Task 3 - Audience Responses to Media Products

Hypodermic Needle Model

Basically, the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated, ie the experience, intelligence and opinion of an individual are not relevant to the reception of the text. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive and heterogenous. This theory is still quoted during moral panics by parents, politicians and pressure groups, and is used to explain why certain groups in society should not be exposed to certain media texts (comics in the 1950s, rap music in the 2000s), for fear that they will watch or read sexual or violent behaviour and will then act them out themselves.

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Inoculation Theory

The inoculation theory suggests that continued exposure to specific TV messages (like violence, for exam-ple) would lead to an audience becomingdesensitised so that real violence in this case is dismissed as beingtoo ordinary and unimportant.

Active Audience Theories

Audience Reception Model

This theory points out that meaning of any text is created by the audience - not the producer. Meaning is encoded into the text but it is up to the audience what they take from it depending how they decode the signs within the text. Broadly speaking the audience can arrive at one of three readings:

1. The Preferred Reading - Audience understands and accepts the ideology offered.
2. The Negotiated Reading - Audience understands the ideology offered, accepts some aspects of it but rejects other aspects.
3. The Opositional Reading - Audience interprets the ideology offered in the opposite way than it is intended.

Two Step Flow Theory

This theory asserts that information from the media moves in two distinct stages. First, individuals (opinion leaders) who pay close attention to the mass media and its messages receive the information. Opinion leaders pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content. 

The term ‘personal influence’ was coined to refer to the process intervening between the media’s direct message and the audience’s ultimate reaction to that message. Opinion leaders are quite influential in getting people to change their attitudes and behaviors and are quite similar to those they influence. 

The two-step flow theory has improved our understanding of how the mass media influence decision making. The theory refined the ability to predict the influence of media messages on audience behavior, and it helped explain why certain media campaigns may have failed to alter audience attitudes an behavior. 

Uses and Gratifications Model

One influential tradition in media research is referred to as 'uses and gratifications' (occasionally 'needs and gratifications'). This approach focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. In contrast to the concern of the 'media effects' tradition with 'what media do to people' (which assumes a homogeneous mass audience and a 'hypodermic' view of media), U & G can be seen as part of a broader trend amongst media researchers which is more concerned with 'what people do with media', allowing for a variety of responses and interpretations. 

However, some commentators have argued that gratifications could also be seen as effects: e.g. thrillers are likely to generate very similar responses amongst most viewers. And who could say that they never watch more TV than they had intended to? Watching TV helps to shape audience needs and expectations.

Information

• finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world
• seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices
• satisfying curiosity and general interest
• learning; self-education
• gaining a sense of security through knowledge

Personal Identity

• finding reinforcement for personal values
• finding models of behaviour
• identifying with valued other (in the media) 
• gaining insight into one's self

Integration and Social Interaction

• gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy
• identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging
• finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
• having a substitute for real-life companionship
• helping to carry out social roles
• enabling one to connect with family, friends and society

Entertainment

• escaping, or being diverted, from problems
• relaxing
• getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
• filling time
• emotional release
• sexual arousal

Task 2 - Creating Products for Specific Audiences

Task 2 - Creating Products for Specific Audiences

Questionnaire results.

How many people have taken the survey.   {20}

How many females have taken the survey.  {10 out of 20}

How many males have taken the survey {10 out of 20}

How many females liked skyrim {5 out of 20}

How many females liked Just dance {5 out of 20}

How many males liked skyrim {9 out of 20}

How many males liked just dance {1 out of 20}

How many questions were on the survey {6}

Average rating for skyrim was {8.5}

Average rating for just dance was {8.8}  

Task 1- Defining Audiences Presentation Powerpoint presentation

Audience Profiling

Audience Profiling finding out the profile of your audience before hand so that you can put across your message to the right people in the most effective way to produce the best result. It might include details like age, sex, educational qualification, work experience, financial background, field of work, interests, mood, orientation, bias, food habits, religious background, physique, health condition.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research seeks out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, open ended survey responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos and videos. It doesn’t just rely on statistics or numbers, which are the domain of quantitative researchers.

Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviours, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. It’s used to inform business decisions, policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used, but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material, including customer feedback forms, reports or media clips.

Collecting and analyzing this unstructured information can be messy and time consuming using manual methods. When faced with volumes of materials, finding themes and extracting meaning can be a daunting task.

Quantitative Research

Qualitative research is a set of methods, techniques and approaches that attempts to arrive at an in-depth understanding of an issue, often in a real-life setting and without constraints imposed by standardized and controlled methods used in quantitative research. Qualitative research analyzes unstructured data that consist of notes, audio and video recordings, written texts, images and objects.

Social sciences, marketing and political research use qualitative methods to explore new topics, understand reasons for behavior and people's values, beliefs, thought processes and subconscious dynamics.

Related Searches: Data Analysis ResearchTelecom Industry Research Approaches

Qualitative researchers use a variety of research models and various approaches. The most popular approaches are: ethnography (study of culture, often by observation), phenomenology (which focuses on subjective experience) and grounded theory (a dynamic approach that focuses on development of theory from participant observation data). All those approaches may employ more than one form of data collection.

Participant ObservationParticipant observation is the main method of qualitative research, especially common in sociology, ethnography, anthropology and derived disciplines. The level of participation varies. In some instances, the researcher stays on the margin and attempts to be as unobtrusive as possible; in other studies the researcher actually joins in the activities. Participant observation has roots in ethnography, and it differs from other research forms as it approaches the subjects in the natural environment rather than putting them in an environment constructed by the researcher. The researchers take notes and sometimes recordings of their observations.

In-Depth InterviewsIn-depth interviews use a semi-structured guide to lead the interviewing process. The answers are usually audio and sometimes video-recorded, and the interviewer is an active and important part of the process. The questions are flexible and adjusted to the specific respondent. In-depth interviewers often use additional techniques, such as laddering or methods derived from clinical interviews to obtain credible and in-depth answers. In-depth interviews are commonly used in social sciences as well as market research.

Focus Group InterviewsFocus groups consist of a small number of respondents, usually between eight and 12, interviewed as a group. The interview is conducted by a trained researcher called the moderator, whose role is to guide and facilitate the conversation using a prepared guide and any stimulus material that might be appropriate to the topic. The focus group is usually recorded, and sometimes other researchers and clients can observe the discussion from behind a one-way mirror or via a video link.

Focus groups are among the most common and best-known forms of qualitative research. Market and opinion researchers use this method frequently, as it is faster and allows for a greater variety of respondents to be interviewed than individual interviews.

Case StudiesCase studies are both a higher-level approach and a specific method of data collection and analysis. Case studies concentrate on a detailed, comprehensive analysis of individuals, groups or organizations in real-life situations. Researchers who perform case studies use many data collection methods and multiple sources but concentrate on a single or a limited number of cases. Case studies are not representative but afford a depth of insight that few other forms of research can provide.

Content AnalysisContent analysis uses existing texts, often literary ones, feedback forms or diaries, to immerse the researcher in somebody else's reality. Content analysis looks at what is being said as well as how it's being expressed to achieve in-depth understanding.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8035174_forms-qualitative-research.html#ixzz1f0feaFui

Task 4- Developing Responding to Games Production’s.

Today I will be taking about selected games in the action genre of games wish I will be playing and adding notes about the structure interaction and game play of each of the games, The first games I will be taking about is Call of Duty Modern warfare 3 to start this of lest talk about the gameplay, Okay first of the gameplay is like the other modern warfare games this one also bring an in depth feeling to the game, its full of outstanding action throughout the game with over 4 hours of gameplay in the campaign (which doesn’t  seem like much) the campaign is really short as a gamer 4 hours is not long enough to play a game that been building up hype for months. There are 16 one-off missions that complement the events of the campaign, letting you experience new facets of the global conflict in which you are embroiled. From tanking along in a Juggernaut suit to covering your ally with remote-controlled sentry turrets, there's a lot of variety here. Though even the longest missions can be completed in less than 10 minutes, the variable difficulty levels help Spec Ops missions provide hours of challenging combat. And if you prefer to continue your solo soldiering, you can run almost every mission by yourself and aim for a respectable spot on the online leader boards. Okay the menus in the game are just like the other modern warfare games, simple effective and clean easy to use for new users to the game. The characters well what can I say they have new characters again but who cares right? After playing for some hours I am very pleased with how well the characters control and the amazing detail in each one of the characters. I would say anyone in the age range of 18-45 would love this games its full of action and hours of game play be that online of solo I give this game a rating

7.5/10.

