Audience Theory

Uses and Gratification Theory

Bulmer and Katz

Entertainment and Diversion = escapism
Personal companion - media is a friend, caring about the cast or a pop star.
Personal identity = how do I fit in? Who am I?
surveillance =finding out what is happening in the world

Cultivation Theory

Gerbner and Gross (1975)

Audiences consume media and gradually develop views about the media and gradually develop views about the world, some of which are false.
Impacts on the audiences understanding of representation - gender, sexuality, young people and ethnic groups.

Reception Analysis 

Hall (1980)
Audiences make sense of media texts, according to your social position (gender, age, class, ethnic background)

Copycat or Modelling Theory

Coleman (2004)
 Audiences are influenced by the media texts that they consume.
More of an assumption used by a journalist to explain and individuals negative behavior.

Long Tail Theory

Anderson (2006)

This theory describes how the internet has influenced audience consumption

Since broadband was introduced, these impacts have been most prominent.

The head is one shop that has 50 customers. The long tail is 50 websites that each have one customer.