SEVENTH BLOG ENTRY- Media Audiences: Television, the Emotional Attachment ...continues

METHODOLOGY

THE research perspective and your past, present, or possible future points of view. Which will be looked at this study be guided by the following points - The active audience, The emergence of audience reception analysis  and next steps for audience reception research

 The active audience

Czikszentmihalyi's research on the television audience confirms our common sense interpretation that television viewing is a dull and soothing experience,  television when it first began was astonishing and innovative, it has quickly become 'moving wallpaper' in most homes.

Having said that certain studies television audience contradict this view and argue instead for active, knowledgeable and always interested audiences.

The emergence of audience reception analysis

The emergence of audience reception analysis highlighted the role of active viewers in a vigorous process of assigning the significances of television.

Next steps for audience reception research

The blanket notion of reception theory appropriate or do we want to retain the specificity of different approaches to reception? Where are the gaps in the empirical research (for example, Could we study male soap opera viewer, or female sports support, surely it could be necessary if we are to sustain and decorative the argument for gendered viewing. Which viewer is more emotional the male or the female?

Primary research

Secondary research

Qualitative research

One of the main differences between primary and secondary research is Primary research is new research that is done for a particular purpose.

Doing a survey in the shopping malls, interviewing people over the phone and running a focus group are all examples of techniques used to undertake primary research. Secondary research involves the use of data and information that has already been published or is already available within an organisation. Looking in books, journals and on the Internet for information that already exists are all examples of secondary research. Television stations and Television advertisers will also use information that has already been collected and evaluated by others.

The most viable research method will be a the Secondary Research

There is a lot of information and research data already available which can be used. Many books and journals have already data that can be used to conduct the research.

When undertaking this kind of a research it is important that you clearly know what the first research was about. What was its purpose, who requested it and when it was accompanied?

LITERATURE REVIEW

·         Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies - David Morley

Brief description of the Study

Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies presents a multidimensional examination of audience research, in which David Morley pulls on a rich body of empirical work to observe the emergence, development and future of television audience research.

In addition to providing an preliminary impression of the growth of audience research from a cultural studies perspective, David Morley questions how class and cultural differences can affect how we interpret television, the significance of gender in the dynamics of domestic media consumption, how the media construct the ‘national family’, and how small-scale ethnographic studies can help.

·         Television and the active audience - Sonia Livingstone

Brief description of the Study

Television and the active audience look at the viewer as an active audience this study also critically evaluates the viewers as n passive participant, when watching television.

·         Relationships between media and audiences: prospects for audience reception studies

Brief description of the Study

This paper sets out to ask 'what next' for audience research. Audience studies currently face a contradiction in which many interesting studies, especially those recording empirical observations, are being published, while simultaneously there exists a body of criticisms which have largely gone unanswered. This then seems an appropriate moment to consider the achievements, problems and future direction of audience reception studies.

RESEARCH ASSUMPTIONS

The history of audience research is characterised by a division between powerful media and powerful viewers: that is between understanding the media as capable of influencing and therefore affecting the media. This study will show that the viewers are affected the their emotions while watching, therefore affecting the way they wish to live their lives.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The findings of this study will clearly reveal the relationship between television viewing and viewers emotions while watching. The findings should give us   the understanding how audience emotional engagements with television helps them to make choices about life. These choices could include living standards or how people what to live based on what they see on television. 

CONCLUSIONS

 We can conclude from your findings that audience emotional engagements with television helps them to make choices about life. These choices could include living standards or how people what to live based on what they see on television. 

The findings does support my initial assumptions, this study has argued  recent researches on emotional encounters while watching television and its affects allowing us to think a bit more about television and its meaning to audience.

LIMITATIONS

The limitations of the study was the use of the methodologies perhaps, we could have explored more research methodologies. The methodology chosen was limiting as it relied on current and recent studies.

POSSIBLE FUTURE STUDIES

Other studies which can come about after this study has been concluded could be the studies about a distinction about television watching practices versus cinema watching practices. Do viewers use the two media in the some way? These type questions should be asked after the conclusion of this study.  

Another research methodology should be used as the one used for this study was inappropriate for accurate findings. The methodology was used for this study was very limiting and more methodologies should have been explored.

References

1.       Relationships between media and audiences: prospects for audience reception studies - 2008 – Sonia Livistone

2.       Three approaches to media reception and audience reception studies – 2010 – C Reinhad

Media Audiences: Television, Meaning and Emotion – 2009 – Kristyn Gorton