Okay now onto the second game, this game is Gears of war 3 let’s face it this game is out of this world with its amazing story line continuing from the other gears games the game play is once again amazing I was amazed of how much stuff the developers have put into the game, bringing back the old beloved guns which many fans wanted to see come back while playing the campaign I noticed that you had side quest to do which made you wonder have the developers thrown something special in for you or is it all just to get better armour or guns for the online who knows? Well I do since I have played the game turns out it was to get ribbons which if you was the type to get the game you’re playing 100% completed will be a challenge, the structure of the game is amazing using a totally different engine to make the game the developers really brought their game this time smashing the competition the menu look and feels like it was 100% made for gamers its very stylish and give the game a nice feel to it when selecting were you want to go in the game, the characters are yet again amazing they have little change but the detail has improved so much they look like new the move mend of the characters are easy to get the hang of I recommend this game to a action gamer I give this game a rating of

9.5/10

Finally the last game this game is called battlefield 3 not much you can say on this apart from this game is amazing! Packed with hours of entertainment and multiplayer but Battlefield 3 suffers from an identity crisis.

It delivers scorching multiplayer, fitting of its decade-long pedigree of famously expansive big-team battles, but stumbles over a generic single-player campaign that feels like a different game.

While DICE may not deliver a memorable story here, it doesn't need to when Battlefield 3's online warfare raises every bar imaginable, delivering one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year. I doubt Battlefield purists will complain much about the campaign, honestly; I know you're enlisting in this battle to bring down entire armies online.

from the beaches of Kharg Island to the hills of Damavand Peak, Battlefield 3's multiplayer maps provide an immediate sense of scale. Everything about their design screams size, personalization, and the need to take creative initiative to succeed. Choose to pop headshots from the prone position, spin barrel rolls in a jet outfitted with personal unlocks, or see how many dog tags you can knife from your opponents; Battlefield 3's multiplayer is about the freedom of choice.

The online fight feels like a geography lesson (in a good way). Depending on the game mode, each map utilizes a different area or shifts wider and wider as gameplay progresses. You might not see half of a map like Caspian Border or Seine Crossing during your first few Rush matches. To accommodate Xbox 360's 24-player cap, each map has been modified slightly -- mainly by drawing spawn points closer to the action and limiting Conquest-match points to three (as opposed to PC's five). Where many online shooters teach you the nooks and crannies of every map, Battlefield 3 is a wide sandbox that encourages variety and exploration. Also, the in-game server browser is a great addition to console matchmaking as players can easily find the exact game-type they're looking for.

Is the gameplay balanced? Battlefield 3's online teeter-totter comes down to personal preference. I've been pinned down at my spawn point in Operation Metro by a dozen, well-stocked snipers and I've taken over an entire conquest map single-handedly. I'm no Maverick in a jet, so I learned to rain down hellfire from a chopper. For any class or tactic that doesn't work, like a painter's palette, Battlefield 3 offers alternatives. All four streamlined classes (Soldier, Engineer, Assault, and Recon) get their own problem-solving unlocks, so leveling each one is paramount to sitting on top of the leader boards.

Battlefield 3's rewards and progression will keep you coming back to its online rumble for a long time. From adding heat-seeking missiles to an Anti-Aircraft Tank to simply changing camouflage, there's always a carrot dangling just out of reach -- if you can wrangle the score to earn it. While the newly implemented Team Death match modes encourage high kills and low deaths, Battlefield remains a team-based game where you can sit atop the scoreboard no matter how many times you've died. Heal an injured teammate, resupply a sniper, or make sure a tank gets fixed up, Battlefield is about working towards the greater good.  

Rating

8/10