Audience homework

A) The Mainstream
The mainstream is the category of society that takes solace in enjoying what everyone else enjoys and taking part in what everyone takes part in in order to feel 'safe' and 'secure' in society knowing that they fit in. The mainstream does not want to go against the crowd therefore would be most interested in shows such as Britain's Got Talent. This is because it is a family friendly show that can be watched in groups such as family or friends and is talked about nation wide a lot of the time. This assures the mainstream that they are not alone in society and do not risk the chance of being ridiculed for liking something different, they subscribe to big brand names as they feel they can trust these, they rely on other peoples opinions to make there own, for example, discussing favourites on Britain's Got Talent.

The Aspirer
The aspirer is the group of society that subscribe to a superficial and ideal image created by the media and society. They are vein, consumed by appearance and follow trends rather than set them. An example of this is through advertising.for many years MAC makeup has always been advertised as one of the best makeups regardless of whether it is or not. The aspirer would conform to these advertisements and go buy MAC makeup. This is also because it then allows them to tell people they use MAC makeup in order to impress them and gain a higher status for the most part. This is just one example of how the aspirer is driven by others perceptions rather than their own.

The Succeeder
The succeeder is the group of society that are very self confident and have a strong goal orientation. They are focussed and determined to succeed in what they want to do. They seek out brands that offer them the best quality of what they buy as they feel that is what they deserve. A media that the aspirer would consume might be a newspaper such as The Mirror, that informs them on current social/political affairs. They might consume these because they allow them to be 'in the know' about things around them and be fully aware of these situations, giving them control which is something they need in life.

The Explorer
The explorer is the group of society that enjoy straying from what the mainstreamer might enjoy in order to experience something new and exciting that offers them indulgence and instant effects. These are usually the people who start trends and new hypes. A media that the explore might consume would be music by small, underground musicians or bands such as The Humming Birds. The Humming Birds are a small indie-rock band that play small gigs in bars and clubs around Liverpool. The explorer might enjoy this because they have a rare and new sound that not many people have heard yet. As the band are not huge yet the explorer enjoys the sense of discovery while listening to them without the huge media buzz that comes from more popular artists. Discovery is a core need in their life.

B) I think that these categories are very useful in defining audience types as they cover most, if not all, parts of the media consuming society. Each type of audience is quite specific yet is accurate in applying to everyone from that group making it easy to create a text that would appeal to that group. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that some people fall in to two and even three different categories making it either harder for a media to target them because they do not know what they like or easier for a media to target them because they like much more.

C)  A typical audience member of One Born Every Minute would be a female aged 35 named jean. She would have three children, the eldest two being in high school and the youngest nearly leaving primary. She would work as a dinner lady but do some volunteer work when she could. Jean would be a white woman who lived in a primarily white are and would have a close group of white friends who she could discuss the show with. She would be an avid user of Facebook where she would post her thoughts and feelings about the show. Jean would enjoy watching soaps and sit-coms with her husband and would be a catholic but not devout. She would support the Labour party and would support the NHS and welfare state.

D) I think that the likely audience member for Britain's Got Talent would be the Groupie, i think this because the Groupie aspires to be accepted by those around them and in order to do this they must watch the television that the majority of people watch so that they do not differ from those around them

I think that the likely audience member for The Mirror newspaper would be Egoists. I think this because Egoists desire to get the most that they can for themselves out of life and they believe that in order to do this they must be fully aware of what goes on around them in order to manipulate and work around the situation in order to make it benefit them or prevent it from affecting them badly.

I think that the likely audience member for advertisements of MAC makeup would be Trendies. I think this because they desire the admiration of their peer group and in oder to do this they think they have to be on trend, fashionable, charismatic and the superficial image. They think that all of these things will gain them the admiration therefore they buy MAC makeup to impress their peers.

I think that the likely audience member for The Humming Birds would be the Innovator. I think this because the Innovator wants to make their mark on the world and for the individual, popularising and making an unknown band known, not necessarily purposefully, means that they have impacted many lives therefor making their mark.

I think that the likely audience member for One Born Every Minute would be the groupie. As the show is well publicised and talked about on social media, watching the shows makes you fit in with everyone else that is watching it meaning that you can be accepted by mainstream society.