Question : To what extent are our ideas about the audience dependent on technology, and how are new technologies challenging traditional models of audience research? Use examples to substantiate your argument.
TECHNOLOGY AND MASS MEDIA RESEARCH
The contemporary world of technology have revolutionized each and every aspect of living including the effect or say viral effect of mass media over the audience mass. Technology have paved paths for a brighter future for the mass media and communication by opening up various sources to disseminate information to a wider audience and to reach a greater mass of people (Morris, 19996). With a greater scope and reach, there are other factors which are influencing the ideas and ways of marketing targeting different sections of audience. Technology is a source and catalyst for innovation which is also impacting the way audience are perceiving or taking up the intended meaning of a mass media message. Metamorphosis is an integration or convergence of audience and technology (Nisbet, 2002) leading to more opportunities and better understanding of the meaning of the messages. The ideas and solutions are guided by introduction of new media that is providing the audience with an enhanced feeling of control, decoding power and an increased choice over what, when, how and why to choose. With these changes, marketing media shall be conceptually and analytically modulating and monitored. Media and audience, both have grown and evolved with technology.
The trends of communication, accessibility, reach and availability, perception and prejudices (Neuman 1991), all have been affected by incoming contemporary technologies in the field of mass media communication and research. The new technologies being marked as new media have changed the meaning and research methodologies for the audience in reference to message delivery or sharing. The new technologies in the digital age are challenging the orthodox concepts and methodologies of audience research where audience were regarded as passive and as a singular entity with a particular shot of media message being interpreted in the same way for all inspite of personal views and suggestions. With incoming of digital age in the revolutionary new media, have brought about waves of awareness and sensibility in the audience giving an all together new aspect to audience research, segmentation and targeting forming a part of marketing strategies. By the means of traditional media comprising of limited mass media resources and a limited reach, it was observed that audience understood the message, content or meaning inside a particular information from the point of view of the one who created it or from the perspective of mass media generator. But, with advent of new media (Dunwoody, 1992) comprising of digital sources such as internet, ebooks, multimedia, augmented reality, DVDs and many more such facilities, the enormity and volume of sources of messages of information of media have grown profoundly by outshining the available resources. The technology does have an influence over the audience, their presence, their attitudes and the way they perceive the information. Audience have become active and are able to decode the meaning out of the message transferred based over their evaluative skills and decoding powers. With the advancements in technology, the world have become advanced both in the terms of digital innovation and meaningful sensibility.
Audience research have adopted the strategies of segmentation and targeting (Livingstone, 2003) based over different perceptions of a message transmitted by mass media based over personal choices, prejudices or understandings of audience. Therefore, different and special marketing strategies must be deployed in order to target audience with different views. With upcoming new technologies having plethora and abundance of resources for mass communication, the focus has been shifted from pushing the same message or in other words shooting the same bullet from the side of media to inject into audience (Croteau, 2013) towards targeting each of the customer or audience individually in reaction to giving regard to their personal opinions, choices, views, biases or prejudices related to the message. Technology is basically a social tool to change the meaning of being an active participant in the decision making for a particular message. Though this extensive use of technology and introduction of new media in the form of digital innovation have made it possible to make information reach to a wider audience base, it also pays special attention over targeting very special subsets of audience having similar views.
The traditional models of audience research considered audience being a singular object but now there are specialization based over age, culture, background, economy, views, beliefs etc. For example, promoting a product say simply an electric light can target children by making it customized for fun, can be targeted for youth as a study commodity or for elder people as an aid in darkness. Therefore, different people perceive the message differently leading to transitions in the research styles and tools.
References
- Morris, M., & Ogan, C. 1996,’ The Internet as mass medium’, Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, vol. 1, no. 4.
- Nisbet, M. C., Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J., Moy, P., Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. 2002, ‘Knowledge, reservations, or promise? A media effects model for public perceptions of science and technology’, Communication Research, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 584-608.
- Neuman, W. R. 1991, The future of the mass audience, Cambridge University Press.
- Dunwoody, S., & Peters, H. P. 1992, ‘Mass media coverage of technological and environmental risks: A survey of research in the United States and Germany’, Public Understanding of Science, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 199-230.
- Livingstone, S. 2003, ‘The Changing Nature of Audiences’, A companion to media studies, vol. 6, pp. 337.
- Croteau, D. R., & Hoynes, W. D. 2013, Media/society: Industries, images, and audiences, Sage Publications.
