Audience Theory

Exam speak

• The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions;

• The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.

Blumer's 4 Audience Ideas

• Audeince come from all walks of life. Not true.
• The audience is an anonymous mass. Not true.
• Little ineraction excists between the mass.
• But it is a loosely organised mass.

1. Do you think the audiences for most media texts do come “from all walks of life” or do 

different kinds of people watch very different kinds of programme? Are there any examples of media texts that you can think of that do seem to have audiences of all kinds of people?

2. How much of your media experience occurs when you are on your own and how much 

when you are with others? 

3. How do you experience/consume media (i.e. watch or listen to it)?

4. Are there any ways in which you share your experiences of the media with other people 

who weren’t around when you experienced the text? List as many ways as you share 

experiences (e.g. msn etc)