Audience G325

Question 1B G325

Name: Sanj Patel

Audience OCR G325 Question 1b

In covering this topic you need to be aware of a broad shift from a perception of a mass audience to one which recognises that, whatever the size of audience, it is made up of individuals. Along with this altered view is a shift in emphasis from what the media do to the audience to an acceptance that audiences bring many different approaches to the media with which they engage.

In its earliest form audience theory believed that an audience was a mass, Blumer set out 4 stagesFirst, its membership may come from all walks of life, and from all distinguishable social strata; it may include people of different class position, of different vocation, of different cultural attainment, and of different wealth. .....Secondly, the mass is an anonymous group, or more exactly is composed of anonymous individuals [Blumer means anonymous in the sense that unlike the citizens of earlier communities, the people who are members of the mass audience for the media do not know each other].Third, there exists little interaction or change of experience between members of the mass. They are usually physically separated from one another, and, being anonymous, do not have the opportunity to mill as do members of the crowd.Fourth, the mass is very loosely organised and is not able to act with the unity of a crowd. Task 1

1. Do you think the audiences for most media texts do come from all walks of life or do different kinds of people watch very different kinds of programme? Are there any examples of media texts that you can think of that do seem to have audiences of all kinds of people?

Most audiences will come from all aspects of life, resulting in a wide range of media being produced. Factors such as social class, ethnicity and education will all have an impact on how the media is presented and who it will be targeted at.

2. How much of your media experience occurs when you are on your own and how much when you are with others?

Most of my media influences are surrounded by peers. This is often because it is due to peer pressure or my need for social desirability.

3. Think back to your genre work, how is your media experienced?

Positive, they can be experienced both individually and with a group of people, as media documents they have the soul intention to be shared.4. Are there any ways in which you share your experiences of the media with other people who werent around when you experienced the text? List as many ways as you share experiences (e.g. msn etc)Social media networks (twitter, facebook, tumblr, instagram, myspace, bebo, word of mouth.

The effects/hypodermic model

The original model for audience was the effects/hypodermic model which stressed the effects of the mass media on their audiences. This model owes much to the supposed power of the mass media - in particular film - to inject their audiences with ideas and meanings. Such was the thinking behind much of the Nazi propaganda that was evident in Triumph of the Will and similar films. It is worth noting that totalitarian states and dictatorships are similar in their desire to have complete control over the media, usually in the belief that strict regulation of the media will help in controlling entire populations. The effects model has several variants and despite the fact that it is an outdated model it continues to exert influence in present debates about censorship and control in the media.

Task 2

Can you think of any examples where the media have been seen to influence public behaviour or have been blamed for an individuals behaviour?

"Participants who played a violent video game for only 35 minutes exhibited less self-control, cheated more, and behaved more aggressively than did participants who played a nonviolent video game." GTA

Is this influence always negative?

The influences covered in the media are often negative, focusing upon how gun and violent games are reduplicated by people of society, through research this is the type of articles that are most common.

There is less coverage of positive video games, however these are identified, such as games that including caring/ nurturing objectives.

What effect do you hope that your text has on an audience?

A positive influence, most of my texts where aimed at a male sophisticated audience (with the exception of the music video) as I aimed to accommodate the audiences needs through things I was interested in as well as the design and content of the products.

What would be the incorrect effect be and why might this happen with your text? For people to not appirafte the product, and dismiss it for something of a lower standard and of the same genre.

The Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School developed concerns about the power which modern mass media had to propagandise on behalf of fascism. This has evolved over time to become similar to the effects model albeit a less theoretical variant. This has developed in response to the violent content of certain TV programmes, so far from controlling people the media is bringing about societies moral downfall. Some of the moral watchdogs, or the 'moral majority' as they styled themselves, took issue with TV output that was deemed to be explicitly sexual, too violent or in other ways offensive. Their concerns were for those vulnerable members of the population who could be corrupted as a result of such material. Perhaps the best known of these groups in the UK was the National Viewers and Listeners Association (Mary Whitehouse) which argued that TV was a direct cause of deviant behaviour, especially among the young. The problems with the effects model, in whatever form, have to do with its roots in behaviourist psychology. The behaviourist explanation of human behaviour (Skinner and Pavlov) looks increasingly hard to justify as we have come to develop a fuller understanding of the complexities of human behaviour, which is not predictable nor is it controllable. There are also the difficulties of linking cause and effect in terms of how we engage with media texts. The large number of studies that have been done do not prove the case conclusively either way. These range from the Walters and Bandura experiments to studies that count incidents of violence on TV. Other criticisms of this model centre on the stress that it places on the audience as passive, whereas newer models suggest that the audience is much more active than was initially supposed. This model, it seems, is something of an outdated view of audiences but it is constantly revived by politicians and social commentators when moral panics are generated around issues such as 'video nasties' and their influence on children (e.g. the Bulger case) or computer games allegedly damaging literacy skills or contributing to violent behaviour (e.g. the Grand Theft Auto or Man Hunt computer games). Such concerns often try to scapegoat parts of media output as if these were the sole relevant factor in anti-social behaviour. This approach ignores the other factors that work as a mix to influence behaviour i.e. home, school, peers and social interaction.

