Audience theory

Psychologist Bandura created an experiment where children from Stanford nursery were made to watch a clip of adults violently attacking a "bobo doll". The children were then left in a room where there was a bobo doll of there own that they could play with. Bandura found that due to watching adults being violent towards the bobo doll, the children were more likely to display aggressive behaviour. This research supports Katz and Lazerfeld's hypodermic needle idea as it shows that children act immediately on what they see in the media. It also promotes the idea that children are very likely to imitate what they see people that they perceive as role models do. 

In opposition to this theory, some theorists would argue that the consumption of violent images may be helpful rather than harmful as it may be a way the audience members release their violent impulses which would make them less likely to imitate violent behaviour.

Audience Theory (Katz and Lazerfeld)

The "hypodermic needle" theory implies that media texts have a direct and powerful effect on its audience and can have a huge effect on the behaviour and communication of the them. This effect has also been likened to a bullet as the effects are immediate. Katz and Lazerfeld suggest that media has the power to "brainwash" huge populations.



Example of theory

Audience Theory

Theorists Blulmer and Katz came up with an audience theory which was developed from Lasswells theory (1948). Blulmer and Katz stated that audiences can be attracted to media texts due to a variety of reasons e.g.;
Diversion- To distract them from everyday life and problem they may be facing.
Personal Relationships- Using media as a form of interaction (a way to cope with loneliness).
Personal identity- Audience members may see themselves within media texts or may learn ways to deal with situations.
Surveillance- Media texts can help to keep us informed about world events. also use to satisfy curiosity and general interests.


All of these reasons that people use media can help them in many ways e.g.
-Learning
-Can help with personal identity issues
-Can help with issues of aggression and violence

Target Audience Member

This is my target audience member.

She is between the ages 15 and 25, therefore she can more easily relate to my artist who is in the same age group and the same gender.

She likes to read books and enjoys English Literature therefore she is interested in finding the meaning of song lyrics rather than being interested in only the tune, as a result likes indie music more than pop music.

She has a unique style and doesn't mind standing out and being different, which is similar to my artist, which is why she is a fan and is able to connect with her, this is also due to the way my artist dresses.

I also found from my research that the artist "Lorde" (The actual singer of my chosen song) has an audience of mainly teens through to young adults.

Lordes Audience

My target audience member will also use social media sites such as Tumblr. From my research I found that Lorde uses Tumblr to engage with her audience. My target audience member may also use Tumblr to find out more information about my artist.  http://lordemusic.tumblr.com


Gratification
personal identity- I think that the target audience member would enjoy this artist and this genre of music due to the fact that it may reinforce their personal values as well as finding a role model.
Information- I don't think my artist will gain any information from this music video apart from possibly learning more about themselves, my target audience member may also use the music video to find a meaning within the lyrics.
Integration and social interaction- I don't think that my target audience member would watch my music video for social interaction as the genre of the music is not a popular genre and therefore would not be seen by a lot of people. However my target audience member may have a niche group of friends that also enjoy this genre of music.
Entertainment- My target audience member may use my music video as a way of escaping reality and entering the world of my artist, it may also be used as a way of gaining emotional release due to the song being very lyrical, the audience may be able to relate to it. My audience may also be able to relate to my artist due to the clothing my artist wears. In this way my target audience member could act as an opinion leader that encourages other to be interested in my artists music.
I hope my target audience member would also be interested in the music video due to the aesthetics.


Although this is my target audience member, there are also many other groups that would enjoy this type of music without having these attributions.