Unit 6.

3 Audience Theories
Nicholas Davies
There are several different theories of audience theories but I will cover
three of the main ones: Hypodermic Needle, The Uses and Gratifications
Model and the Reception Theory.
We study audiences because of the effect media can have on us. You
can see a product but does it have any effect on us? There is a degree
of influence. Some of these theories sees the audience as passive or
active. All audiences are manipulated and positioned in a way, which
may be different to others, this is purposely done by companies to place
you where they want you without you realising they have done it.
Different audiences respond to different texts.

There are only two types of audience. There are the passive people then
there are the active people.
Passive is where you hear, read or see something and take it in and
believe it, being controlled, you dont question it, your unaware and you
dont think about it.
Active is where you hear, read or see something and you research
further into the topic, you dont believe it instantly, you ask questions
your energetic, engaged, responsive,
challenging, involved and opinionated. Your in control and free willed;
you can say you have a different opinion.

The Hypodermic Needle Model

The Hypodermic Needle models show how audiences will respond in the
same way, passively. Audiences are manipulated and positioned. This
form of research does not work as well in todays generation as it used
to.
The model started in the 1930s. Started alongside the Nazi party.
Devised by Jewish intellectuals before the second World War. They
wanted to work out how the Nazi party controlled the media in Germany
during the 1930s and the war. Historical value can be applied today.

Is this possible? That audiences will all respond in the same way? If you
have only heard the same thing over and over, you will start to believe it
i.e. being injected with ideas. So we passively receive these messages.
Audiences are mostly audiences, they sit there and take in whatever
anyone tells them. This affects how we behave. Therefore, the media
affects thoughts and behaviour. We are all capable of being influenced
in this way.
For example, a headline Britain Must Ban Migrants. This is a
hypodermic needle model because it is a very biased opinion and there
is no flip side to the story. Influencing people to believe migrants are
 Unit 6.3 Audience Theories
Nicholas Davies
bad. Over time we are constantly drip fed news items saying the same
thing, we will start to believe it.
It works a bit like this:
The medium (TV, Games, Advertising etc.) is the syringe.
The product or message is the drug.
And the audience is the patient.
Although this is a simplistic model, it is powerful.
Think how we are told to think if we are a passive audience.
We believe what we are told to believe and we consume what we are
told to consume.
Therefore, an Audience is controlled by media producers.
The Hypodermic Needle has its limitations. We all have our own
opinions because we are diverse. This model ignores diversity.
This model came out at a time when we were not surrounded by the
media, times change.
We use the media for different reasons. Such as for information and
entertainment.

The Uses and Gratifications Model

This is where audiences make active use of the media to fulfil their
needs. The audience makes active use of the media to fulfil certain
needs.
This consists of four needs:
1. Information or surveillance: Social media, films etc. To know what is
going on in the world.
2. Personal identity: Get gratification by comparing our lives with those
in the media. Confirms our identity, the way we can live our lives
through the media we chose i.e. Role play through games, social
media make ourselves more approachable etc. we give ourselves
more power.
3. Social interaction: Through the media e.g. games we ask others
what they think, converse. Also online game playing. Use of media to
discuss with others.
4. Escapism Our school work, jobs, families lives etc. Used for
entertainment.

Not all audiences respond the same way.

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Nicholas Davies

The Reception Model

When encoding and decoding we access and make sense of the media
through signs i.e. colour, words. For example, the colour red means
danger, blue means cold. Some films and adverts make sense and use
the colours and lighting well and some dont.
Encoding means media producers put meaning into text for us to
respond to negatively or positively.
Decoding means makes sense of them in a variety of ways.
For example, Horror films, if they dont scare us we are disappointed.
Romantic Comedy, intention for us to feel happy. We are decoding these
films.
There are three ways of consuming a media text:
1. Preferred Reading: This is the response the producer wants from us.
For example, the films listed above. Games, roleplaying. If you do
what the producer wants, then this is preferred reading.
2. Oppositional Reading: This is the response rejecting what the
producer wanted.
3. Negotiated Reading: Might not be what the producer wanted but a
compromise. Maybe I believe it

All these depends on who we are as individuals.

This is different to the Hypodermic Needle because we react differently
and there is diversity.
We react differently because we are all different:
Age
Ethnicity, not race
Past experience
Gender
Social background family born into, money.
Nationality
Class
Sexuality
Religion or morals, standards, ethics, by which you live your life.
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Nicholas Davies

The Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Sun and other tabloid news
companies sensationalise issues such as immigration.
These papers have a specific view point which their audience buys into.
Their audience is passive because they read what these papers say and
believe the information without researching it.
The Daily Express, Daily Mail and The Sun also repeat themselves a lot
and the more they do that, the more often they spread the word the
more people will start to believe what they are saying. The news
corporations essentially control and manipulate their audience.
In this way they desensitise their audience to factual evidence with
emotional content.

The news items are to do with giving information as well as surveillance.

They tap into peoples fear and so they will want to know more about
what is going on and therefore they buy more papers which is what the
company wants, money. People will fear about losing their jobs, homes
and personal security because of what these news companies say
which. Fear can be manifested by ignorance.
They give an understanding of the situation, which is dependent on what
you believe.

Some people in England might or will be thinking that migrants are there
to take their jobs and cause security issues because thats what the
 Unit 6.3 Audience Theories
Nicholas Davies
news companies say however, from a migrants perspective they will be
thinking the opposite and only seeking help. For example you could be
living next to a migrant and they are no problem but for someone who
doesnt and doesnt see what they are really like they will have different
opinions.
The Daily Mail and the Daily Express speak a language that you can
understand and believe what they are saying. Its only for a selected
audience, a passive and non-questionable audience.

The preferred audience are the older generation, because there were a
period, when they were younger, they didnt have as many immigrants
come across to the UK so they think that for example Brexit, if we left the
EU no immigrants would take their jobs or cause security concerns.
Therefore, the older generation are easier to control and manipulate.
Also todays generation grew up with different cultures and ethnicities so
they are used to new and different people, they are multicultural.

The negotiated audience will believe there is an issue but not as bad as
the news companies say it is. This is more of the younger generation.

The oppositional audiences will completely reject what the news

corporations tell them and make their own decisions. This is more of the
younger generation.

For example, if a British elderly saw The Daily Mail, The Daily Express or
The Sun they might and most will believe whatever is on there, a
preferred audience, but if a migrant saw the paper they would be the
opposite, the oppositional audience.

Conclusion:

The audience will believe what they want to believe however, some can
be more manipulated than others.
Age plays a large role when it comes to social media and the news.
Sure, some of the younger generation can be easily manipulated but
most are active and question most things that are said. Also, the
younger generation tend to be more multi-cultural and interactive with
one another.
Personally, most if not all media companies love to exaggerate
everything and people buy into it to a point where we wont have our own
opinions but especially media companies like CNN, FOX, The Daily Mail,
The Daily Express, The SUN e.c.t. are too biased and therefore I do not
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Nicholas Davies
trust a word they say. I like to do my own research and then make my
own decisions.