Audience Theory

A target audience are the people something is aimed at which they should enjoy. This is what makes a target audience:
-age
-gender
-race
-hobbies/interests
-experiences
-class
-reginal identity
-disabiltiy

There are 3 main theories if audience, which are:
1) The Effects Model or Hypodermic Needle
There are 3 parts to this theory. The first is imitation. This is where you copy what you see. The second is catharsis. This is where you watch soaps for example and they make you feel better about yourself because their lives are worse than yours and there problems distract you from your own. The last one is desensitisation. This is where you get used to what you see and it doesn't have as much of an effect on you.
2) The Uses and Gratifications Model
It covers: personal identity, surveillance, pleasure and diversion/escapism.
3) Reception Theory

There are also 3 different ways of taking in meaning from media texts:
Primary-they physically engage with a media text
Secondary-for example you have the radio on in the background but you are doing something else primarily.
Tertiary-when you know its there but you aren't aware you are taking it in.

There are 2 key types of audience which are an active audience(engaging with a media text) and a passive audience(tertiary, they don't conciously take in the message being portrayed).