Audience TheoryBY CERYS KIRBY-THIRLWELL

Three questions asked-

Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts? How do they consume these texts? What happens when they consume texts?

There are three theories that we can apply to help us find a better understanding of this and these are- The Effects Model/ The Hypodermic Model The Uses and Gratification Model Reception Theory

The Effects Model/The Hypodermic Model

The Effects Model is the consumption of media texts has an ‘effect’ or ‘influence’ on the audience, it is normally considered that the effect will be negative.

Audiences and ‘passive and powerless’ to prevent the influence.

The power lies within the message of text.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory means that the messages that are in media texts and ‘injected’ into the audience by a ‘needle like’ media.

The audience is powerless to resist what they are being fed, this means that the media works like a drug and the audience is ‘drugged’, ‘addicted’ or ‘duped.

Evidence for the Effects Model-

The main evidence for the Effects Model is the BoBo Doll Experiment, this is a very controversial piece of research that proves children copy violent behaviour. Conducted in 1961 by Albert Bandura.

In this experiment children were made to watch a video of a adult violently attacked a clown toy called a BoBo Doll. The children were then taken to a room with attractive toys they weren’t aloud to touch. The children were then lead to another room with BoBo Dolls.

88% of the children imitated the violent behaviour that they saw on the tape they earlier viewed. 8 months later 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour.

Key examples of real life situations that back this up-

The film ‘Childs Play 3’ in the murder of James Bulger in 1993.

The game ‘Manhunt’ in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc.

A film ‘A clockwork orange’ in a number of rapes and violent attacks.

The film ‘Severance’ in the murder of Simon Everitt.

The Uses and Gratification Model-

The Uses and Gratification Model is the opposite of the Effects Model and means that the audience is active and uses the text rather than being used by it.

The audience uses the text for its own gratification or pleasure.

Here, the power lies with the audience not the producers.

This theory emphasises what audiences do with media texts- How and why the use them.

The audience is free to reject, use or play with media meaning as they see fit.

Audiences use media texts to gratify there needs for:

Pleasure

Information

Diversion

Escapism

Sexual stimulation

Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one’s own

The audience is in control and consumption of the media and helps them with issues like:

Relaxation

Emotional satisfaction

Help with issues of personal identity

Learning

Help with issues of aggression and violence

Help with issues of aggression and violence

The theory suggests that the consumption of violent images can be helpful rather than harmful. The theory suggests that audiences act out of their violent impulses through the consumption of media violence.

The audience’s inclination towards violence is therefore sublimated, and they are less likely to commit violent acts.

Reception theory-

Reception theory is when producers or directors constructs a text encoded with hidden message or meaning that the producers or directors want to convey across to the audience.

Stuart Hall identified three types of audiences reading messages-

Dominant

Negotiated

Oppositional

Dominant, Negotiated and Oppositional

Dominant is about what the audience wants to hear from people and agreeing, but with limited knowledge on the subject. One example is political speeches where politicians say what the public wants to hear, such as improvements to the NHS.

Negotiated is when the audience agrees, disagrees or questions a political speech or news broadcast due to previously held news.

Oppositional is when the audience recognises the dominant messages but rejects it due to culture or political opinion. When the audience is in this state you cant get a message through to them, as they’ve already made their mind up on this topic.