Audiences.
It’s my firm belief that the audience is the most integral part of making media. Media is all about communicating so I believe it’s the media’s job unto their audience to create relevant content and to engage their audience. After all, it’s the audience that gives them the opportunity to roll in cash.
I’ve always found the idea of passive and active audiences very interesting. Mostly because it’s interesting to see how the media affects them. Nowadays, audiences are more active – they don’t always believe what they see on television or what is written in bold letters across a Facebook newsfeed and, thanks to social media, are given platforms to voice their opinions in ways that weren’t available beforehand.
Media is powerful – it is one of the most dangerous tools that humans have created. Their are many theories surrounding how much power the media has over an audience. In my personal opinion, I believe there are constant shifts in the power the audience has over the media and the power that media has over the audience. Brian provided this quote for us to dwell on:
The question is how texts … establish relations with their readers as well as representations of whatever their subject matter might be. (JOHN HARTLEY 1999: 493)
I think, in creating media for a mass audience, that it’s important to consider what you’re reflecting and what it means to the audience. My favourite part of government regulation laws is that Australian content is encouraged to be produced and broadcasted by television networks. What would the point of Australian television be if it didn’t reflect Australian culture and people. The media can have negative effects, sure, but it’s also a method in which people relate to one another.