The document discusses several audience theories: 1) The hypodermic needle model views audiences as passive consumers directly influenced by media messages. It has been disproven by showing reactions are determined by situational attributes, not passivity. 2) Uses and gratifications theory sees audiences as active in seeking media to fulfill needs like information, identity, and entertainment. Theorists like Katz and McQuail studied why people consume media. 3) Reception theory examines how audiences interpret and receive media messages, through encoding by producers and decoding by active or passive audiences. Understanding can be preferred, negotiated, or oppositional based on audience experiences.

1. Critical responses
Task 3 - Audience theory
Patrick Gouldsbrough

2. Hypodermic needle model
This is a theory directly correlated to audiences. It
survives on the idea that media messages are directly
taken in and accepted by a consumer. This then implies
that mass media has a strong, direct and sudden effect
on the consumer of a certain product, which in turn will
mean an audience will accept whatever it’s been told by
a media product. This theory links directly to the idea of a
passive audience consuming the products made by a
media producer, a passive audience that doesn’t apply
their own knowledge to a media product, so instead rely
on the media products for it’s thinking and ideas. The
hypodermic needle model concerns grew even greater
when the development of radio and Television evolved to
become a media type that was more accessible.
However, this theory has been highly disregarded by
theorists, while other more complex theories have been
conducted. These other theories consider the consumers
ability to make their own judgments based on their own
experiences of media and social situations. The
hypodermic needle effect came around in the 1930’s,
which was then disproved by theorist Paul Lazarsfeld,
who showed reactions to a broadcast are determined by
situational and attitudinal attributes, instead of all the
consumers been passive.
The theory states that magazine such as these, with opinions
generated by the media producer on the front, is contributing to
shaping the passive audiences values and ideas. The fact that these
two statements are not followed with question marks tells the
audience they are not been asked about a product, they are more or
less been told what to think about them by these particular products.

3. Uses and gratifications theory
This theories main purpose is to identify why people consume
various kinds of media and what gratifications they receive from
this? Another key question that is analysed in this particular theory
is how consumers spend their time and energy finding media?
Unlike the hypodermic needle theory, which believes the
consumer is passive, uses and gratification theory assumes the
consumer take up an active role in integrating media into their
lives in some shape or form. One theorist who can be pinpointed
to have helped discovered this particular theory is social scientist
Herta Herzog. The Austrian born scientist in 1940 identified the
main outline of the use and gratifications theory by analysing radio
programmes. Use and gratifications has then been worked on by
many theorists since then, these include: Lasswell, Katz, Bulmer
and, most recently, McQuail. From their research, each of these
theorists published a list of explanations about why people use and
consume media.
Where as a passive audience that was featured in the
hypodermic needle theory would see the above example as a
statement and brand it as a question that’ll be answered,
active audiences in uses and gratifications theory will look at
this question and think about it and be an active part of the
media, while generating their own views and opinions about
the cover and articles.

4. Uses and gratifications theory
Lasswell (1948)
•Surveillance
•Correlation
•Entertainment
•Cultural transmission
Blumler and Katz (1972)
• Diversion
• Personal relationships
• Personal identity
• Surveillance
McQuail (1987)
• Information
• Personal identity
• Integration and social interaction
• Entertainment
Some of these explanations are proved correct later on, thus featured in other
theorists research in the future work of uses and gratifications. However, Lasswell
and Herzog’s research had a few flaws, which were removed by Mcquail and Blumler
+ Katz research.
From Lasswells research, only one main explanation survived, surveillance. However,
Lasswells theories weren’t disproved, Blumler and Katz decide to not analyse the
same sections that have already done, with Surveillance been an exception.
Only a gap of one year separates McQuail and Blumler + Katz theories. Only personal
identity stands from the 1972 theory, however, like the 1972 analysis, he wasn’t
repeating research that had already been carried out years earlier. Therefore,
Blumler + Katz work wasn’t deemed wrong, just not looked at as the main or current
explanations. McQuails hypothesis remains the preferred explanations for use and
gratifications theory, due to McQuails research been nearer to the media forms we
have in modern society, compared to the 1940’s research.

5. Uses and gratifications theory
McQuail (1987) – why people consume media:
Information
•To try and gain information on relevant events and conditions in society and around the world
•Seeking advice on a matter or opinion, which will lead to you making a decision on a specific product/situation
•General interest of an individual and a fulfilment of satisfying a curiosity
•To learn or self-educate yourself in a certain area
Personal identity
•Personal values
•Model of behaviour
•Identifying with others values (within the media)
Integration
•Gaining an insight into the circumstances of others in the world
•Identifying with others, while gaining a sense of belonging
•Basis of a conversation, something to converse with to people in society or your peers.
•Substitute to real life companionship
Entertainment
•It can be an escape or distraction from problems you are going through
•Relax
•Getting aesthetic enjoyment out of the product (usually younger reader, according to the aspirer psychographic grouping)

