ALL MEDIA IS CONSTRUCTED WITH A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE

ALL MEDIA IS CONSTRUCTED WITH A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE IN MIND and AUDIENCES INTEPRET MEDIA Essential Questions: How are target audiences determined? Who receives a media message, and what sense do they make of it? To what degree does a person’s experience or background influence their interpretation of a media message? Sources for this module: http: //www. medialit. org/readingroom/keyarticles/skillsandstrat. htm http: //www. ci. appstate. edu/programs/edmedia/medialit/ml_adolescents 2. html http: //cehd. ewu. edu/fculty/ntodd/EDUC 538 Julie. html

Media is Constructed for Audiences Overview of Concepts Covered Part 1: Media is Constructed for Audiences • The creation of TV is a collaboration between a lot of people including YOU. • Before a show is produced, much research is done on the population for whom the program is being created. • The history of mass audience has evolved into thinking of people in terms of “target audiences. ” • Target audiences can be identified using the following audience segmentation strategies: n. Geographic Segmentation n. Demographic Segmentation n. Social Class n. Geodemographics n. Psychographics Part 2: Audiences Interpret Media • Meaning does not reside in the media “text” or message. • Individual background, experiences and perspectives influence how media messages are received and understood • Audiences negotiate meaning • Different people experience the same media messages differently • Media conglomerates exist so their subsidiary companies can reach MANY specific audiences and needs within society. Some concepts covered in this module are from the following sourceshttp: //www. medialit. org/Reading. Room/keyarticles/skillsandstrat. htm http: //www. ci. appstate. edu/programs/edmedia/medialit/ml_adolescents 2. html http: //cehd. ewu. edu/faculty/ntodd/EDUC 538 Julie. html

Media is Constructed for Audiences Before Collaboration there is Research, Research: The Genesis of Marketing n In the beginning…media was constructed with the highest quality content available, expecting that the people would want “the best. ” n But it wasn’t that simple. What providers soon found is that different groups of people wanted different ranges and types of products at different times. n Now media is created first with a focus on audiences and much research is done to determine what they want. Then products are developed to fill the audience’s specific desires.

Media is Constructed for Audiences The History of “Audience” n Mass audience – Several decades ago, marketers didn’t discern between different groups of people. They thought all people were part of a “mass audience. ” – Myth: In order for an audience to be a “mass audience” it must have four characteristics: • It must be composed of a heterogeneous group of people (all kinds, excluding no one). • The members of the “mass” must be anonymous. The markets don’t care to get to know their audience because everyone is the same, totally interchangeable with one another. • There is no interaction between the people. There is no discussion or interpretation between peoples about media messages. • There is no one leader to the mass. n Clearly audiences do not embody these characteristics. The idea of “mass audience” was naive. Markets quickly got smarter about the idea of “audience. ”

Media is Constructed for Audiences You Say You Want A Revolution: Rejecting the idea of “Mass Audience” n In the 1950’s the idea of “mass audience” was revolutionized. Marketers found that people interacted differently with entertainment and media at different ages, in different parts of the country, with different socio-economic statuses. n It became understood that media behavior was (and still is) directly tied to and integrated with social behavior. n Now marketers divide populations into meaningful groups and they “target” their products to the groups they think are most likely to buy it, use it or watch it

Media is Constructed for Audiences Target Audiences n All media produce content directed at certain target audiences. They create it, get the word out about it, and then wait for the audience to come. n Once the audience is there, the media outlet can sell the specific “eyeballs” they have to advertisers looking to get a message out to that “target” audience.

Media is Constructed for Audiences Audience Segmentation n Audiences are segmented in different ways. Each of us is a member of many target audiences. Groupings are usually done in one of 5 ways: – – – Geographic Segmentation Demographic Segmentation Social Class Geodemographics Psychographics

Geographic Segmentation Media is Constructed for Audiences n This is the oldest form of grouping people. People are segmented according to where they live. This happens to be the most important way of targeting an audience for newspapers and local TV. n But geographic segmentation becomes more and more obsolete as the country becomes more homogenized.

Demographic Segmentation Media is Constructed for Audiences n Demographics focuses on grouping people by their personal statistics – like age, income, educational level, etc. n This is a very widely used way of classifying people into groupings because once you are in “group” it’s relatively hard to get out. n Once a media company has “tagged” a group, targeting people is easy.

Media is Constructed for Audiences Social Class Segmentation n Social Class is a mix of both income and psychology and can tell marketers what a group values n For example, marketers know that “middle class” people see value in deferred gratification, investments and a lifetime of hard work; thus they can target products and services accordingly to the bunch.

Media is Constructed for Audiences Geodemographic Segmentation n Geodemographics is exactly what it sounds like – a mix between the geographic and demographic way of sorting people. n It is primarily based on the idea that ‘birds of a feather flock together. ’ In other words, we choose to live and work with people like ourselves. n Marketers can target an entire location based upon what they know about their general interests and values.

Psychographic Segmentation Media is Constructed for Audiences n This is the most current way of grouping peoples. It gathers as much information on people as possible and then groups them accordingly to high percentages of similar information. n Psychographic segmentation schemes us information like demographics, lifestyle, product-usage, generational trends, locale, etc.

Media is Constructed for Audiences Diversify, Diversify! n This is precisely why media conglomerates exist. n Media companies no longer strive to be the “best” newspaper, magazine, website or TV channel ever. They buy and own multiple companies (and become conglomerates) so they can compete to have the largest amounts of small “groups” of people. In other words, so they can compete to sell the most ads and make the most money.

