Media and Audience Theories

The Active Audience theory

This theory shows there is a decoding process going on amongst the audience, not used for gratification purposes. Morley’s view of dominant, negotiated and oppositional readings of texts recognises the analysis of signs - the visual and ones which shape the modern media.

The model at its simplest:

The audience either accept or agree with the encoded meanings. We all interpret signs in different ways.

The mode of address

This theory speaks to us in a style that encourages us to identify with the text.

For instance: Friends, this programme is intended for a young audience due to a variety of factors, one of these is the music. It is fast and upbeat giving a sense of fun and excitement.

The Ethnographic model

This theory is about the researcher entering into a culture of a different group where a use of questions and interviews allows the researcher understand the media engagement of the group. It reveals the focus of domestic context, the technologies and the culture competence.

In many areas media is structured around a domestic environment in our day to day lives. We tend to find that programmes such as soaps are targeted at women whereas factual programmes are aimed towards men.