Media Ideologies: Audience Theory

Audience theory is the study of those who may invest their money and/or time in the product, in order to make it successful with the target group.
The theory includes 3 separate ideals:
- The Effects Model or the Hypodermic Model.
- The Uses and Gratifications Model.
- Reception Theory.


The Effects Model
This particular theory suggests that the audience are somewhat helpless and submissive when it comes to preventing the influence that is made by the consumption of media texts. Therefore, these products within the media create an effect on the audience even though they have no power over how it has impacted them. With saying that the power ultimately lies within the message of the text. Overall, the intended message is directly welcomed and completely accepted by the receiver without any judgement.

Although the Hypodermic model is very similar, if not the same, as the one above there are a few differences. Once again the audience is powerless to resist the messages that are in media texts but in this theory it's believed that the audience become almost drugged in the sense that they are addicted. Evidence of this includes a theory that the Frankfurt School came up with in the 1920's and 30's, rather than the audience controlling the media which follows a more logical ideal it's the other way round. So, the institution speculated that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments.


The Uses and Gratifications Model
When comparing the previous theories with the uses and gratifications model they are evidently far from being the same. As opposed to being controlled by the media texts and not used by it the audience has the power by being active. Rather than the audience being "drugged" by the media the audience has the ability to freely reject and use the product as they wish.

Audiences therefore use media texts to satisfy needs for:
- Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one's own.
- Diversion.
- Escapism.
- Information.
- Pleasure.
- Sexual stimulation.

Actively making the choice enables the viewer to receive something from the media text which is more than pleasure, in fact the consumption of these chosen texts can help individuals to improve their personal issues. Ranging from learning; emotional satisfaction; relaxation; help with issues of personal identity; help with issues of social identity; and to help with issues of aggression and violence.


Reception Theory
Although the previous theories are believed to be somewhat controversial and have their limitations, a different approach to audiences was developed by Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970's. The theory considers how texts are encoded with meaning by producers and then decoded by the audience, Essentially, this means that the producers put in a meaning which they want the audience to infer, this may resort to different interpretations but can also lead to the particular message that was conveyed being understood.

Hall furthered his theory by developing distinguishing three versions of audience decoding:

Dominant or Preferred - This involves the viewer interpreting the media text as the producer had intended and mostly agreeing with the message.

Negotiated - Taking a more neutral stand, the audience are neither for or against the topic of which is being discussed.

Oppositional - In this case the dominant message is acknowledged although it is dismissed on religious, political, cultural or ideological grounds.


Producer = Dominant or preferred
Encodes = Negotiated
Meaning = Oppositional