Audience

Uses and gratification theory

Blumer and Katz (1959)

• Escapism = diversion + entertainment
• Personal companion = media is a friend, caring about the cast of pop star
• Personal identity = how do I fit in? who am I?
• Surveillance = finding out what is happening in the world

Cultivation theory
Gerbner and Gross (1975)

• Audiences consume media gradually and develop views about the world, some of which are false.
• Impacts on the sudiences understanding of representation - gender, sexuality, yound people and ethnic groups.

Reception analysis
Hall (1980)

• Audiences make sense of media texts according to their soicial position (gender, age, class, ethnic backgroud)

Copycat or Modelling theory
Coleman (2004)

• Audiences are influences by the media texts that they consume
• More of an assumption used by journalists to explain an individuals negative behaviour

Long tail theory
Anderson (2006)

• This theory describes how the internet has influences audience consumption
• Since broadband these impacts have been most prominent
• Niche audiences are no longer economically unviable