Media Diary Week 3 – Audience Classification

For my media diary this week, the programme I have chosen to analyse is ‘EastEnders’. The reason I have chosen this is due to the fact that it is a show that I will watch every week, and I feel that I will be able to successfully define who the audience is for this particular text.

The Income/Status Model

With regards to the Income/Status Model, I believe that the primary audience for ‘EastEnders’ would be D, the Working Class and E, People at the lowest level of income. I have chosen these two categories as I feel that these particular types of people would relate to characters on the show, unlike A, Upper Middle Class, who may not have much in common with the residents of Albert Square. A large majority of the people in ‘EastEnders’ are working class, working in local shops or in the local pub, the Queen “Vic” Victoria. Quite often the characters struggle with financial problems such as debt, which class E and D may also have faced at some point, so they may find it easy to draw parallels between them and the characters on the show. However, this is not to say that the Upper Middle Class would not enjoy watching the show, as it is an entertaining drama.

Audience Profiling

In order to work out the target audience of ‘EastEnders’ according to the Audience Profiling system, we must create a fictional audience member using the various categories of the system. Firstly, I think the gender of the audience member will be female, as a large majority of the people who watch soaps are female. Secondly, I think the woman will be in her late twenties to early thirties; I think this because somebody of that age is likely to relate to most of the characters in the show, whereas there are fewer characters for older viewers to relate to. The characters in ‘EastEnders’ are all part of large families, with multiple generations being in the show at any one time; it is likely that our fictional audience member may also have a large family, and identifies with the family relationships that occur within the soap. With regards to politics, I think that our fictional audience member will be left-wing, on account of the fact that it is likely that they are of the working class, and may be more inclined to vote for a party that has the working class’s interests at heart.

Young & Rubicam’s ‘4Cs’

In my opinion, I think that ‘EastEnders’ is watched largely by a Mainstream audience. I think this because it is a popular show nationwide which attracts seven million viewers on average. The choices made by the Mainstream audience are often likely to be influenced by those around them, and it is my opinion that many people may watch the show so as to use it as a discussion point with their friends/colleagues. In addition to this, I think ‘EastEnders’ may also be of interest to the Aspirers, whose actions are driven by a want for respect from their elders. Although the Aspirer may not necessarily enjoy the media text they are watching, they consume it knowing that it will gain them respect from those around them. An example of audience I do not think ‘EastEnders’ would appeal to is the Explorer. This is on account of the fact that Explorers are motivated by a need for new challenges and experiences, and I do not feel that they would find this in watching ‘EastEnders’ as it is not a new format or style of TV, but one that most people are accustomed to. Soaps are tremendously popular in the United Kingdom, and have been for many decades. Before ‘EastEnders’ even came onto our screens audiences were watching the likes of ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Crossroads’ and ‘Emmerdale Farm’, so I do not think that an Explorer would be satisfied with a show that is already so embedded in our culture.

Lifestyle Categories

When it comes to the Lifestyle Categories, I think that various audiences may derive something different from the media text. Cynics, for example, may watch the show in order to nitpick and criticise. Soaps are often criticised by critics for not being true to real life and a Cynic may also use this as a form of criticism towards the programme. Furthermore, I think Groupies may also watch ‘EastEnders’ frequently as it gives them something to converse about. Groupies are people who wish to be accepted by those around them, and watching a show that they know their friends watch could be considered a good way to earn their respect. Trendies, who want the admiration of their peers may also watch ‘EastEnders’, knowing that it is a popular show that will gain them the admiration of their peers. In addition to this, Drifters may also watch ‘EastEnders’, if they are unsure of what programme to watch at a particular time, but are aware that it is a popular soap that many rate highly. Drifters aren’t sure of what they want, so it is possible they may be encouraged to watch it.