Audience theory

Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?

How do they consume texts?

What happens when they consume texts?

Three theories of audience

- The effect model or the hypodermic model
- The uses and gratifications model
- Reception theory

The effects model
- The consumption of media texts has an effect or influence upon the audience
- It is normally considered that this effect is negative
- Audience are passive and powerless to prevent the influence
- The power lies with the message of the text

This model is also called
- The hypodermic model

Here the messages in media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful, syringe-like, media

The audience is powerless to resist

Therefore, the media works like a drug and the audience is drugged, addicted, doped or duped