G235: Critical Perspectives in Media Theoretical Evaluation of Production - Magazine

Detail the target audience for your product.

My audience would be mainly made up of females because the magazine focuses on the females within rock music. They would probably be quite young; teenagers or young adults and they would be heavily into rock music, perhaps even playing themselves in some way.

Detail what the audience might identify with in your product?

The audience would recognise and probably like the music of the bands and artists I cover. The fact that it is focused on females means that female readers can identify with the artists they see in the magazine. My magazine also had a focus on how the music is made and this would be interesting for any composers that are reading.

What meanings/uses they might make from consuming/interacting with the product?

They may learn about composing and they will gain information about the bands/artists.    

Is your text popular for a mass audience?

I feel that because of the genre of my magazine my audience would be more likely to be a niche and alternative audience. Taking the term 'popular' into account I don't feel that my audience would fit with either the high or low culture in the fact that their style wouldn't be associated with the 'mass' culture. The other definition of popular meaning 'for the people' probably would fit my audience because they are a minority group that have gained popularity and still stay true to the values and are loyal to rock music.

Ien Ang (1991)
'Audiencehood is becoming an ever more multifaceted, fragmented and diversified repertoire of practises and experiences.'
Do you agree with Ang?
Yes, I think people are becoming a lot more open minded and are more willing to take on new things. I think a lot of this is to do with developments in technology.
Detail the social demographic of your target audience.
Mainly I think my audience would be female, around the age of 18 and working class.

John Hartley (1987)
'Institutions are obliged not only to speak about an audience, but - crucially, for them - to talk to one as well; they need not only to represent audiences but to enter into relation with them.'
To what extent do you agree with this?
I agree, I think that the audience needs to feel like they are gaining something and that they are being represented. They also want to know that there are likeminded people both producing and reading the magazine.
Hartley also suggests that institutions must produce 'invisible fictions of the audience which allow the institutions to get a sense of who they must enter into relations with.' (They must know their audience so that they can target them effectively.)
How did you do this with your magazine?
I created an audience profile based on people that I had talked to, these people were the kind of consumers I was targetting (female, teenager, liked rock music).

Audience Feedback
In order to gain feedback I read all the comments left by both teachers and students but in order to gain feedback from a different group I created a questionnaire and gave it to friends that are into rock music.

Can your coursework be linked in any way to the passive audience theory?
I suppose that the language used in the magazine articles could have an effect on the audience but most of the magazine is just informative.

How can your target audience be seen as active?  
My audience can pick and choose which parts of the magazine they may read as well as whether they want to read it at all.

McQuail's uses and gratifications theory.
I think my magazine fits with creating a personal relationship because the information about bands could become a talking point. It also identifies with the audience, aesthetically it would be appealing to the audience and may influence them. It definitely fits with the surveillance because it is giving information throughout.