1.2.2

Audiences 2

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Active and Passive Audiences

Audiences can be described as being ‘active’ or 'passive'.

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'Active' audiences

  • Audiences can be described as being ‘active’.
  • An active audience refers to an audience that is involved in creating meaning of the product and so does not necessarily absorb the dominant messages being promoted by media products.
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Uses and Gratifications theory

  • Blumler and Katz’s theory of ‘Uses and Gratifications’ applies to active audiences.
  • They argue an audience uses the text.
    • For example, an audience member reads a magazine for diversion, and can watch a sci-fi film for escapism from real life.
  • In this model, audience members have the power.
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'Passive' audiences

  • Audience members can also be viewed as ‘passive’.
  • This is the idea that the audience is heavily influenced by the media and so will not question the messages it is promoting.
  • Instead, a passive audience will adopt these views.
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Active or passive

  • Whether an audience is passive or active will depend on their experience of the media, and also their own views and beliefs.
    • For example, an audience member who has little political knowledge is less likely to disagree with what they read in a newspaper as they may not have much prior experience of the subject, and therefore will be a passive audience.

Audience Positioning

Audiences can be positioned by media products. This means the product attempts to encourage the audience to respond in a certain way.

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Charities

  • In a charity advert, the audience is often positioned to feel empowered and to feel almost guilty.
  • By positioning the audience in this way it subconsciously encourages the audience to donate to the cause.
  • The way an audience is positioned will depend on the nature of the product.
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Reception theory

  • Stuart Hall’s reception theory can be applied to audience responses and readings of a product.
  • Here, Hall stated that an audience can read the product in one of three ways:
    • Dominant reading.
    • Negotiated reading.
    • Oppositional reading.
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A dominant reading

  • A dominant reading is where the audience agrees with and adopts the message encoded in the product.
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A negotiated reading

  • A negotiated reading will be where the audience agrees with elements of the product, however doesn’t fully adopt the messages encoded in the product.
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An oppositional reading

  • An oppositional reading is where the audience completely rejects the message encoded in the media product.
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Individual differences

  • Readings will differ depending on the audience member as people have different prior knowledge, different experiences of the world and different backgrounds.

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1Overview

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3Component 1: Section B

4Component 2: Section A

5Component 2: Section B

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