Audience Analysis

by Denis McQuail

• ISBN13: 9780761910022
• ISBN10: 0761910026
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-07-28
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

'The book is essentially for a student of mass communication or may be of interest to the communications expert into communications reserach, theory or operations research. The author addresses a specific "audience" and does it to perfection with a simple very readable presentation' - The Economic TimesDenis McQuail provides a coherent and succinct account of the concept of 'media audience' in terms of its history and its place in present-day media theory and research. McQuail describes and explains the main types of audience and the main traditions and fields of audience research.Audience Analysis explains the contrast between social scientific and humanistic approaches and gives due weight to the view 'from the audience' as well as the view 'from the media'. McQuail summarizes key research findings and assesses the impact of new media developments, especially transnationalization and new interactive technology. The book concludes with an evaluation of the continued relevance of the audience concept under conditions of rapid media change. Audience Analysis provides both an overview of past research and a guide to current thinking.

Table of Contents

A Concept with a History

The Audience in Communication Theory and Research

Typologies of Audience

Questions of Media Reach

Principles of Audience Formation and Continuity

Audience Practices

Social Uses of the Media

Communicator - Audience Relations

The Audience in Flux

The Future of the Audience Concept