The week 9 lectorial on Audiences was really interesting to me as ‘The Audience’ is the group assignment topic I am currently covering. I loved hearing Brian’s insights and ideas about who and what an Audience may be and how the term has, and continues, to evolve and morph as the media itself changes. I also enjoyed the provided readings as any extra research material is very helpful and beneficial in broadening my understanding and ideas on the topic.

 

A little task that my group and I had was to present a brief outline/storyboard of the concepts and ideas we had so far. Our group is ultimately focusing on the development of audiences through the advancement of technology. This is an initial and brief summary of some of the main ideas and pieces of information I feel is relevant and useful to our topic and final assignment.

The current media landscape is a reflection of today’s modern society; fast, connected, constantly changing, unforgiving, and full of possibility. We all want to consume our media instantaneously; at the simple click of a button. Or the unlock of an iphone screen. As an audience, the dramatically evolving media landscape has changed the way we live, the values we keep, and the ideals we prioritise.

 

 

Key Points/ideas:

 

 

• As we readily approach the next century the definition and idea of audience is more unsettled then ever before

 

• The continual evolvement of our media landscape has gone hand in hand with the constant improvement of technology and the digital world. The way we consume information, news and entertainment has evolved more in the last 10 years then it has in the last 1000. With the rise of the online world and the advent of devices like portable laptops, smartphones, tablets, and phablets; media audiences have the opportunity to consume their material actively, with an almost endless array of modes in which they can access content.

 

• The context in which audiences consume media has been the most pivotal point of revolution within the industry of communication and media. The vast bulk of the current media landscape is now generated, witnessed and experienced online.

 

• Previously thriving media outlets such as newspapers, radio, and television broadcoasting networks are progressively losing their value and significance amongst an online and digitally dominated world. Audiences now find themselves in a very powerful position when it comes to media consumption. We each have the ability to access the precise form of media that we desire wherever we are, whenever we want, almost always free of charge.

 

• According to new research almost two thirds of Australians own a smart phone. This is a dramatic increase in ownership rates from nil in 2000 to 37% in 2011 to 64.6% in 2013. Around 49% of the users access newspapers or magazine services through their smartphones, and over 70% of people regularly watch videos and televison programs on them.

 

• University Professor Micheal L. Gross (2009) states that ‘web-based media have made multi-directional, audience-generated communication a reality, giving citizens the opportunity to join the party as producers rather than merely consumers…the topdown tyranny of the media has been effectively challenged’.