The key concepts of Audience and Institution

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Today you need to go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9. Read the article and complete the following tasks:

1) What was the relationship between audience and institution in the pre-digital age?

The relationship between audiences and institutions were, a lot simpler than what it is now. There was a one way flow of media where the economically powerful institutions, distribute packaged media products to carefully defined audience members. This accentuates the strong dominance that institutions held in comparison to the audience, who had not much opportunity for democracy in terms of media production and conveyed ideologies.

The mail online- receives more money as the reader stays on the website longer. The story and features keep the reader much more engaged. 

2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.

   Facebook has bought the virtual

reality technology Oculus Rift; one potential benefit for audiences is that it allows users to ‘attend’ and ‘experience’ events without leaving their own homes.

Google now owns YouTube, and has revolutionised the way we access music and moving-image entertainment and information.

Amazon, Netflix and Yahoo now create, produce and ‘broadcast’ theirown TV shows, such as Transparent, Orange is the New Blackand Community.

3) The article ends with a section on the digital age. Summarise this section in 50 words.

Traditional media institutions are having to adapt to survive. It is clear that not all traditional media forms, outlets or institutions will be able to maintain their place in the media marketplace. As audiences reject traditional TV programming, newspapers and cinema exhibition, the only thing we know for sure about the future is that institutions will continue to come up with increasingly sophisticated and creative ways to try to find and attract an audience.

4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?

I think that humans should be credited to a certain extent, and that we will come up with innovative techniques to inspire others, with content that is more relevant to us, rather than just the elite.I believe that we can break out of our hegemonic society if we tried hard enough.