What is an audience?
Audience refers to a collective group of people who can be known to read or consume any media text. The most important question asked by producers is “Does it have an audience?”
Audience refers to a collective group of people who can be known to read or consume any media text. The most important question asked by producers is “Does it have an audience?”
Why are audiences important?
Audiences are important as if there were no audiences there would be no media to be displayed. Media organizations produce media so that they are able to earn money and make profit on what they make. As time is moving on the mass media is becoming more competitive as producers fight over audiences.
Audiences are important as if there were no audiences there would be no media to be displayed. Media organizations produce media so that they are able to earn money and make profit on what they make. As time is moving on the mass media is becoming more competitive as producers fight over audiences.
Uses and GratificationsThe belief that audiences passively receive messages is long gone. Katz and Bulmer proposed from their research into audience behaviour that audiences use media texts for a variety of reasons
Information
finding out about events, satisfying curiosity gaining a sense of security through knowledge
finding out about events, satisfying curiosity gaining a sense of security through knowledge
Personal Identity
reinforcement for personal values, finding models of behaviour, insight in to one’s self
reinforcement for personal values, finding models of behaviour, insight in to one’s self
Integration and Social Interaction
insight in to circumstances of others; social empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging, interacting enabling one to connect with friends, family, society
insight in to circumstances of others; social empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging, interacting enabling one to connect with friends, family, society
Impact of New technology on audiences:
-Old Media (TV, Print, Radio) which used to have high audience numbers must now work harder to maintain audience numbers
-Digital Technology has also led to an increasing uncertainty over how we define an audience, with the general agreement that a large group of people reading the same thing at the same time is outdated and that audiences are now ‘Fragmented’
-Old Media (TV, Print, Radio) which used to have high audience numbers must now work harder to maintain audience numbers
-Digital Technology has also led to an increasing uncertainty over how we define an audience, with the general agreement that a large group of people reading the same thing at the same time is outdated and that audiences are now ‘Fragmented’
Fragmented AudienceThe division of audiences into smaller groups due to the variety of media outlets
EXAMPLE Newspapers and magazines – you can now view the hard copy and online version (sometimes free: e.g. Daily Mail App)
-The aim is to jot as many people as possible/sell more copies to generate a larger audience. Measuring that becomes hard online.
EXAMPLE Newspapers and magazines – you can now view the hard copy and online version (sometimes free: e.g. Daily Mail App)
-The aim is to jot as many people as possible/sell more copies to generate a larger audience. Measuring that becomes hard online.
How do institutions continue to make money?-Nothing in life is free
-Free apps have adverts (unless you pay to have them removed)
-With newspapers printing less copies and switching to online distributions can reduce production costs
-Free apps have adverts (unless you pay to have them removed)
-With newspapers printing less copies and switching to online distributions can reduce production costs
-These adverts are carefully constructed and selected for the primary audience for text
-Websites and search engines work hard to target audiences with ads whilst one consumes ‘free online copies’ of your media product
-Websites and search engines work hard to target audiences with ads whilst one consumes ‘free online copies’ of your media product
Examples of Audiences (insert images)Mass Audience:
MAINSTREAM audience, those who consume popular texts/sitcoms.
MAINSTREAM audience, those who consume popular texts/sitcoms.
Niche Audience:
SMALLER audience, select group of people with a very unique interest.
SMALLER audience, select group of people with a very unique interest.
CategoriesAudiences can be divided into categories based on social class/grade.
Audience Research: Audience Research is a major part of any media company’s work. They use questionnaires, focus groups, and pre-film screenings and spend a great deal of time and money finding out who would be interested in their product. (SURVEY MONKEY-audience research)
DemographicsMedia producers are interested in
-Age
-Gender
-Race
-Income/Status
-Location of their potential target market. This is called the demographic. Once they know this (as well as the psychographics) they can start to shape their media text to a group with known viewing habits.
-Age
-Gender
-Race
-Income/Status
-Location of their potential target market. This is called the demographic. Once they know this (as well as the psychographics) they can start to shape their media text to a group with known viewing habits.
Psychographics
-Every advertiser wants to target a particular type of audience. Therefore media companies produce texts that target a particular ‘type’ of audience.
-Most media products can define their typical audience member often with a psychographic profile.
-Every advertiser wants to target a particular type of audience. Therefore media companies produce texts that target a particular ‘type’ of audience.
-Most media products can define their typical audience member often with a psychographic profile.
‘Group A’
-Lawyers -Doctors -Scientists -Well Paid Professionals
-Lawyers -Doctors -Scientists -Well Paid Professionals
‘Group B’
-Teachers -Middle Management -Fairly well paid professionals
-Teachers -Middle Management -Fairly well paid professionals
‘Group C’-Junior Management -Bank Clerks -Nurses -‘White Collar’ Professionals
‘Group C2’-Electricians -Plumbers -Carpenters -Blue Collar Professionals
‘Group C2’-Electricians -Plumbers -Carpenters -Blue Collar Professionals
‘Group D’Manual workers such as:
-Drivers -Post Sorters
-Drivers -Post Sorters
‘Group E’-Students -Unemployed -Pensioners
Audiences
Stuart Hall – views audiences as both producers and consumers of texts: decoding the meaning encoded by the originator of the text. His approach to textual analysis is that the consumer actively negotiates the meaning.
Research Methods
How we measure media audiences:
sales, subscriptions, ratings, figures
sales, subscriptions, ratings, figures
Who measures audiences?
- NRS
- ABC
- BARB
- Bookseller
(these are just some audience organisations who monitor audiences)
- NRS
- ABC
- BARB
- Bookseller
(these are just some audience organisations who monitor audiences)
New Media
New ways in which we can measure audiences:
- Face book and other websites ‘like’
- Online forums – comment tools
- Viewing figures on you tube and Google +1
- Trending topics on twitter
New ways in which we can measure audiences:
- Face book and other websites ‘like’
- Online forums – comment tools
- Viewing figures on you tube and Google +1
- Trending topics on twitter
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