6. Uses and gratifications theory
Most magazines convey the
information explanations
with them. For example, this
magazine has information
on relevant events (live
events), information that
will allow you to make a
decision (reviews), general
interest (front cover
generates interest, reading
it will satisfy this), learning
(most articles educate an
individual and enable them
to take something and in
terms of education when
they’ve consumed a media
product)
Many media products
carry out some form of
personal identity,
however, this example
fitted in well. If you
believe in the statement,
it would reinforce your
personal values, it would
be a model of behaviour
and it would identify with
others values as well.
Again, the majority of magazines
will generate a sense of
integration, however, gossip
magazines such as Heat are the
best at doing this. They offer an
insight into peoples lives, a sense
of voyeurism on celebrities lives
can be seen in Heat, which also
fulfils the second function of
identifying with others while
gaining a sense of belonging. Heat
magazine gives a l0ot of talking
points and allows the audience a
basis to for social interaction. The
last thing this product will do is
creating personal relationships
with the celebrities featured in
this magazine so are therefore
substituting real life
companionship.
This media product,
Vogue, will appeal to a
more female orientated
audience. This product
diverts the consumers
attention from their
problems, one that you
can relax to and a
magazine that is
aesthetically enjoying to
read.

7. Uses and gratifications theory –
McQuail’s explanations in
relation to me
To try and gain information on relevant events and conditions in
society and around the world
I want to try and find out information about events and different
societies around the world through the media products I consume. I
do this by consuming media products such as The Times, which
furthers my knowledge on current affairs and events in the wider
word.
Seeking advice on a matter or opinion, which will lead to you
making a decision on a specific product/situation
I occasionally rely on media products for advice on a specific
product I want o purchase that’s reviewed in the media product
itself. The majority of the time I use Q magazine for this, which
reviews albums I may wish to buy, therefore, this is why this
ex0planation is relevant to me
General interest of an individual and a fulfilment of satisfying a
curiosity
Every media text I consume is been read because of a curiosity I had
with an article or a piece on the from about the stories inside. After
the magazine/newspaper has been read that curiosity is then
satisfied. The examples of products I consume are examples this time
also, as well as other media products

8. Uses and gratifications theory –
McQuail’s explanations in
relation to me
To learn or self-educate yourself in a certain area
Like the satisfying of a curiosity, I read every article from ever product
I consume to educate myself on a specific topic. However, if I were to
give a specific example of a magazine I do it with most, it has to be
Top Gear Magazine, which I like to educate myself in the interest area
of cars.
Gaining an insight into the circumstances of others in society
Only a percentage of media products carry this feature out to start
with, due to some magazines discussing products, not people. The
product that most relates to me is The Times, it communicates a lot of
different peoples circumstances in one particular product, which O
can relate to a lot.
Getting aesthetic enjoyment out of the product and Relax
The majority of the media products I read give me these
entertainment explanations. However, out of all the media products,
NME has the most appealing aesthetic features, while Q magazine
allows you to relax while reading the magazine, due to the neutral and
restrained colours used.

9. Reception theory
This theory is all about how audiences interpret media, as well as how
they receive it also. Analysis of reception theory was conducted first in
1960 by Hans-Robert Jauss. However, the most influential theorist
linked to reception theory is cultural theorist Stuart Hall.
Two key features of the reception theory is encoding and decoding:
This example would lean towards encoding, in which
the audience would be passive and therefore not
question the caption, instead share the mutual
hatred of Abercrombie, like communicated in this
caption.
Encoding – The media producer fills the product with a ideology they
want to convey to the audience. A newspaper, rather than a magazine,
is a good example of this. This is due to the traditional anchoring of
images with captions using emotive headlines that newspapers do so
well.
Decoding – The consumer of media products understands the messages
while decoding them. When looking at media products, the audience
set the messages been put out by the publishers, instead of the other
way on, they understand the messages and even question them.
In terms of passive or active audiences, a passive audience will take
these messages in without applying their own experiences of when
consuming the producers messages. An active audience though will
take these ideologies in, understand them and then apply their own
thoughts and ideas about these messages.
Most captions in newspapers can be decoded by an
active audience. Each active consumer will interpret
the caption in a different way and therefore have
their own ideas on the stories and articles.

10. Reception theory
How someone understands a media text (viewpoints)
Preferred – The audience consumes and understands the messages
been communicated to them, while agreeing with these statements.
Negotiated – The consumer generally accepts the preferred reading,
but occasionally alters it to reflect their own situation.
Oppositional – The reader sill understands the preferred reading, but
instead of agreeing or altering, the consumer will reject the messages
conveyed, while having an alternative, oppositional view.
All three of these understanding viewpoints depend on the values,
experiences and backgrounds of the consumer. This maybe related to
socio-economics, Geodemographics and psychographics. People with
similar ideologies and values of those who create a text, more likely
have the same thoughts, where as those with opposing values of media
producers may have an oppositional viewpoint.
Passive and Active
Passive – It states that audiences don’t apply their own experiences of
media when consuming texts. As stated before, the hypodermic needle
model assumes the consumer to be like this.
Active – The consumer applies own thoughts about their previous
experiences they’ve had. Both the uses and gratification and the
reception theory assume the consumer is an active part of the media
text.
An active audience will understand the message,
while agreeing with the fears of the smoking ban
underlined in this article.
A negotiated viewpoint will understand the
messages of this particular article, however will
change it somewhat to reflect their own beliefs.
This might be understanding the fears of the
smoking ban, but interpreting the story as a
negative one.
Oppositional viewpoints will still understand the
messages, but write them off because they don’t
back that particular side of the story.