People receive messages mainly from a large variety of medias, as audiences they are consuming their service through media appliances. According to Fischoff, people will consume, including buy, rend lease or steal media for two reasons, which is to be informed and to be entertained . As the general education level increases, audiences have more expectation on what media can offer them, there will not only be one-way communication from media to audiences, the action audiences would like to voice back and influence media are named “active audiences.” Traudt suggested that, audiences nowadays are more unique and they will bring a personal set of scale and filters to experience the media. And this scale and filets are based on audiences’ prior life experiences .
Table of Contents
1. Definition of Active Audiences
2. Traditional vs. Active Audience Roles
3. Impact of Technology and Online Media
4. Shift in Power and Participation
5. Characteristics of the Active Audience Member
6. Uses and Gratification Theory
7. Conclusion on Media Participation
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the evolving definition of "active audiences" within the context of modern media consumption, shifting from traditional passive reception toward active, participatory communication. It analyzes how digital platforms and new media technologies empower audiences to influence media content, express personal viewpoints, and assume roles traditionally reserved for journalists or content producers.
- Transformation of audience roles in the era of Web 2.0.
- Impact of digital platforms on the power dynamic between producers and consumers.
- Application of the Uses and Gratification model to modern media usage.
- The role of social media and online networking in citizenship journalism.
- Challenges and censorship in the landscape of new media transformation.
Excerpt from the Book
What does it mean to say the audience is “active”?
In recent decades, they appearance of social networking changed a lot of how message receivers responses. They are taking up an active role in the communication process. Most people owning their online identity and most of them are account registered for commenting or responding to what is announced online and exchanging ideas. With the identity, they are no longer simply audiences but also registered people to say whatever his/her point of view in the online world, or sometimes can even do it anonymously.
And the concept Nightingale suggested is that the Internet also has begun to shift the balance of power between media producers and consumers. With the increase in participation level, the main role shifted from the news publisher to the audiences. Online classified advertisements may prove significant, but they are generated from within the traditional print media system and continue to play second fiddle to the newspapers whose existence they permit, according to Allan. Some news agency and television channels will then shifting their business to online or compatible to mobile devices to keep their audiences.
Summary of Chapters
1. Definition of Active Audiences: Defines the concept of active audiences as those who go beyond one-way communication to voice back and influence media using personal filters.
2. Traditional vs. Active Audience Roles: Contrasts the passive role of traditional message receivers with the modern requirement for audience engagement and feedback.
3. Impact of Technology and Online Media: Explores how digital tools and the Internet enable audiences to respond to media content in real-time using various electronic devices.
4. Shift in Power and Participation: Discusses how increased participation shifts power from traditional news publishers to consumers, who now frequently act as "second-hand" reporters.
5. Characteristics of the Active Audience Member: Describes how modern active audience members adopt traits of the classical liberal democratic citizen to voice opinions and challenge established media narratives.
6. Uses and Gratification Theory: Applies the Uses and Gratification model to explain how audiences actively seek out media to satisfy needs for diversion, relationships, identity, and surveillance.
7. Conclusion on Media Participation: Summarizes that technological advancements have transformed the audience into participants, emphasizing the importance of two-way communication.
Keywords
Active Audiences, Media Psychology, Web 2.0, Communication Process, Uses and Gratification, Digital Media, Social Networking, Citizenship Journalism, Audience Participation, Media Consumption, Information Flow, Consumerism, Content Producers, Audience Agency, New Media
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the definition and changing nature of "active audiences," specifically looking at how they transition from passive receivers of information to active participants in the media landscape.
What are the primary themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include the shift in power between media producers and consumers, the influence of social media on news reporting, and the behavioral changes of audiences in the age of the Internet.
What is the central research question or objective?
The main objective is to define what it means for an audience to be "active" and to analyze how modern communication patterns allow audiences to influence or even challenge mainstream media content.
Which scientific theories or models are used?
The paper utilizes the "Uses and Gratification" model to explain why audiences engage with media, alongside concepts regarding distributional power and the role of the modern citizen-consumer.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the evolution of audience roles through social networking, the impact of digital technology, the rise of citizenship journalism, and the theoretical framework of audience engagement.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Active Audiences, Web 2.0, Audience Participation, Media Psychology, and Uses and Gratification.
How does the author define the "active audience" in the context of Web 2.0?
The author defines active audiences as users who do not merely consume content but engage with it by adding personal opinions, re-tweeting, or using online platforms to express views that might be ignored by traditional media.
What role do social media platforms like Twitter or Weibo play according to the text?
These platforms allow users to act as "second-hand reporters" who re-contextualize news with their own personal interpretations and share it within their own social networks, thereby changing the flow of information.
What challenge do "big media" and governments face regarding new media?
The text suggests that because the influence of new media is poorly understood by authorities, there is a recurring tendency to implement censorship or limitations to control the transformation of mediated life.
- Quote paper
- Joyce Ho (Author), 2011, What does it mean to say the audience is “active”?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/198787
