Audience Theories

Audience Theories

There are multiple different theories that surround the media and the way that they affect the audience. Below is a list of all of the theories:

The Effects Model

The first model is called 'The Effects Model', this includes the consumption of different media texts that effect or influence the audience. This is generally considered as very negative.

The audience that is affected are powerless and passive to prevent the influence of the piece of media.

Hypodermic Needle Theory

Another model is 'The Hypodermic Model', with this model the messages within the media text is injected into the audiences mind from a 'surgical' syringe by the media itself. The audience that are consuming the piece of media are powerless to resist, like the audience have been drugged by the media.

This model is seen to inject ideas from the piece of media and influence the audience, who are seen to be very passive and weak.

Passive Audiences

This theory suggests that the audience are like 'couch potatoes', sitting, consuming media texts - mainly television programs. This is said that this did not require an active use of the brain, as the audience accepts the messages and believes everything that they see.

 

Active Audiences

This theory implies that the audience are not 'couch potatoes', but rather, individuals that are active and like to communicate and also use the media texts fro their own uses. This is considered a more realistic model than that of the others.

Uses and Gratifications Model

This model sends the idea that audiences are a complex mix of individuals who choose media texts to best suits their own personal needs.

The uses and gratifications model implies that the media audience make active decisions about what they consume in comparison to their social and cultural setting and their needs.

Audiences selectively choose and watch programmes to make them feel good, such as soaps, or give them information that they can use, such as news.