Audiences
KEY THEORISTS
- Stuart Hall- ‘Reception Theory’
Stuart Hall:
- ‘Encoding/Decoding’
- Professional media encodes messages using visual and aural cues
- Media encoding is affected by institutional context, media production processes and genre-driven routines.
- Media products are encoded using established production processes.
Passive Consumption:
Lasswell created a model explaining the ‘linear model of communication.’ This explains how people are ‘spoon fed’ information.
Active Consumption:
Larzarfeld created a simpler liner model (Two step flow model) explaining that messages from the media aren’t directly given to the audience, but is filtered by ‘opinion leaders/influencers,’ who influence audiences/masses to like something based on what they say.
Active Selection/ Uses an Gratifications:
Katz, Gurevitch and Haas identified that audiences are more active than they thought, and used the media for Personal needs (Enjoyment, escapism) and Social Needs (Strengthening connections with friends and family, Knowledge about the world.)
Audience Research/ Psychographic profiles:
Quantitative- Social Grades
Qualitative- type of people they are (explorer/mainstreamer/aspirer) https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/media23al/2021/11/02/audience-theories-and-approaches/4/
Examples:
- No offence represents British national culture to a British audience, but this identity is also used as a selling point internationally through the appeal of difference
- No offence was broadcast on France2, the public service broadcaster, to very high viewing figures.
Key Terms:
- Cultural industries
- Production
- Distribution
- Exhibition / Consumption
- Media concentration
- Conglomerates
- Globalisation (in terms of media ownership)
- Cultural imperialism
- Vertical Integration
- Horizontal Integration
- Mergers
- Monopolies
- Gatekeepers
- Regulation
- Deregulation
- Free market
- Commodification
- Convergence
- Diversity
- Innovation