Audience Theory

A model of the media
Text - Audience - Institution

Three questions that relate to the audience theory are
1) Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?
2) How do we consume texts?
3) WHat happens when we consume a text?

There are three theories of audience that we can apply to help us come to a better understanding of the relationship between text and audiences.
1) The Effects Model or Hypodermic Model
2) The Uses and Gratifications Model
3) Reception Theory

The Effects Model

This theory is the idea that the consumptions of media texts has a massive influence on the Audience. Usually this influence is considered as a fairly negative influence. The audience are said to be passive and powerless to prevent the influence of this type of media text and the power in these texts lie within the message of the text. 


An example of this model being used would be in most newspapers and adverts. When regarding newspapers, they have the power to show any event interpreted in there own way and so they can have control on its influence. If they are global newspapers they have the power to sway peoples views to one way even if it is one that they would never cross their minds.

This theory model can also be known as the Hypodermic.
It focuses on the point that as consumers of media text we are all but powerless to stop the influence if the text. The messages of media text are somewhat 'injected' into the audience's mind by the powerful media which suggests the name Hypodermic.

Us as the audience can become in a sense drugged and hooked on certain media texts because just like drugs they are addictive and can sway the audience to their way of thinking.