Audience Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory
* Created in the 1920's
* Everyone receives texts in the same way
* Audience = passive
Culmination Theory
* Similar to hypodermic needle theory
* Suggests influencing takes place over years, not instantly
Two Step Flow
* The text is filtered through opinion leaders
* The audience will receive the texts with the opinion leaders bias
Uses and Gratifications
* Created in the 1060's
* Audience consume in different ways for their own benefit
* Uses include surveillance, correlation, entertainment and cultural transmission
Obstinate Audience Theory/ Reception Analysis
* Similar to Uses and Gratifications
* There is a transactional communication between audience and media
* Audience help themselves put meaning to the text
* The audience selects which message to absorb
Reception Theory:
* By using expected conventions producers can place audiences where they like
* This is known as preferred reading