In one of this week’s readings (Jay Rosen (2006),’The People Formerly Known as the Audience’, PressThink blog, June 27), I was introduced to the idea that the audience of media texts have developed over time and are now not an audience at all as they engage in  creating media themselves. Rosen writes that ‘The people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way … and who today are not in a situation like that at all‘. The introduction of blogs has extended the freedom of the press to more actors, and the use of podcasting means all can be involved in radio. Shooting, editing and distributing, which once belonged only to the big media, is now available in our hands as technology has evolved immensely.

This piece asserts that the audience is now extremely active and is no longer content just watching or listening to media, bit wants to be involved in creating and forming its own. Although now 9 years old, this piece makes a good point: with the progression of social media and other advances in things like Apple technology, audiences can make their own news and circulate their own opinions/messages through media. The audience is well and truly active in learning, and I for one think this is a positive as our eyes are opened to the many views and possibilities around the world.