Audience responses

Audience Response 

With reference to your own detailed examples, discuss how the same media text can attract a range of different responses. (16)

All texts are influenced by their target audience, the encoder of the text has to the target audience into consideration when encoding the text. The response from the audience however is influenced by the audience's experiences, situation and gender. The Uses and Gratifications model dictates that there are 4 four different reasons why someone would consume a text these are; personal identification, information, entertainment and social interaction. Therefore responses to a text will be based upon these appeals. 

For example in the TV show 'Skint' provides the audience with a form of entertainment and also social interaction as the show is heavily watched by a mass audience, they could respond by discussing with others as they themselves are watching how others live. The show may also give a sense of escapism as the audience get to watch someone else's life in the happening. Therefore a media text can gain multiple responses as it fulfils multiple needs. 

Situated Culture >>> Another text that may give a sense of escapism is the film The Avengers as the film is set in a different World with superheroes, etc. The film also uses a lot of CGI and relies on that, the use of CGI and other special effects give the audience a new cinematic experience, an aesthetic sensation. In the right environment the audience would take a Preferred Reading and enjoy the movie as a spectacle - however a negotiated reading might be taken if the film were experienced on a small screen and if the viewer were constantly distracted.

The video game Call Of Duty would cause audiences to respond by interacting as the audience themselves are the ones in control of essentially what happens. However some audiences would take a oppositional reading and have a negative response, for example gender can play a part with the game itself being based around a male audience with the choice of players being male. A male audience would be able to personally identify with the game as they share the same gender as the players involved and they may look up to them etc. Also the actual sport the game is about is stereotypically male. But a female audience to take a oppositional reading as the game itself has been encoded for a male audience and the sport is stereotypically male.