Task 3You have two weeks to prepare a presentation on The Frankfurt School/Hypodermic Model in relation to a media text of your choice. You must select a text which has featured in the media as a source for wrong and provide us with examples.You must find examples from print and moving image which relate to this and how it has influenced public behaviour.You must find arguments for an against this model from the press.You must include your own opinion

Uses and gratifications

A more recent model of audience is that of uses and gratifications, which suggests that there is a highly active audience making use of the media for a range of purposes designed to satisfy needs such as entertainment, information and identification. In this model the individual has the power and they select the media texts that best suit their needs and their attempts to satisfy those needs. The psychological basis for this model is the hierarchy of needs identified by Maslow. Among the chief exponents of this model are McQuail and Katz.

The main areas that are identified in this model are:

a) the need for information about our geographical and social world news and drab) the need for identity, by using characters and personalities to define our sense of self and social behaviour film celebc) the need for social interaction through experiencing the relationships and interaction of others soap sitcomd) the need for diversion by using the media for purposes of play and entertainment. game show and q

Task 4Place the following genres into their correct category.The News, EastEnders, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Friends, Horizon, Cribs, Qi, The Bill, Holyoaks, Life On Mars, Im A Celebrity..., House, Escape To The Country, X Factor, Coronation Street, InformationIdentitySocial InteractionDiversion

The News Horizon

CribsEastendersFriendsThe BillHollyoaksLife On MarsHouseCoronation StreetWho Wants To Be A MillionaireQIIm A Celebrity..X FactorEscape To The Country

Which of the above programmes might be guilty of employing the Hypodermic Model and which therefore might also reflect Blumers views on audience?

The active audienceMore recent developments still suggest that there is a decoding process going on among the active audience who are not simply using the media for gratification purposes. Morley's view of dominant, negotiated and oppositional readings of texts is a semiological approach because it recognises the importance of the analysis of signs, particularly visual signs, that shape so much of modern media output. In this model, at its simplest level, the audience accept or agree with the encoded meanings, they accept and refine parts of the text's meanings or they are aware of the dominant meaning of the text but reject it for cultural, political or ideological reasons.

Preferred/dominant readingThe preferred reading is the reading media producers hope will take from the text. For example, an advertisement for a McDonalds Big Mac is intended to encourage feelings of hunger and a desire to buy a McDonalds. Assuming the majority of the audience share this reaction then this is also the dominant reading.

Oppositional readingAudience members from outside the target audience may reject the preferred reading, receiving their own alternative message. The health-conscious, anti-globalisation campaigners and vegetarians will most likely respond to the McDonalds advert with frustration and annoyance.

Negotiated readingThe third way is one in which audiences acknowledge the preferred reading, but modify it to suit their own values and opinions. A negotiated response to the McDonalds advert might be I love Big Macs but one a month is enough as they arent good for me.

Task 5

Look at this image below and identify the preferred/dominant reading, oppositional reading and negotiated reading. It may be easier to assume what you, your siblings and your parents might think of it.

NegotiatedThe music is good, however there outfits may portray them negatively.OppositionalNegative presentation of the band members. They would be described as slutty; those reading in an oppositional way of reading may also dislike the bands music.PreferredEncourages feelings of love and lust. Revelling and short styled clothing is used to show the band members in a sexual manner.Presented towards a male audience the male gaze is intentionally help attract a market and sell the popularity of the band.

Mode of address

Still in line with the active audience idea is the concept of mode of address. This refers to the way that a text speaks to us in a style that encourages us to identify with the text because it is 'our' kind of text. For example Friends is intended for a young audience because of the way it uses music and the opening credits to develop a sense of fun, energy and enthusiasm that the perceived audience can identify with. This does not mean that other groups are excluded, merely that the dominant mode of address is targeted at the young. Mode of address can even be applied to entire outputs, as in the case of Channel Four which works hard to form a style of address aimed at an audience which is informed, articulate and in some ways a specialised one. Newspapers, too, often construct their presentation to reflect what they imagine is the identity of their typical readers.

Task 6

Select two magazines, one from column A and one from column B and compare the mode of address they have. Print off a front cover for each and annotate them, stick them beneath this table and annotate them highlight all their signs.

