T2_the Media Audience - Social Theory

A Debate of the

Social Theory of the Media Audience 19.March.2009 @ SIM LT 1.03 Guest Judge: Sunny Goh

Profile: Herbert Blumer • Blumer was a scholar who demanded empirical reasoning. • Social scientists are indebted to him for studying some of the shortcomings of quantitative research. • Blumer argues that human social life is a continual process of individual and collective

Definitions  Collective Behaviour Social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure (laws, conventions, and institutions), but which emerge in a "spontaneous" way.  Mass Media Most often, the audience is conceptualized as a large, loosely connected mass on the receiving end of the media.

Let the debate begin….

Pro

Against

Herbert Blumer

Herbert Blumer

Characteristic #1 ‘Media audience come from all walks of life’

#1 All walks of life Pro-Blumer • People of different demographics are engaged in or subscribed to the same media. • Audience may include a 30 year old female doctor and a 50 year old male ‘karang guni’ man. • Different social status, vocations, cultural attainments, wealth.

#1 All walks of life What do these people have in common

#1 All walks of life Example: Soccer • People of all ages, race, religion etc are fans of the sport

#1 All walks of life Example: Facebook

Other examples: dailies (newspapers), audience of television programmes, radio, Youtube

#1 All walks of life Against-Blumer • Introduction of specialised groups. • Catered to particular groups of audience. • These audience generally have similar demographics or psychographics.

#1 All walks of life Example Pay-to-watch television channels – Asian Food Channel (AFC),

E! Entertainment.

#1 All walks of life Example: Elle Magazine Demographics

• Over 4.8 million

Total Audience ……… 5,258,000 89% Women …......… 4,684,000

readers.

Median Age .............. 33.1 Age 18-34 .............. 54.3% Age 25-49 .............. 55.8% Median HHI .............. $71.073 HHI $75,000+ .......... 47.7% Any College ................ 67.9% Employed ................... 75.3% Single ......................... 60.8%

• Women between the ages of 18 and 49.

Characteristic #2 ‘Media audience are anonymous’

#2 Anonymous group Pro-Blumer • Media audience comprise of a group who do not know each other. • They are unique individuals.

#2 Anonymous group Example: Mass Media Audience • Audience do not participate as a group but as individuals. • Newspaper, television programmes, radio, Youtube.

#2 Anonymous group Example: Pornography • A large-based audience who are anonymous to each other. • Content providers offer their services based on the anonymity of the audience.

#2 Anonymous group Against-Blumer • New media platform where even strangers become ‘friends’ and where friends create ‘groups’.

#2 Anonymous group Example: Facebook, MSN • Only people who know each other or friends interact with one another and form groups.

Characteristic #3 There is often little interaction between the media audience

#3 Little interaction Pro-Blumer •The audience rarely communicate with each other due to the fact that they are anonymous to each other. • The audience is also most often separated from each other and there is no opportunity for members to interact and exchange their experiences.

#3 Little interaction Example: Broadcast & Print media • There is very little if not no communication between the audience. • Even in the forum pages, only few entries are posted and are always screened by the publisher before they appear.

#3 Little interaction Against-Blumer • Increasing interactivity promoted and employed by media, often in their online platform for print and broadcast media. • Online games and social environment.

#3 Little interaction Example: Online Forums • Audience are able to communicate with one another through the online platform of the media to share their experiences.

#3 Little interaction Example: Online Gaming • The development of massive multiplayer online games •Online games provide the possibility of interaction with other players. Although physically

Characteristic #4 The media audience is loosely organised

#4 Loosely organised Pro-Blumer • Do not take a cooperative, unified stand due to the anonymity between audience. •They act as independent individuals.

#4 Loosely organised EXAMPLE: Little Nonya • The audience of the local Chinese drama, ‘Little Nonya’ were unhappy with the ending of the drama • But they did not come together to push the producers to change the ending etc.

#4 Loosely organised Against-Blumer • People come together, especially in the online media platform, and stand for a cause. • Print and broadcast media may be small and have too many restrictions so people turn to the online platform.

#4 Loosely organised EXAMPLE: Petition on Blog • Petition against high transportation fares for polytechnic students. • Debate first started in the national papers.

#4 Loosely organised EXAMPLE: • StarHub reported that it will raise its pay-TV packages, thus sparking a wave of outrage from subscribers. •Subscribers have even posted rallying calls on the AsiaOne forum for consumers to band together and cancel their subscriptions in protest of the move. • The Consumers' Association of Singapore (Case) has joined the calls urging StarHub to allow its cable TV subscribers to opt out of their contracts with no

Conclusion • Blumer’s theory may have been written in the 1940s and thus may only be applicable to the old media. •Blumer’s theory may be outdated because of the presence of the new media. • Still relevant but theories have grey areas now with the technological development of the media.

The Team Nur Dhuha Melissa Sunarty Farihah Yew Chong Nasrin

Questions??