Technological advancements in mass communication have increased media content consumption globally. Today, people are exposed to diverse media and information through various mediums, including social media and emails (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). The information disseminated has a significant impact depending on its content and relation to the audience. Media can be used to entertain, educate, create awareness, or promote brands (Khan A and Khan, 2015). However, the effectiveness of the media in relaying the intended message depends on how well it relates to the intended audience. Traditionally, media audiences were perceived as passive, so they had no choice but to consume every content. Conventional schools of thought believed that media content disseminated through various mediums, such as newspapers, film, and television, directly impacted the audience (Bird, 2011). The phenomenon was widespread during the twentieth century, which promoted the increased use of propaganda to influence political ideologies. For instance, World War II utilized the passive nature of media audiences to promote political affiliations. However, other schools of thought believe that media audiences are active. Active audiences can choose the media content they want to consume based on their needs. Scholars and thinkers in this paradigm often refer to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and its impact on the choice of media content by the audience. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs outlines that individuals seek to satisfy the most basic needs at the pyramid’s base before advancing to secondary ones (Bird, 2011). The approach interacts with the consumption of media content since active audiences will seek to interact with content within their level of needs. For example, a person is doubtful to be influenced by a sedan advertisement when concerned about school fees or food. Because of the above two approaches to media audiences, this paper seeks to compare and discuss the two approaches stating the benefits and shortcomings of each method.
Passive Media Audience
Passive media audiences are more likely to accept messages embedded in media texts and content. They are also more likely to be influenced by the messages than other audiences (Bird, 2011). During the early developmental stages of mass communication, such as radio and television, audiences were perceived as passive and inactive. The media believed its audience to be like “couch potatoes” waiting to consume and accept all media text directed toward them (Bird, 2011). The ideology influences commercial television and radio programs, influencing people towards specific topics and brands.
Conventionally, commercial advertisers believed that people did not think much when items or information were disseminated through mass media. Hence, people could accept and believe all messages in any media text they receive (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). The phenomenon upon which users are believed to accept and not question most of the media text could be related to the high trust the audience places in mass communication as the guardians of society and truth.
Additionally, the design of traditional mass media influenced the categorization of audiences as passive. In this case, mass communication, such as newspapers, films, and news bulletins, involves a small group of producers creating content for a broad and dispersed audience. The model influences passivity since the audience needs to get the chance to participate in creating or distributing the content actively. Today, passive media audiences are believed to be people who consume media content without any desire to participate in the production or distribution of the content (Bird, 2011). They may include those watching television shows for entertainment, book or article readers, music listeners, or radio fanatics.
The Hypodermic Model
Different Scholars utilize various theories to explain the passivity of media audiences. The hypodermic model explains the ease of injecting media content into audiences who are perceived as passive and weak. Harold Lasswell created the Hypodermic Needle Theory (also known as the Bullet Theory) in the 1920s in response to the heavy use of propaganda during World War 1 and the effects of mass media consumption. This theory suggests that audiences are entirely passive and accepting of the messages encoded by the media in its intended form. It portrays the mass media as having a direct, immediate, and powerful effect on its audiences. The terms ‘bullet’ and ‘needle’ reflect the powerlessness of the audience when it comes to media consumption.
The Hypodermic Needle Theory implies that the media messages are injected directly into the audience’s brains, with no room for interpretation or discussion. This is called closed text communication, as the message travels from sender to receiver (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). This theory suggests that mass media has a powerful influence on the public’s thoughts, opinions, and behaviors and that this influence is immediate and direct (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). The Hypodermic Needle Theory has been widely criticized for its one-dimensional approach to mass media consumption and for oversimplifying the complex relationship between the media and its audience. However, it has been acknowledged that this theory still offers insight into how mass media can shape public attitudes and behavior. It is important to remember that the Hypodermic Needle Theory is merely a starting point for further discussion and exploration of the influence of media on audiences.
The approach mimics the hypodermic needle, which injects medicine into the human body to treat an individual (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). During the process, patients remain calm and wait for the medicine to alter their metabolism to better their health (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018).
Likewise, the hypodermic approach perceives the media as a powerful instrument for injecting ideas and information into a weak and passive audience. In this case, media messages act as hypodermic needles or magic bullets that penetrate the audiences’ minds, influencing their attitudes and behaviors to a large extent. Harold Lasswell coined the theory in the early 1920s, arguing that audiences are affected directly by what they view and hear from the media (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). Notably, the influence can be immediate or delayed.
Thinkers in this paradigm believed that media messages contained one message that the audience must pick up. However, the approach utilizes various assumptions to support its premises. Firstly, the model assumes that audiences are powerless to resist the influence of the message. Secondly, it also assumes that the media is relayed directly and unmodified to the target population, who are passive and receptive.
