on opinion leaders like newspapers, politicians and, nowadays, celebrities.

Audience effects theory: blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called ‘Audience Effects Theory’ and complete the following tasks:

1) Write a definition of a passive audience: 

2) Write a definition of an active audience: 

3) Write a definition of the hypodermic needle theory: 

4) Write a definition of the two-step flow theory:

5) What is YOUR opinion on the effect the media has on audiences? Do you think the media makes people think or act in a certain way? Give an example to explain your answer.

Extension question: Think about the hypodermic needle theory in particular. Do you think most audiences believe everything they see in the media? Why? Explain your answer and try to argue both sides.

Finish for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson - due date on Google Classroom.