Media audiences

Whether we are watching TV, surfing the Internet, listening to our iPods, or reading a novel, we are all engaged with media as a member of an audience. Despite the widespread use of this term in our popular culture, the meaning of the "audience" is complex, and it has undergone significant historical shifts as new forms of mediated communication have developed from print, telegraphy, and radio to film, television, and the Internet. Media Audiences explores the concept of media audiences from four broad perspectives: as "victims" of mass media, as market constructions & commodities, as users of media, and as producers & subcultures of mass media. The goal of the text is for students to be able to think critically about the role and status of media audiences in contemporary society, reflecting on their relative power in relation to institutional media producers.1. History and Concept of the Audience PART I. AUDIENCES AS OBJECTS 2. Effects of Media Messages PART II. AUDIENCES AS INSTITUTIONAL CONSTRUCTIONS 3. Public Opinion and Audience Citizenship 4. Media Ratings and Target Marketing PART III. AUDIENCES AS ACTIVE USERS OF MEDIA 5. Uses and Gratifications 6. Interpreting and Decoding Mass Media Texts 7. Reception Contexts & Media Rituals PART IV. AUDIENCES AS PRODUCERS AND SUBCULTURES 8. Media Fandom and Audience Subcultures 9. Online, Interactive Audiences in a Digital Media World 10. Conclusion: Audience Agency in New Contexts