Audience Responses

There are several different categories that define how an audience can respond to media, both of film and print variety. The audience responding differently all relies on a large number of factors, including content, imagery and text, and their interests, location, cultural heritage and age can influence the way they respond. Preferred Reading Preferred reading is defined as when the consumer of the media product can understand and agree with the message that is being put across. Usually this category can apply to people who are devoted to the particular product, such as being regular readers of a magazine and can therefore follow the magazines mindset. For example, readers of a mens health magazine such as Mens Fitness would typically agree that the information contained inside is correct and accurate, and would follow the tips/advice themselves to show that they understand and support the content. For women, magazines such as Take a Break contain lifestyle stories that entice women, who would most likely read and enjoy them, making it preferred reading the unique and interesting stories Negotiated Reading Negotiated reading is where a consumer understands and accepts the content to a degree but challenges some aspects of it, most of the time so that the message put forward can accommodate their own beliefs, views and lifestyle. Usually, this category is seen in action when someone of a distinct faith, background or position reads an article and finds it to be incompatible with their current lifestyle. A quick example would be that of an article claiming that animals slaughtered using the Halal method are killed inhumanely, yet Muslims would challenge this as they are not permitted to eat meat that is not Halal. A typical resolution would be that of, I will still eat Halal meat, but will reduce my intake. Another example is of a common trend in the Daily Mail of some mundane things being able to cause cancer, such as mobile phone masts. A negotiated example of this could be I wont stop living near the mast, but I will use my phone less often. Oppositional Reading Oppositional reading is the exact opposite of Preferred reading where the audience disagrees with the points put across as they do not see the content in the way the publisher intended. This can mean such things as seeing a glamorous woman on the cover of a mens magazine and concluding that she is over sexualised and taken advantage of, perhaps ignoring the idea that she might have voluntarily stripped off and done the photo-shoot.

This category can be seen when media is consumed by someone who might not be part of the intended audience, such as a woman reading an FHM magazine, which is mainly marketed towards males. Participatory Participatory media is a category that defines material where the fan base/audience can interact with the media itself to influence or direct it. Such examples of this are the TV music talent show The X-Factor, which offers a phone-in service where fans can call and vote for different contestants, therefore influencing the entire direction of the programme and its outcome. Over the past few years participatory media has seen a sharp rise thanks to the growing popularity of social networking like Facebook and Twitter, allowing fans to directly be in contact with the media producers. Another example of participatory media is the Wikia software that has grown in popularity thanks to the rise of Wikipedia. Wikia is a network that allows anyone to create a Wiki, which acts like an encyclopaedia that anybody can edit. Wikis come with tools to create articles and fill them with content, and they can be based around almost anything, from films, to books, to video games, to anything else such as cooking or lifestyle. Cultural Competence Cultural competence is defined as the understanding that an audience shares, meaning that they are able to recognize certain things in a way that another audience might not. To have media succeed in its intended audience, it is important that the content must adhere to that particular culture, such as language, visual interpretations and symbols. For example, the Delta symbol () can appear as just a triangle to us, but to Greek people, it is part of their alphabet. We only see it as a triangle because the English alphabet does not have such a symbol. Another example of competence is looking at the McDonalds logo, the famous yellow arches. To most of the world, it is an instantly recognizable logo, as the fast food chain has restaurants in hundreds of countries. However, if it was to be shown to someone who lives in a country with none of the restaurants, they would not instantly recognize the logo unlike most people. Fan Culture Fan culture is where the fan base of media brands takes an active role in discussing and creating original content based around it. The content can range from many things, and include shirts, fiction, pictures, artwork, even things such as fan-made video games and animations. A very prominent example of an active fan base is the My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic fandom, who refers to themselves as Bronies. This group of people is infamous for being very devoted to the original source, and as such they hold the record for some of the most impressive original works. An example of this is one fan fiction entitled Fallout: Equestria, which is actually one of the longest printed works ever.

Another example of a prominent fandom is the Star Trek fan base who are known as Trekkies. Although the show ended many years ago this group of people are still very loyal to the show and often hold conventions where they can meet with other fans from around the world.