Strengths
The approach has been used in mass communication for various purposes, including creating awareness, advertising, and spreading political propaganda. In advertisements, businesses utilize the approach to manipulate audiences into purchasing items they desire to buy. It gives advertisers power over the audience to influence them to choose specific brands and items despite them not satisfying the audience’s needs. In his book “The Hidden Persuaders,” Vane Packard, an American theorist, claimed that advertisers had the power to manipulate audiences and influence them to make purchase decisions. The phenomenon can a father be expounded through cultivation media theory. In this case, advertisers acknowledge the power of repeated exposure of similar messages to audiences (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). When people are exposed to the same message over a long period, their attitudes and behavior towards the information are altered.
The situation explains why commercials are repeated severally on television. Notably, some products may appear multiple times across various channels, influencing audiences’ perceptions of advertised commodities. Additionally, the method can be applied to explain the creation and distribution of propaganda leading to World War II (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). During the 1930s, Nazi Germany utilized media content, such as films and bulletins, to inject Nazi ideologies into their German Audience (Nwabueze and Okonkwo, 2018). In this case, the Nazis often used mass media communication to create a perception that foreigners and specific religions were causing the country’s problems. The propagandists preyed on the notion that people did not question the disseminated messages.
Weaknesses
Nevertheless, the hypodermic theory has been criticized for its inadequacy in the twenty-first century. Critics believe that the approach arises from fear of mass media and give it immense power than it can ever possess in a progressive society (Turnbull, 2020). Others believe that it ignores that audiences behave differently to media content. Hence, it is perceived as oversimplifying the sophisticated and dynamic relationship between audiences and the media.
Active Media Audience
Active media audiences are perceived to interact actively with the communication process and choose specific content. They represent a new model of audiences who have power over the choice and type of media content they consume since they can participate in the production and dissemination of media texts (Turnbull, 2020). Some scholars refer to them as prosumers since they can serve as producers and consumers (Ruggiero, 2000). The paradigm is perceived as an ideal and realistic approach to discussing media audiences.
Uses and Gratification Model
The uses and gratification model explains audiences as a sophisticated mixture of individuals who choose media texts based on their needs. The model is primarily influenced by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Turnbull, 2020). In this case, audiences are active and make active choices about the media texts they consume concerning their cultural and social setting and needs (Bird, 2011). People watch the news, read articles, or listen to music that meets their immediate needs.
The Maslow Hierarchy of needs categorizes human needs into five levels: physiological, safety, love/belonging, and self-actualization. The needs must be satisfied starting from the pyramid’s base. For an individual to be motivated to seek higher needs, they must first satisfy their immediate ones, with food, clothing, and shelter being the primary needs. Considering this, scholars suggest that the audience selects media texts based on their needs (Cooper & Tang, 2009). Unlike passive audiences, active ones can choose media texts that will answer questions about their immediate needs. For example, if people are working to meet their physiological needs, they will select media texts about food, clothes, and housing, among others. Such an audience will actively seek information from different media sources. They are also improbable to be influenced by repeated television commercials about luxury cars or security cameras since they are on a different level.
Similarly, people with needs at the uppermost levels of Maslow’s pyramid will seek to consume messages that impact their self-esteem. For example, a Prime Minister or President seeking to gain respect and admiration from others is likely to be attracted to content and brand that evoke respect (Whiting and Williams, 2013). They will be influenced to use specific brands or visit various luxurious destinations because the media outlies them as evoking respect (Cooper and Tang, 2009). The theory explains why people have different tastes in media content, including films and music. Some people will choose to listen to love music while others enjoy dance jams since they have different needs. Active media consumers will always seek media that meets their immediate needs.
Strengths
The uses and gratification model is preferred because it allows the audience to interact, interpret, and respond to media content in diverse ways and can challenge them. Unlike passive audiences, who receive the entire message without any challenge, active ones can select or question the viability of the information disseminated (Bird, 2011). The situation makes it impossible for blind influence and propaganda spread through the media. The approach also allows audiences to select media that meets their immediate needs.
Weaknesses
The approach can be criticized for its individualistic nature. It assumes that people only use media for their gratification, and some scholars argue that it ignores cultural and social influences on media consumption (Cooper and Tang, 2009). The model can be perceived as limited in scope, where it only focuses on the motivations behind media selection but avoids discussing the impacts of information on the audience.
Conclusion
Overall, media content can be consumed in different means. The debate about whether media audiences are passive or inactive continues to influence how content is produced and distributed today. The modern audience is a blend of passive and active consumers. Passive audiences consume media content without challenge, while active ones interact and respond to content.
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