Audience Theories
Hypodermic Needle theory:
In this theory the media is seen as powerful and able to ‘inject’ ideas into an audience who
are seen as weak and passive and could be influenced by a message. In Nazi Germany in the
1930’s and during World War 2 films were used to ‘inject’ propaganda ideas promoting the
Nazi cause to the German audience. Today we still see party political broadcasts on television
during elections.
The Hypodermic theory comes from a fear of the mass media, and gives the media much
more power than it can ever have in a democracy.
The Hypodermic Needle Theory suggests that the media has a direct and powerful influence
on audiences. It was developed in the 1920s and 1930s after researchers observed the effect
of propaganda during World War I and incidents such as Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds
broadcast. It became the dominant way of thinking about media influence during the
subsequent decades.
The Hypodermic Needle theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that a media
message is injected directly into the brain of a passive, homogenous audience.
Two-step flow:
The Two Step Flow Theory suggests that opinion leaders pay close attention to the mass
media and pass on their interpretation of media messages to others. Unlike the Hypodermic
Needle Theory, The Two Step Flow Theory maintains that audiences are active participants
in the communication process.
And it’s still a theory that still has a credibility today. In a paper presented at the 20th Annual
World Wide Web Conference in 2011, researchers looking at the flow of information on the
social networking site Twitter revealed that they had found significant evidence to support
the Two Step Flow Theory.
The Two Step Flow Theory is also of interest to the advertising industry. A long time ago,
advertisers realized that word of mouth and recommendations are a powerful way to sell
products. Books like The Anatomy of Buzz are all about how important word of mouth is to
advertising campaigns.
Uses and Gratifications:
Uses and gratifications theory asserts that people use media to meet specific wants and needs.
Unlike many media theories that view media users as passive, uses and gratifications sees
users as active agents who have control over their media consumption.
Uses and gratifications was first introduced in the 1940s as scholars began to study why
people choose to consume various forms of media. For the next few decades, uses and
gratifications research mostly focused on the gratifications media users sought.
Then in the 1970s researchers turned their attention to the outcomes of media use and the
social and psychological needs that media gratified.
uses and gratifications outlines five assumptions:
Media use is goal-directed. People are motivated to consume media.
Media is selected based on the expectation that it will satisfy specific needs and
desires.
Media influence on behavior is filtered through social and psychological factors.
Thus, personality and social context impact the media choices one makes and one’s
interpretation of media messages.
Media are in competition with other forms of communication for an individual’s
attention. For example, an individual may choose to have an in-person conversation
about an issue instead of watching a documentary about the issue.
People are usually in control of media and therefore are not particularly influenced by
it.
Preferred Reading:
This is how the producer wants the audience to view the media text. Audience members will
take this position if the messages are clear and if the audience member is the same age and
culture; if it has an easy to follow narrative and if it deals with themes that are relevant to the
audience.
Passive/Active:
Passive - The earliest idea was that a mass audience is passive and inactive. The members
of the audience are seen as couch potatoes just sitting there consuming media texts –
particularly commercial television programmes.
It was thought that this did not require the active use of the brain. The audience accepts and
believes all messages in any media text that they receive. This is the passive audience model.
Active - This newer model sees the audience not as couch potatoes, but as individuals who
are active and interact with the communication process and use media texts for their own
purposes.
This model is now generally considered to be a better and more realistic way to talk about
audiences.