Media is Constructed for Audiences TV: The Rating System n TV Stations and advertisers use ratings information to gauge how many people are watching a program. The higher the rating, the more people are watching, the more an advertiser will want to buy time during that show and the more the network can charge for the ad buy. n Revenue, quite simply, is the most important thing to media companies. Thus, they rely heavily on knowing where their shows stand via ratings. Nielson Media Research has been giving TV networks ratings information since the dawn of television. To understand how Nielson gathers their data to end up with a ratings number, check out their very user friendly site at http: //www. nielsenmedia. com/ They also have some terrific information available in their “Reports Available to the Public” area. This site is also a great classroom resource. As you may have noticed on the Nielson site, they cannot list TV ratings because it might compromise their research. Entertainment trades (publications that report on the industry) regularly list television ratings. http: //www. canoe. ca/Television. Ratings/us. html

Media is Constructed for Audiences Targeting an Audience Ratings show HOW many people are watching a program, but WHO is watching is also an imperative question for advertisers. Networks try to make that simple. Specifically cable television networks. Some of MTV Networks’ channel demographics are roughly described here to show different age groups are targeted. The philosophy is that there is a channel for you at every age. In essence, you could (and they would like you to) stick with them throughout the better part of your life. Network Age Targeted Nick Jr. 2 -5 year olds Nickelodeon 6 -12 year olds MTV 13 -25 year olds VH 1 25 -40 year olds Nick-at-Nite 40 -60 year olds

Media is Constructed for Audiences Now… what was that again? n Media producers know that before creating any content, they need to research groups so they can create a product that will attract a certain type of person. n Once the right type of people are receiving the media, (once the audience is intact) the content providers can sell access to the people. They sell the access to advertisers representing products they hope to sell to that specific group. Keep in mind that all media (especially “new media” and educational media), may not be trying to “sell” a product per se. Instead, they may be trying to convince you of an idea or perspective. This is especially important for young people as they become producers of media. Even though they may not be selling a product, they still need to determine who their audience is and how they are going to communicate their message appropriately to their audience.

Part II: Audiences Interpret Media n n Meaning does not reside in books, TV, movies, newspapers or computers. The meanings that readers and viewers take away from media text or viewing experience depend in part on their background and experiences, both as individuals and members of particular groups Meaning is a product of the interaction between text and audience. Understanding how audiences negotiate meaning is one of the most significant, central and legitimate principles of media literacy. A media literate person is aware of his or her own subjective response to a particular media artifact, and what its sources might be. He or she can also speculate about how and why others might have different interpretations based on their experiences and cultural differences.

Audiences Interpret Media Situational Elements n n n Did you ever listen to a particular song and associate it with perhaps a certain event or person in your life. Consider how the meaning of the song may change for you, if you constantly hear it associated with an advertisement, a sitcom or a popular scene in a movie. How can this idea be applied in your classroom? n Audiences interpret meaning based on situational elements such as geography, culture, age, class, gender, time of day, and the context in which they interact with the medium. Various media forms resonate in different ways, depending upon the experiences, values and knowledge that (youth) audiences bring to it. Although audiences differ in their perceptions, understandings and reactions to media, the key to media literacy is to educate them to be aware of their own subjectivity as well as the subjectivity of other audiences. For example: People may watch the same movie or listen to the same song on the radio but each will have very different experiences and perspectives. An individual's age, socio-economic background, education and other life experiences affect the interpretation of every media message.

Audiences Interpret Media Making Sense n Though we may not be conscious of it, everyone’s mind – even very young children -- work to "make sense" of what we see, hear or read. n Research indicates that, over time, children of all ages can learn ageappropriate skills that give them a new set of glasses with which they can "read" their media culture.

Audiences Interpret Media Constructing Meaning Remember the grid from Week One? n The PROTECTIONIST perspective, largely focuses upon what the media DOES TO young people, when in fact, there are important questions to be asked about what young people DO WITH media n Gender, class and socio-economic differences are active variables shaping the way young people interact with talk about and think about a variety of media. It goes beyond the belief that meaning is fixed and contained within the distributed media message. Young people are "active constructors of meaning, ” not passive receivers. n Media can be deliberately manipulative, however, young people are not simply passive viewers “surrendering to the images and ideology of the screen. ” While young people may well be affected by media messages, anyone who has ever interviewed a group of teens or simply listened while they discussed movies, music, TV or video games, knows that they react to it and process it in quite different ways.

Relevant Articles n This June 2001 article, is a great illustration of how shows attract certain aged viewers. http: //www. tvinsite. com/broadcastingcable/inde x. asp? layout=story&article. Id=CA 89637&stt=001 &display=search. Results®opt=logout *Access to the article is free, but you may have to register on the site to view it. n A chilling look at how scientifically market researchers go about targeting kids. http: //www. digitrends. net/marketing/13637_13 266. html It is imperative to understand that in the world of media, it is people -specifically their eyes and ears -that are the sought commodity. People are constantly for sale.

What’s Next? The more questions we can ask about what we are experiencing around us, the more alert we can be about accepting or rejecting messages. To look is one thing, To see what you look at is another, To understand what you see is a third, To learn from what you understand is still something else: To act on what you learn is all that matters. TAOIST SAYING Refer to your toolkit for the weekly assignment, and be prepared to answer the weekly questions posted by your instructor.