Audience 2013

Audiences

How we use or read a text depends on who we are. We all see things differently. We all love certain types of film and music and hate other forms for example.

Media Institutions use this knowledge when they create their products for us. They can challenge what we think or make more of what we love.

Audiences are different and in media studies we Media are particularly interested in the target audience. This is the audience that media producers aim their product at.

Media Institutions often put their audiences into categories depending upon their social, ethnic or economic backgrounds. This is called Demographics. They use this to work out how to best target their shows and products.

Of course this is not an exact science but look at the following advert and think about how different demographic groups may respond to it.

The font used in the slogan

Denotation

Connotation

An old lady may think....

A black teenager may think.....

A white middle-aged plumber may think......

Media producers have a profile of the group and individuals whom they see as their intended audience.

A film about teenagers will have a target audience of teenagers. The Harry Potter films will have children and the family as the target audience.

For any media text we ask who is the target audience for this text. Then we have to ask what sort of audience is the target audience? Is it a mass audience?

Mass Audience:

Niche Audience:

Student Notes

Every media is aimed at an audience!

Think about mobile phone companies how do you think the following companies may have different

audience, and how the company may target them?

•China Mobile•SmarTone

•PCCW

Student Notes

Different Ways to Read a Text The makers of the product being advertised and the company who designed

the advert itself will be aware of the polysemic range of meanings in it. This means that the product may be read in

different ways by different people. We all see what we want to see.

This can be both a strength and a weakness. Give reasons why.

Strength Weakness

Student Notes

Now watch the following advert and see if you can “read” it in different ways.

Preferred or dominant reading (the one that the advertiser most wants you to see)

Oppositional (The message or reading the advertiser doesn’t want

you to see)

Negotiated reading (where you see both

readings and agree on middle ground)

Student Notes

Just why do we watch Big Bang Theory?

• Media Theorists Blumler and Katz presented their model of audience uses and gratifications declaring that there were five main reasons why audiences consumed media text.. Could you give examples of tv programmes or films that you match each idea?

To be informed and educated

To identify with characters and situations

To be entertained

To be able share the experience with others

To escape from the real world

Student Notes

Activity

1.Choose a television programme you like. Break down what exactly you like about the programme.

2.What particular features do you identify with?

3.What things particularly attract you about this programme?

4.Now try and work out who the producers think is the target audience - is it you?

5.How big is this audience?

Student Notes

Model Response:

1. The Gadget Show (Channel 5 Monday 8pm)

2. The female presenter

3. The new technologies / experiments, mobile phone technology and the interactivity options such as competitions, website and twitter

4. Male dominated audience aged 18-30

5. 1.72 Million (Oct 2009)

Audience Controversies

• Some people are very concerned about the effects of the media on society and on young people in particular.

• They worry that we watch the sex and violence and may copy what we see. It is as if we have been injected by a big hypodermic syringe by its ill effects.