AB

NutsCosmopolitan

FHMHeat

StuffHello

EsquireGood Housekeeping

TimeElle

NMEGrazia

1. Time Magazine: Is designed for an intellectual reader, this is supported heavily by the image of the main model appearing on the cover. The audience will make connotations, assuming that the magazine is political based. The use of red, white and black appeal to a mix range of genders, as there is little use of stereotype or bais, helping open up the market. It means that the magazine is there to inform and would appeal to people in the USA. Elle Magazine: The cover is convrolseral, as the model appearing on the cover is a female but is not supporting the idea of the male gaze. Her body is covered by clothing ensuring that she is not sold as a product or sexualised towards a male audience. This may support female empowerment, and show a respectful readership. However the colour, and font and font is biased and may be more appealing for females using softer colours and a font showing time and care for the company.

Task 7Now take stills/front covers from your own text. Identify the modes of address that they have and how this might appeal to an audience Try and select as many as possible. You should include preferred, dominant reading etc. Think back to genre work and see what generic signs you have used.

This text would be appealing to both male and a female audience. The colour scheme connotes sophistication, an element that should be reproducing by the target market. The colours also suggest that that album is a timeless classic. This is also suggested through the font and style that was ensured to be readable. The image is of a pop nature, and could be argued that to be from a male gaze perspective through the use of relieving clothing and skin. The filter of the image also helps to aid to the classical element of the album. While the inside of the casing gives the audience a idea of the style of music through similar genre conventions.In addition, the magazine cover is aimed at primarily males, with the main image supporting this. The market would be similar to the digipak, sophisticated older teenagers who would appreciate the product that they are buying. The colours are bold and masculine with a type face connoting classic and sophistication. A simple design makes the product appear indie and supports research that was previously conducted, minimialtic helps create a house style and makes it unique to mainstream magazines of today.

Ethnographic model

The latest research into audience has resulted in an ethnographic model, which means that the researcher enters into the culture of the group and uses questions and interviews to try to understand media engagement from the perspective of the group. What seems to be emerging from this work is

a) the focus on the domestic context of reception of media textsb) the element of cultural competence, and finallyc) technologies.

The first of these stresses the fact that engagement with the media is often structured by the domestic environment because of the domestication of entertainment and leisure. It appears that the home is not a free space and there are issues about finance for purchase of media goods, control of the remote, the gendered nature of watching TV and the 'flow' of TV that fits alongside or within a set of domestic relationships. So TV viewing may not be the concentrated, analytical business that some theorists suggest.

The second area is best understood in terms of texts that can be identified as belonging to a genre that has gender appeal. For example, soaps are usually seen to have a strong female bias in viewing audience. There is a selection of competencies that are brought to such texts so knowing about cliff-hangers; the role of the matriarch or the fluid nature of character relationships simply adds to the pleasures associated with the text. Think about the texts that you enjoy and even though you know how a text will be shaped or how it will end these are not barriers to your enjoyment of that text. Competencies even include the very expectations that you have for the text. The male preference for news and more factual forms can be seen as a feature of cultural competence because men occupy more public space than domestic space and therefore feel the need to be aware of the public worlds reflected in such texts.

The third area identified relates to the way we engage with the hardware in order to enjoy the output of the media. There seems to be a strong gender divide here with computers and complex technology fitting into the category of 'boys toys'. If present trends in technology continue then there is a real danger that just as our society is dividing along lines of information-rich and information-poor then there will be a further demarcation along gender lines. This explains why schools and TV programmes need to present positive gender representations and good practice that supports females and technological expertise. You will note that many of the lifestyle programmes that are on TV use females in less traditional roles as a way of redressing the balance (think Suzie Perry on the Gadget Show).

Overall the shift in the models for audience has gone from mass audience to individual viewer with stress on the active audience rather than the passive model. The level of activity in the implied audience is related to the uses, pleasures, cultural competence, situation and available technology for the particular audience.

Task 8.Using the ethnographic model (try and separate it into the three areas highlighted) evaluate your own text. Have you inadvertently prevented certain audiences from accessing your text? Write your response in the space provided below.

Test on Audience Simple fact retention.

1 Another name for the effects model? 2

2 What were the concerns of the Frankfurt School in a) Europe and later in b) America? 10

3 What are moral watchdogs? 4

4 What does NVLA stand for? 4

5 What kind of psychology is the effects model based on? 10

6 What is the basic problem with the effects model as a way of explaining anti- social or deviant behaviour? 12

7 Who still makes use of the effects model? 4

8 What recent cases have cited this model? 12

9 What kind of general perceptions are attributed to the effects model? 6

10 What kind of psychology is the uses and gratifications model based on? 8

11 What four areas are identified in this model? 16

12 What does Morley have to say about the way we read texts? 12

13 Explain 'mode of address' with examples. 15

14 What is meant by the ethnographic study of audience? 6

15 What do we mean by the 'domestic context of reception of media texts'? 8

16 How can we describe some texts as female and others as male? Refer to soaps and news. 8

17 Is technological expertise a relevant factor in our consideration of the way we understand audiences in relation to certain texts? 8

18 What is the main shift in emphasis from the effects model to more modern views of audience? 5

Total marks 150