An audience is crucial to a media text. Media texts all have an
audience in mind, and we are all part of an audience, a large group of
individuals.
There are several different views and definitions of audience, for example:
- There is no such thing as an audience.
- A variety of different groups to which you belong
- You!
- A target market or a particular type of consumer which a media producer wants to reach.
- A group of people who consume a product.
- A set of individual readers of a text who make their own meaning
- Individuals who use media to satisfy their own needs.
- A group who passively consume the media without challenge.
The difference between audience research and audience theory.
Audience theory: different ways of thinking about the audience.
Audience Research: tries to produce evidence about the relationships between media and audiences.
There are several different theory's on audience. However, there are two main ones that we can apply to music video.
The Effects Model, and
The Uses and Gratifications Model.
The Effects Model.
This theory suggests that the media
"injects" messages directly into minds of the viewers/listeners/readers
and that this media can be addictive like a drug. The viewers are
powerless to resist the messages. This approach draws attention to the
power that media have, and the importance of the
forms of media that the audience have access too.
The Uses and Gratifications Model
This theory is the
opposite of the Effects Model. This suggests that the audience are
active. Here the audience uses the text for its own gratification.
Instead of researching what the media does to the audience it researches
what the audience does with the media. This approach sees the audience
as active and intelligent, and the control and consumption of the media
text helps them with basic needs, such as;
Diversion-when the audience uses the media for escapism and emotional release from everyday pressures.
Personal Relationships-the audience needs companionship with known media as well as people who they can discuss the text with.
Personal identity- the ability for the audience to compare their life with the media text, so that they can gain perspective on their own life.
Surveillance- gives the audience a chance to view what is going on it the rest of the world.
Generally
the pleasures that the media offer audiences are not regarded as
negative in this theory, however, placing too much importance on the
power and choices of the active audience can distract from power certain
texts have.
Applying these theories to Our Music Video.
Personally I disagree
with the theory of Effects Model when talking about music video. The
Effects Model (or the Hypodermic Needle as it is otherwise known),
suggests that the audience are incapable of stopping media messages and
that they are like drugs. I think that this consumption is not relevant
or applicable to today's music video. On a very basic level the audience
nowadays are prosumers and more in control of what they see and take in
than ever before. Therefore in my opinion and with understanding of the
model, the audience are not "couch potatoes" who have no say in the
information they take in. Contradictory to this they actually choose and
interact with music video. I think that you only have to look to
websites such as a Youtube, Facebook, Twitter,
and Vevo, etc. to see this kind of behavior. Social media has
completely changed the consumption and production of media forms such as
the music video. The audience now have the ability to create and post
their own music videos. It is much easier, and because of this producers
have to be alot more creative in order to get the videos noticed. I
think this results that the purpose of music video has greatly changed,
with many watching them as a source of entertainment. Although at its core it remains predominately there to promote artists, and to promote their music. (As I discussed in my
"A little about about the History of Music Video"). I
believe that due to social media and the change in the industry and
economic market that music video has become a bigger art-form, because
in order to sell the music, industry has to find a way to make it
interesting to the audience.I therefore find that the Effects Model,
difficult to apply to audience and music video.
I do
however, think that the Uses and Gratifications model can be more easily
applied to music video and I found it interesting to look at this
theory. I think it fits much better to think of music video being
actively consumed, rather than passively. Which is obviously something
that I have to think about while marketing the artist. Another
interesting point to consider in more detail is how exactly the audience
consume, this theory suggests as I have outlined above 3 ways that the
audience does this: Diversion, Personal Relationships, Personal
Identity, and Surveillance.I think a number of these are hugely relevant
in music. For example Diverson I think is often used by the audience,
as well as Personal Idenity, as the audience can idolize the lifestyle
of the stars they are watching, and the seeing this allows the audience
to gain perspective on what they hope to achieve from life, and perhaps
how they should look, which often comes through in music video through
the idea of voyeurism.I think that Personal Relationships and
Surveillance also come through to the audience however, I think much
less. I think a sense of companionship is desired when somebody shares a
music video on social media, and people will often discuss a video if
its message is especially taboo, which links to surveillance as music
videos often look at relevant idea and news, although often not in a
serious way.
Both of these theories have given me a better understanding of my audience and their consumption of music video.
Psychographics