Media audiences have drastically changed overtime. In today’s media saturated world, audiences have evolved from sharing an experience in the one room, to a more dispersed and fragmented audience. ‘The most obvious cause of fragmentation is a steady growth in the number of media outlets and products competing for public attention’. (Kziasek, Webster, 2012)
Checkout the video below as Dapper Mr Tom takes us through some interesting theories about audiences! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
The video explains the hypodermic needle theory, suggesting that media was once produced in mass forms and injected directly into the receiver, with the response the sender desired. This idea reflects a ‘passive’ audience who are seen to be easily manipulated and gullible by the media they consume. Audiences today, although have become dispersed, can be seen as ‘active’ because of the endless choices we have in how to access the media and the uses and gratifications it possesses.
Do you think consuming media in different locations and platforms, and choosing what we watch, makes us seen to be more ‘active’ rather than ‘passive’?
A time I was part of an audience was when I, along with thousands of other Netflix users, were binge watching the Gilmore Girls television series. I had to actively scroll through and pick the series I wanted to watch on Netflix. The process of deciding between different titles, demonstrates that I was being active in my decision making and not passively watching what is in front of my eyes. My reasons for binge watching Gilmore Girls was not only because of my obsession with the show and the gratification I received, but also because of its convenience and accessibility.
Being in this audience was positive and enjoyable. Don’t you love that within seconds you can access all seven seasons? Well I do! It enabled me to be snuggled up in a blanket, hot milo in my hand, with no interruptions. The negative aspect was I wasn’t experiencing it with anyone else in the same room. It was easy to get caught up in the show, losing track of time in the process…yes 3 am bedtime became a regular.
Netflix watching gave me a clear insight into what an audience is in 2019. Although I didn’t share the experience with someone in the same room, there is a world of people out there that shared this experience in another location, and a shared experience is the key to being a part of an audience. I am inquisitive towards the concept of a dispersed and fragmented audience and ask myself what sort of media are they viewing, in what ways are they viewing it and how are they using it in their day to day lives?
I’d love to hear how everyone else has experienced being a part of an audience and if it is very different from mine!
References
Dapper Mr Tom, 2016. ‘What Is Audience Theory? Let’s Talk Theory. Viewed 18 March 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zaa0YpsnGpc
Kziasek, Webster, 2012. The Dynamics of Audience Fragmentation: Public Attention in an Age of Digital Media. Viewed 18 March 2019. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01616.x
University of Twente, 2017. ‘Hypodermic Needle Theory’. Viewed 10 April 2019, https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/communication-theories/sorted-by-cluster/Mass-Media/Hypodermic_Needle_Theory/
Image. http://www.mediaknite.org/audience-and-agency/
Image. http://getsocialeyes.com/blogwebsite-and-marketing-evolution-why-you-should-remain-proactive/
Image. https://www.lifewire.com/sites-to-watch-free-tv-shows-online-3486367
Georgia Woods 
This blog gives myself a proper insight to how Netflix and other emerging technologies impacted society and the generation today rather than 100 years ago where it was a lot harder to have access to news or have a variety of television shows and movies. Netflix is an awesome website that helps us have access to seasons shows and movies and makes us feel apart of an internet audience. The blog also highlights a first person perspective of their experience of being apart of a media audience which helps viewers understand how audience have evolved and have much easier access to entertainment without bothering anyone.
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Hi Georgia, Firstly I thought the video that you selected was very informative and engaging. I thought it provided a great platform for the rest of your piece. I particularly thought your analysis of a ‘dispersed audience’ was very thought provoking in that it had me wondering whether or not our recent changes in audience practice has led to a more inclusive or exclusive audience experience. Your use of rhetorical question at the end of the piece defiantly encouraged me as the reader to contrast my own ‘audience’ practices to yours. Thanks for the great read and keep it up! 🙂
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