Audience Effects Theory

1) Write a definition of a passive audience: 

Passive audience is when the audience consumes a media product passively and take the information in and has the same effect on everyone.

2) Write a definition of an active audience: 

Active audience is when the audience consume a media product and make their own opinion about it. 

3) Write a definition of the hypodermic needle theory: 

Hypodermic needle is a theory that the audiences are always passive and will always take in the information and take the intended message from the producers. 

4) Write down a media product (e.g. TV show, newspaper or videogame) for each category of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory and WHY it fits that particular audience use/gratification. The first one is done for you: 

INFORMATION/SURVEILLANCE: The Times newspaper
 > Why: It tells audiences important information about politics, the world and more.

PERSONAL IDENTITY: Spiderman
 > Why: It relates to people who go to school or university. 

DIVERSION/ENTERTAINMENT:  Stranger Things
 > Why: It allows the audiences to escape reality and enter the fictional world and entertains them.

RELATIONSHIPS: Avengers endgame 

> Why: People might care about what happens to the long-standing-characters and what might happen to them in the future. 

5) Re-watch the clip from Blue Planet above and write a paragraph analysing how elements of the clip offer the audience pleasures or gratifications (use media terminology from Uses and Gratifications theory and the 3 Vs - notes outlined above). 

The information we learn from this clip from Blue Planet is the sea life. The ocean is also full of surprises which makes the audience feel entertain as they uncover the mysteries of the ocean. There is also a lot of voyeuristic pleasure which makes the audience feel like they are within the ocean. In this clip, there is visceral pleasure too because the clip makes you feel excited and thrilled for Blue planet 2.