TV Audience Study: Audience Ethnography - Research Paper Example

TV Audience Research: audience ethnography s Submitted by s: Introduction The TV industry is in the middle of a period of intense change in regard to technology and the economy, and the audiences are becoming more fragmented across an increasing variety of delivery platforms. Delivery of television programming through the internet to computers and mobile devices such as tablets has experienced rapid development together with other platforms like the on demand video systems and the traditional delivery through cable/broadcast/satellite (Pillkahn, 2008, p. 150). Increased bandwidth and reduced barriers of entry linked to most of these methods of delivery means that the variety of content options that can be accessed by the viewer has increased intensely too. In a setting that is characterized by this form of increased audience fragmentation, the traditional business model associated with the selling audiences based on magnitude and demographics becomes harder to execute especially for the content providers who are more concerned with distributing audience attention. The average person spends almost five hours each day in front of a screen even if the television set has not been turned on. More attention in the present times has been directed at smartphones, computers as well as tablets leading to the question of what can be considered as television watching. It can be considered that people are now watching more television programming from increasing variety of devices and platforms as the traditional TV along with Cable–network can now be accessed online through streaming services such as Netflix or sold so that they can be watched on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The time spent watching television by adults has slightly reduced. The high numbers of mobile devices as well as the multitasking capabilities they come with have created changes that have made people favor watching television shows on their mobile devices rather than on television (Gupta and Brooks, 2013, p. 32). Regardless of the fact that audiences have been gravitating in the direction of digital platforms and social networks, in most of the instances, the popular content originates from the larger entertainment companies. Media companies are developing applications that will provide digital access to its shows, for example, MTV and Comedy Central programs are accessible to authenticated viewers who register online. This report seeks to understand the television watching rhythms and habits of international students living in Australia and the theories associated with them. Theory The uses and gratifications theory is a methodology of understanding the reasons and manner in which people go after particular media in the quest to satisfy particular needs (Fourie, 2001, p. 297). This methodology is audience centered that aims at understanding mass communication. Various patterns of media use in urban settings are associated with media gratification procedures, but the association of media use to the needs of the people who use it is an intricate endeavor. Televisions, newspapers as well as books are considered as the most supportive media sources in regard to the gratification of needs while radios, magazines and movies are considered as being less supportive. The utilization of media is generally linked to their apparent usefulness; nonetheless, the usage of media is not clearly linked to the expressed needs of the members of the audience (Bostrom, 2012, p. 48). The media is seen as creating two classifications of books and films as opposed to radio, television as well as newspapers. This form if contrast seems to be based on the content as well as the level of availability and accessibility. In the last two decades, the audiences have become more dormant by a progressively heavy prominence on the notion of an active or playful audience. This underscores the diversity in regard to interpretation, the significance of the manner in which programmes are processed in talks concerning media the expertise the audience has in their critic of what they hear and the tenacious referencing of television to everyday life, adopts a model of a playful or active audience (Wilson, 2004). In an setting that is ever more umpired, play is the most precise way of accounting for the processes associated with media audiences who conduct themselves in various, unpredictable and complicated ways based on the context. Play blends all of the contradictions together developing a structure that is concurrently beneficial and comprehensive. This paper seeks to grasp the relationship that exists between the material dimensions of television technology and how they are connected on a textual level. In doing so, it aims at demonstrating the evolving dynamics and the articulation of individuals in the networked media natural balance. Method The method that was used in collection information for this research was observation. Two flat mates, Stella Kim from Korea and Tim Wong, from china, were observed for a total of twenty one hours over a period of three weeks and their television consumption habits recorded in a log that was later used to inform the final report. The observation mainly took place in their place of residence after consent had been sought from them. The observation was carried out in their own residence so that subjects could be comfortable in their own environment and remain natural. Findings A typical evening for the subjects who were observed confirms the structural use of the television as they turn in on habitually and use it as a regulator of time. Usually the news preambles the beginning of the evening and is in most of the cases integrated in to dinner time as simply having the television on in the background is enough for them. Even though the television still dominates the interaction of the flat mates with the media, smartphones and tablets are incorporated into the routines of the evening as in most of the days, both subjects of the observation turned on their tablets or engaged on their smartphones when they arrived home. Even though they switch on the television in their flat, they are not television-oriented as they do not concentrate on the broadcasted programs and thus do not require the television as a companion. The flat mates watched videos and music on their tablets and smartphones in between cooking and other chores in the house as some of the chores are carried out away from the living area where the television is located. Even when the subjects sat on the sofa in front of the television, other screens in the form of their smartphones and tablets still occupied them. The role of the television in this case as being either a primary or secondary is dependent on the content that the audience wishes to consume. When seated in the living area the respondents have their smaller screens especially the tablet within their reach notwithstanding if they are they are alone to with other people. These gadgets are used to avoid being glued to the television content that they