Audiences

What this unit covers

This page collects resources on how audiences are defined, studied and understood. Many are tagged for A-level Media Studies, with others mentioning GCSE Media Studies and A-level Film Studies. The mind maps make up most of the page, backed by flashcard decks, slides, notes and a few quizzes.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Media: Audience. It explains demographic categories, the groups people are placed in by factors they cannot change, such as gender. Then open the AUDIENCE mind map, which links uses and gratifications, Dyer's star theory, active and passive audiences and target audience in one place.

Theories to learn next

• Stuart Hall: the mind map on music videos explains encoding by the producer and how audiences read a text.
• Richard Dyer: the star theory map argues that stars are constructed by institutions.
• Active and passive audiences: the Active Audience Theory deck covers characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, plus the uses and gratifications model.
• Audience research: the Audience Research mind map looks at BARB, questionnaires and focus groups.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. The Audience Types and Theory quiz asks about niche audiences and how many readings Hall argues are possible. Keep a note of the questions you miss, go back to the matching map, and try again. The Audience Theory flashcards are handy for names such as Bandura, Jenkins, Adorno, Cohen and Maslow.

Some resources apply the ideas to real texts, such as the flashcards on audience pleasures in Citizen Khan and How I Met Your Mother. These show how to turn theory into exam answers.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the strand Media Language, Representation and Audiences in Media studies. It pairs well with the representation material in the same strand.

Pick one map today, then make your own flashcards from it.