Monday, 21 May 2012
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
How Audiences Respond to Media Products
The Hypodermic Needle Model:
Dating
from the 1920s, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences
might react to mass media.The audience receive an intravenous injection of a
media text, either positive or negative and are stimulated into a response.
The
Inoculation Model:
This
theory suggests that the long-term exposure to repeated media messages makes
audiences immune to them.The audience is desensitised by the media text and can
no longer be shocked by it. Someone sensitised is more likely to commit a
violent act as it is not seen as an extraordinary action. Again, the audience
is seen as passive.
The
Two-Step Flow Model:
It was found that individual views were most
affected by opinion leaders who played a key role ini the communication
process, filtering the process. Opinion leaders tend to be someone the
individual trusts e.g parents or siblings. This is semi-passive.
Uses &
Gratifications Theory
During
the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grown ups,
it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices
about what they did when consuming media texts.
Far
from being a passive mass, audiences were made up of individuals who actively
consumed media texts for different reasons and in different ways. Move away
from what media does to people and think of what people do with media.
Researchers
Blulmer and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating
that individuals might choose and use a media text for the following purposes:
- InformationPersonal Identity
- Integration and Social Interaction
- Entertainment
Information:
- finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world
- seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices
- satisfying curiosity and general interest
- learning; self-education
- gaining a sense of security through knowledge
Personal Identity:
- finding reinforcement for personal values
- finding models of behaviour
- identifying with valued other (in the media)
- gaining insight into one's self
Integration and Social Interaction:
- gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy
- identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging
- finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
- having a substitute for real-life companionship
- helping to carry out social roles
- enabling one to connect with family, friends and society
Entertainment:
- Fantasy, escaping, or being diverted, from problems
- Relaxing
- Filling time
- Emotional release
- Sexual Arouse
Monday, 28 November 2011
Defining Audiences
Quantitative Research
Qualitative research is a set of methods, techniques and approaches that attempts to arrive at an in-depth understanding of an issue, often in a real-life setting and without constraints imposed by standardized and controlled methods used in quantitative research. Qualitative research analyzes unstructured data that consist of notes, audio and video recordings, written texts, images and objects.
Social sciences, marketing and political research use qualitative methods to explore new topics, understand reasons for behavior and people's values, beliefs, thought processes and subconscious dynamics.
Qualitative researchers use a variety of research models and various approaches. The most popular approaches are: ethnography (study of culture, often by observation), phenomenology (which focuses on subjective experience) and grounded theory (a dynamic approach that focuses on development of theory from participant observation data). All those approaches may employ more than one form of data collection.
Participant Observation:
Participant observation is the main method of qualitative research, especially common in sociology, ethnography, anthropology and derived disciplines. The level of participation varies. In some instances, the researcher stays on the margin and attempts to be as unobtrusive as possible; in other studies the researcher actually joins in the activities. Participant observation has roots in ethnography, and it differs from other research forms as it approaches the subjects in the natural environment rather than putting them in an environment constructed by the researcher. The researchers take notes and sometimes recordings of their observations.
In-Depth Interviews:In-depth interviews use a semi-structured guide to lead the interviewing process. The answers are usually audio and sometimes video-recorded, and the interviewer is an active and important part of the process. The questions are flexible and adjusted to the specific respondent. In-depth interviewers often use additional techniques, such as laddering or methods derived from clinical interviews to obtain credible and in-depth answers. In-depth interviews are commonly used in social sciences as well as market research.
Focus Group Interviews:Focus groups consist of a small number of respondents, usually between eight and 12, interviewed as a group. The interview is conducted by a trained researcher called the moderator, whose role is to guide and facilitate the conversation using a prepared guide and any stimulus material that might be appropriate to the topic. The focus group is usually recorded, and sometimes other researchers and clients can observe the discussion from behind a one-way mirror or via a video link.
Focus groups are among the most common and best-known forms of qualitative research. Market and opinion researchers use this method frequently, as it is faster and allows for a greater variety of respondents to be interviewed than individual interviews.
Case Studies:Case studies are both a higher-level approach and a specific method of data collection and analysis. Case studies concentrate on a detailed, comprehensive analysis of individuals, groups or organizations in real-life situations. Researchers who perform case studies use many data collection methods and multiple sources but concentrate on a single or a limited number of cases. Case studies are not representative but afford a depth of insight that few other forms of research can provide.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research seeks out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, open ended survey responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos and videos. It doesn’t just rely on statistics or numbers, which are the domain of quantitative researchers.
Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviours, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. It’s used to inform business decisions, policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used, but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material, including customer feedback forms, reports or media clips.
Collecting and analyzing this unstructured information can be messy and time consuming using manual methods. When faced with volumes of materials, finding themes and extracting meaning can be a daunting task.
Audience Profiling
Audience profiling includes finding out the profile of your audience before hand so that you can put across your message to the right people in the most effective way to produce the best result. It might include details like age, sex, educational qualification, work experience, financial background, field of work, interests, mood, orientation, bias, food habits, religious background, psysique, health condition etc.
Qualitative research is a set of methods, techniques and approaches that attempts to arrive at an in-depth understanding of an issue, often in a real-life setting and without constraints imposed by standardized and controlled methods used in quantitative research. Qualitative research analyzes unstructured data that consist of notes, audio and video recordings, written texts, images and objects.
Social sciences, marketing and political research use qualitative methods to explore new topics, understand reasons for behavior and people's values, beliefs, thought processes and subconscious dynamics.
Qualitative researchers use a variety of research models and various approaches. The most popular approaches are: ethnography (study of culture, often by observation), phenomenology (which focuses on subjective experience) and grounded theory (a dynamic approach that focuses on development of theory from participant observation data). All those approaches may employ more than one form of data collection.
Participant Observation:
Participant observation is the main method of qualitative research, especially common in sociology, ethnography, anthropology and derived disciplines. The level of participation varies. In some instances, the researcher stays on the margin and attempts to be as unobtrusive as possible; in other studies the researcher actually joins in the activities. Participant observation has roots in ethnography, and it differs from other research forms as it approaches the subjects in the natural environment rather than putting them in an environment constructed by the researcher. The researchers take notes and sometimes recordings of their observations.
In-Depth Interviews:In-depth interviews use a semi-structured guide to lead the interviewing process. The answers are usually audio and sometimes video-recorded, and the interviewer is an active and important part of the process. The questions are flexible and adjusted to the specific respondent. In-depth interviewers often use additional techniques, such as laddering or methods derived from clinical interviews to obtain credible and in-depth answers. In-depth interviews are commonly used in social sciences as well as market research.
Focus Group Interviews:Focus groups consist of a small number of respondents, usually between eight and 12, interviewed as a group. The interview is conducted by a trained researcher called the moderator, whose role is to guide and facilitate the conversation using a prepared guide and any stimulus material that might be appropriate to the topic. The focus group is usually recorded, and sometimes other researchers and clients can observe the discussion from behind a one-way mirror or via a video link.
Focus groups are among the most common and best-known forms of qualitative research. Market and opinion researchers use this method frequently, as it is faster and allows for a greater variety of respondents to be interviewed than individual interviews.
Case Studies:Case studies are both a higher-level approach and a specific method of data collection and analysis. Case studies concentrate on a detailed, comprehensive analysis of individuals, groups or organizations in real-life situations. Researchers who perform case studies use many data collection methods and multiple sources but concentrate on a single or a limited number of cases. Case studies are not representative but afford a depth of insight that few other forms of research can provide.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research seeks out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, open ended survey responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos and videos. It doesn’t just rely on statistics or numbers, which are the domain of quantitative researchers.
Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviours, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. It’s used to inform business decisions, policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used, but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material, including customer feedback forms, reports or media clips.
Collecting and analyzing this unstructured information can be messy and time consuming using manual methods. When faced with volumes of materials, finding themes and extracting meaning can be a daunting task.
Audience Profiling
Audience profiling includes finding out the profile of your audience before hand so that you can put across your message to the right people in the most effective way to produce the best result. It might include details like age, sex, educational qualification, work experience, financial background, field of work, interests, mood, orientation, bias, food habits, religious background, psysique, health condition etc.
Audience Profiling - Demographics
A common and traditional method of audience profiling is known as demographics. This defines the adult population largely by the work that they do.
It breaks the population down into 6 groups, and labels them by using a letter code to describe the income and status of the members of each group.
Audience Profiling - Psychographics
This is a way of describing an audience by looking at their behaviour and personality traits. Psychographics labels a particular type of person and makes an assessment about their viewing and spending habits.
The advertising agency Young and Rubican invented a successful psychographic profile known as their 4C’s Marketing Model stand
The advertising agency Young and Rubican invented a successful psychographic profile known as their 4C’s Marketing Model stand
Cross Cultural Consumer Characterisation.
They put the audience into groups with labels that suggest their position in society.
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