Audience Theory

AUDIENCE THEORY

• WHY DO AUDIENCES CHOOSE TO CONSUME CERTAIN TEXTS?
• HOW DO THEY CONSUME TEXTS?
• WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY CONSUME TEXTS?

•  3 theories of audience that we can apply to help us come to a better understanding about the relationships between texts and audience. 

  The Effects Model (Hypodermic model)   

The Uses and Gratification Model

 Reception Theory

THE EFFECTS MODEL!!

"The Consumption of Media texts has an EFFECT or Iupon the audience"

This However is normally considered that this effect is negative...

Audiences are PASSIVE and are powerless to prevent influence

The power lies with the MESSAGE of the text

This is why this model is also named the hypodermic model!

Here the messages in media texts are INJECTED intothe audience by the powerful, syringe - like media...

The Audience is powerless to resist

Therefore, the media works like a drug and the audience is drugged, addicted, doped or duped! :O

THIS IS THE REASON BEHIND IT BEING A NEGATIVE SOUNDING THEORY!

KEY EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS MODEL

1.  The Frankfurt school theorised in the 1920s and 1930s that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences…