HA6 Task 2 - Audience Response to Products

The Hypodermic Needle

A method of injecting the audience with small doses of information via various forms of media. This process is designed to produce a reaction from the intended audience, however this reaction exists solely for a short term effect, as the audience can be considered passive and easily mailable.

For example within the video game trailer for "Uncharted 3", there were various action packed scenes which didn't necessarily make up much of the actual game as a whole, however at the time, this would stimulate excitement from the intended audience.

The Inoculation Model

This model suggests that the longer an audience is exposed to a certain media based message, the more immune that audience will become to it. Within the realms of video games, it's suggested that the various violent methods of dealing with an in-game enemy over a long period of time becomes less shocking to the individual committing them, as a result it's suggested that the same sort of action in real life would have a diminished shock to the individual.

There's an interesting example of this brought up in the video game "Metal Gear Solid 2" in which soldiers are trained up within a VR (Virtual Reality) training programme. It gave the soldiers involved a false mindset, that war was simply a video game, that losing simply meant you just try again and therefore was effective in producing fearless soldiers.

Two Step Flow Model

Within the two step flow model, an opinion leader tends to act as a filter between the information being produced by the mass media and the individual receiving that information. For example, say you and a parent are listening to the same news story, your opinion of that news story can be influenced by the opinion your parent demonstrates, up until the point of your parent calling out that story, you may have been convinced by it or vice-versa.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

It is apparent that there are many different audiences across the world and that an individual will seek out information for many different purposes, these reasons can be factored in to three things.

• Personal Identity
• Integration and Social Interaction
• Entertainment

For example, when it comes to video games, people may search out information regarding a new games release and features, a video game could also fit into one or all three of the previously mentioned attributes, as a person may buy a game out of personal interest, social integration or merely entertainment.

Reception Theory

This theory examines how the audience receives the information being provided to them. This can be split into three basic definitions.

• The Preferred reading: This is where the audience receives and accepts the information being offered to them. If we were to take a game as an example, This would be the audience accepting the game exactly for what it is and enjoying it for that.
• The Negotiated reading: In this instance, the audience gives and takes with the information given. They take from it what they need whilst rejecting what they don't. A common thing with 3D video games is issues with the camera control, so a lot of reviewers will bring up the positives of an open world yet state that the experience gets brought down via a terrible camera.
• The Oppositional reading: This is where information is given, yet not received as intended. For example when the PS3 was in it's early days, many games made use of the limited motion control of the sixaxis controller, now while this was released as a means of adding further variety to games, many perceived it as a cheap gimmick which ultimately didn't receive the expected gratification.

Sources: http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/13000000/playing-video-games-south-park-13058702-800-597.jpg, http://us.123rf.com/450wm/wavebreakmediamicro/wavebreakmediamicro1307/wavebreakmediamicro130704187/20625214-twins-and-parents-raising-arms-while-watching-television-sitting-on-a-carpet.jpg, http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/metal-gear-solid-2-substance/9/94/Mgssub_vrraiden.jpg, http://mattbrett.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/uncharted3-plane.jpg, http://25.media.tumblr.com/22180795c4aca75518b15f91e3838666/tumblr_mo7ptbtmpR1r3xauuo1_500.png