Hypodermic Needle Model
Basically, the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated. That the experience, intelligence and opinion of an individual are not relevant to the reception of the text.
This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive .
This theory is still quoted during moral panics by parents, politicians and pressure groups, and is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts (shoot’em up games and rap music in the 2000s), for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behaviour and will then act them out themselves in real life
Basically, the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated. That the experience, intelligence and opinion of an individual are not relevant to the reception of the text.
This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive .
This theory is still quoted during moral panics by parents, politicians and pressure groups, and is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts (shoot’em up games and rap music in the 2000s), for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behaviour and will then act them out themselves in real life
Uses and Gratification Theory
This theory says that AUDIENCES POSITION THEMSELVES. (As opposed to being subject to the HYPODERMIC NEEDLE MODEL).
Blumer and Katz suggested a series of possible reasons why audience members might consume a media text:
• Diversion (escape from everyday problems - emotional release, relaxing, filling time etc).
• Personal relationships (using the media for emotional and other interactions e.g. substitution soap opera for family life OR using the cinema as a social event).
• Personal identity (constructing their own identity from characters in media texts, and learning behavior and values – useful if trying to fit into a new country/culture).
• Surveillance (information gathering e.g. news, educational programming, weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains etc).
NRS social grades
The NRS social grades are a system of demographic classification used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey to classify readers, but are now used by many other organisations for wider applications and have become a standard for market research. They were developed over 50 years ago and achieved widespread usage in 20th Century Britain. Their definition is now maintained by the Market Research Society.
The distinguishing feature of social grade is that it is based on occupation.
The social status of a target audience for a magazine has an impact of the content it offers. Magazines will normally target audiences from more than one of these categories. Eg ABC or C1&2D
A higher managerial and professional
B middle managerial and professional
C1 supervisory, junior management and professional
C2 skilled manual worker
D semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers
E pensioners, lower grade workers, students and the unemployed.
An example of how to use this in a sentence:
“The target audience for Cosmopolitan Magazine fall into the ABC1 social demographic.”
The target audience for Cosmopolitan Magazine fall into the C2DE category.
The grades are often grouped into ABC1 and C2DE and these are taken to equate to middle class and working class respectively. Only around 2% of the UK population is identified as upper class,[3] and this group is not included in the classification scheme
- Graham Burton: Socially and Media grouped audiences
Socially grouping means grouped by factors (that generally can’t change) such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, class, nationality etc
Media grouping means grouped together by their media tastes, for example, horror film fans, PlayStation fans, rap music enthusiasts.
An example of how to use this in a sentence:
“Graham Burton has a theory about classifying audiences by their social and media grouping. The social grouping of my target audience is middle aged (30-50 year old) women. They will most likely be British and of mixed ethnicity. The media grouping of my target audience will be fans of other magazines like Good Food Magazine and Good Housekeeping.
- Other Ways of describing audiences
You can also mention their hobbies and interests, marital status, personality, style etc.
An example of how to use this in a sentence:
“My target audience would be young, single, people who are heavily into a Punk lifestyle and fashion. They may frequently go to nightclubs, listen to music and socialise with their friends.
SO IF YOU EVER HAVE TO DESCRIBE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE I WANT YOU TO USE ALL 3 TECHNIQUES. NEVER WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF A TARGET AUDIENCE THAT JUST SAYS “TEENAGERS”!
This is a good link with more information on target audiences:
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