Audiences and Institutions essay

 "Analyse how media institutions are using different platforms to engage with their audiences."

The way media is presented and received has transformed drastically over the past 20 years with world-altering changes in technology. The power audiences and producers hold has been revolutionized with the introduction of globalization, Web 2.0, and social media. Creators and consumers are undoubtedly more connected now than ever before. So what does this mean for the film industry?

The Hypodermic Needle Theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of a passive audience. It suggests that we're all the same and we all respond to media messages in the same way. This theory was promulgated by Harold Lasswell in the 1920s, and primarily concerned the propaganda which was rife at the time of the first and second world wars. However, this theory, though it was relevant during the 20th century, is now outdated and borderline irrelevant. This is because of the introduction of Web 2.0 in 1999. With the turn of the century came a new era for communication, in which people can interact without even being in the same room. Audiences of movies and TV now have the opportunity to express their opinions, and develop and share their own views and readings of films.

The theory that combats the beliefs that surround the ideas of the hypodermic needle, is the Shirky theory. In 2000, Clay Shirky, who is still the leading voice on the social and economic impact of internet technologies, stated that “Audience behaviour has changed due to the internet and the ability for audiences to create their own content due to the low cost of technology”. He then coined the term ‘Prosumers’ (Producer + Consumer)  as the vast majority of audiences have the power to not only watch content, but also produce their own and post it on the internet for anyone to see. Examples of this include movie franchise fandoms, youtube reaction videos to trailers and endless twitter feuds among fans regarding anything regarding a movie of interest. Conglomerates are now moving towards taking advantage of this change and listening to what the masses want for their entertainment. Recently Disney has employed a Star Wars fan to work on the hit TV series ‘The Mandalorian’ after he made an alternate ending that went viral on youtube and was well received. This is a great example of a conglomerate listening to a prosumer in order to connect with what their audience wants and support a new generation of Star Wars fans. 

Another theory that is relevant to the changes of recent years is the two-step flow theory. This theory was made by Lazarsfeld and Katz  in 1948. This theory hypothesizes that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population. This theory suggests that audiences seek an individual or group of people who they can trust to source, interpret, and share information for the public. This often ends in many people uniting to support a movement or it can end in division. Now more than ever this theory is relevant with the rise of social media influencers who dominate the youtube and instagram scene with their self produced content and personal following accumulated through self promotion and ‘collabing’ with other influencers. This can have a huge impact on the film industry as these people share their readings on movies, and tell their followers which movies are worth seeing in the first place. Even Actors can be so called influencers, and use their platform to promote movies for film companies. Paying an Actor or social media influencer to promote a film is an effective marketing strategy that has only become available to film companies in the past 10-15 years. It is a sure and effective way of reaching a target audience through a personal approach to promotion. This system can also work against filmmakers as well. If an opinion leader posts content saying that they don’t like a movie and/or the messages it sends it can lead to many people being put off that film, and worst case scenario, starting a movement against the film which could even damage the brand of a film company. 

Cross media convergence has also created more connection between audiences and film producers. An example of this include A-list Actors posting promotions for media on their social media pages so their millions of followers can see. Or, film companies posting trailers on youtube so that people can share their thoughts in the comments section, and give the video a chance to go viral to reach a wider audience. Finally cross media convergence and technology collide when making music soundtracks as people can listen to it on spotify, and it can also be turned into a sound that can go viral on tik-tok or instagram. These are all ways that the audience can give a clue to what their possible reading could be through cross media convergence on the internet which has proven to be the primary way that these two groups connect.

In conclusion, media institutions use a variety of platforms such as social media and other websites to communicate in a way with their audience that until now, has never been possible. This has revolutionised the way that filmmakers can specialize the way they make their films to suit their target market and maximise their sales. They can predict whether an idea for a film will be successful or not without having to take any risks and make their fans feel part of the creative process.