Audience Theory - Limited Media Effects

This focuses on the way media messages spread throughout an audience and are base on the trickle down effect. So messages may originate in the media, but they are received by the audience in a variety of ways.

Directly - By personally viewing the media text e.g. by watching a news broadcast

Indirectly - through social interaction with people who have received the media text directly. or a combination of the two (direct reception and interaction)

The Two Step Flow

• The media alone isn't responsible for audiences views - rather audience's involvement in primary groups where messages were discussed.

• Messages flow from the media to opinion leaders.

• The majority of the audience receive the original message in a form mediated through influential people in primary groups.

Three main elements 

• Primary social groups are more significant than the media in forming our opinions.

• Interpersonal sources of information are significant influences in how people receive and respond to media messages

• Limited direct effects - Any changes in peoples behaviour is likely to stem from the way media messages are communicates - the form they take.

Uses and Gratifications Theory: Bulmer and Katz 1972

This suggests that audiences pick and choose both the media and the messages they take from it. They use the media to satisfy their individual and group needs (gratifications)

Information - newspapers

Entertain - comedies

Interact - social media

Escapism - fantasy films

Identify - social realism