Audiences - Responses

How does the same media text attract a range of different audience responses? Refer to your own detailed examples.

The Uses and gratifications model tells us that their are 4 reasons why a audience would want to consume a text. These 4 reasons are Personal Identification, Information, Entertainment/Escapism and Social Interaction. So this tells us that the responses to a text will be based upon these appeals. This shows media texts to appeal to several levels, firstly for complete entertainment, so an audience can escape from their own lives for a short period, or an audience may consume a media text for the purpose of socially interacting, to be able to talk about it amongst friends or on social media etc, or an audience may even consume a media text in order to personally identify with an relate it to their own lives, and finally an audience may consume a media text in order to find information from it such as facts.

In a media text such as HBO's extremely successful, yet controversial TV show of Game Of Thrones, a audience can respond in multiple ways, due to it fulfilling multiple needs. Game Of Thrones can appeal to audiences need to escape, into the rich, wide and detailed world it offers, or it can also appeal to the audiences need to socially interact, with its intertwining detailed story lines, shocking moments, and open ended theories, the TV show is left open to debate and this can be a major appeal to this type of media but also allows for various responses.

With quite a known audience response of being controversial, Game of Thrones can be considered to consist of the idea of Situated Culture. Different things can affect how an audience responds to a text. For example who the audience are with such as family and friends can affect a audiences response as Game Of Thrones can contain scenes that some members of the audience may not find suitable in certain circumstances such as with their parents etc. Also where the audience are when consuming a media text can affect their response. For example their location when they consume the text may alter their response and viewing experience as they may take a more preferred reading if consuming the text in better conditions such as surround sound, or on the big screen such as the cinema, or may take a more op-positional or negotiated reading if consuming on a small screen, or bad quality etc.

In other media texts such as the anticipated video game of The Division, the idea of a audiences cultural experience can come into consideration and attract a range of responses. A audiences culture such as their upbringing, beliefs and experiences can change how they read and respond to a text. For example in the video game of The Division, the world takes place in a post apocalyptic iconic New York city, with iconic locations such as Broadway. This can alter how an audience will respond to a text such as The Division through the audience recognising and appealing to iconic or familiar locations, but also attracts a range of responses depending upon the audiences cultural experience.

The action/comedy film, The Interview uses the use of ideologies and offensive humour that can alter a audiences response, depending on their reading they take. Many audience members may take a more oppositional reading as they understand the remarks and jokes being presented, but do not find humour and entertainment out of it, rather than the preferred reading of the encoders where the offensive humour is meant as purely jokes to create entertainment. Also some audience members may take a negotiated reading, where they do not take the preferred reading, but more because they misunderstood the remarks intended. Therefore a media text may attract a range of responses, depending upon their readings.