have no interest in. The switch to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has been the biggest trend in the past few years especially among the people who are aged between sixteen and twenty four years whose percentage ownership is almost eighty percent which is more than fifty percent higher than the entire population (Smith, 2013, p. 160). The use of tablets which was initially concentrated among the people who were older and wealthier is becoming more common among young users and forty percent of the people who are under the age of eighteen in homes that have a tablet utilize it each day. When age groups are considered, the younger the age group the less the interest in news with the older populations is interested in news as compared to the people between eighteen and twenty four. The subjects that were observed mainly preferred to interact with media from either their smartphones or tablets and less on the television. In the observation of everyday television watching of two flat mates for twenty one hours over a period of three weeks, a broad view of television watching including watching movies, the use of the television as background noise and watching recorded shows from different devices. It was clearly seen that in numerous occurrences of the characteristic perception of television temporality, friends relaxed in a group in front of the TV were absorbed in a story. Television watching patterns also involve people time-shifting so that they can-adjust broadcast rhythms to their personal schedules. In some instances, the viewing of television is made more plastic through using technology like digital video recorders as well as the choice of content to be watched. This goes against the conventional notion that television is a passive medium that creates couch potatoes. Literature that addresses the impact of television identifies harmful effects such as addiction, obesity as well as loss of social capital. Televisions as present in a huge percentage of homes in Australia as well as in public areas and is a general component of domestic life that has been actively crafted, managed and integrated in domestic chores, leisure and numerous unclassifiable activities that are in between. Additionally, the young people are getting news in way that are different predominantly through disregarding the print media with people between seventeen and thirty four having rarely read a newspaper in a years’ time (Richards, 2011, p. 116). Majority of the young people prefer to go online when seeking news items compared to a small number that still considers television as the main source of news (Thussu, 2007, p. 16). Even though the young people do not favor reading through print media, they prefer the print publishers on the internet as a good percentage of them read newspapers through the internet. The young people have higher likelihood to pay for online news and even though only a small number has done it, there is still a possibility that this number might increase. Discussion It has almost become evident that the use of social media is mainly concentrated in the younger population even though this assumption is not always true (Silbereisen and Chen, 2010, p. 227). Even though the younger age groups use social media a lot, people between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five are also regular users of social media. Social media has developed to be among the main competitors for young people’s time while also being one of the best ways of finding consumable media and more than a third of the people who are below the age of thirty obtain their news from social media. An increasing number of young people prefer to watch video rather than television and almost all the young people have accessed a video over the internet at one time or the other. The number of hours that people especially the young are spending watching television is .has considerably reduced as they now prefer to watch online videos. The videos that are watched online include video on demand services both on computers and tablets even though videos that are shorter are more common among the audiences that are younger. The media companies have taken notice of this trend and companies such as the 21st Century Fox have made huge investments that are aimed at reaching the millennial population that does not favor the traditional television. The young people are becoming more diverse and impulsive even though they demonstrate more willingness towards adopting digital media products as compared to developing an interest in the traditional media. Social media along with online videos have become the dominant forms of media as far as the short attention spans of the younger consumers are concerned. Therefore, the media businesses with plans of being successful must find content that meets the expectations of this section of the population. Digital technologies have provided for new temporalities of in regard to media consumption and in divergence to the traditional perspective of TV use rhythms are crucial in influencing TV viewing. Additionally, there is a flexibility and as well as openness in the patterns of television viewing. This flexibility and the rhythms of watching TV co-exist and cumulatively develop a qualitative involvement in regard to TV viewership. Television is a typical example of media consumption that has been technologized and in the traditional setting; it possessed a fixed temporal structure that was laid out by the broadcast schedule. Emergent technology like set-top boxes and on-demand services provide increased flexibility in these time-based systems. Different patterns of television watching involve varying levels of engagement as well as different ways of accessing programming (Pollock, 2013, p. 164). For example, watching videos is done with greater convenience as compared to watching shows through broadcast or cable television. In essence, time-shifting allows more engagement and mindfulness during the process of watching television. Observation showed that some of the TV viewership is monotonous and recurring as it depends on temporal systems that include weekly show schedules as well as work weeks with repetitive systems. Even though this repetitive nature is often considered as a routine, patterns of situated activities can be identified in reaction to numerous rhythms in the lives of the flat mates who were being observed (Seiter, 1998). These rhythms develop based on the actions that take place within and outside their places of residence (Gauntlett and Hill, 1999). Probable watching patterns are situated in rhythms that are subject to change and can be negotiated, altered, and strengthened by the actions of the people who are being observed. Regardless of the significance of rhythms in domestic life, random temporalities remain embedded in daily lives and therefore, television may be watched in an opportunistic and ad hoc manner. Television provides for this form of use through making content instantly available to occupy the unoccupied spaces of time. Television has always been synonymous with this capacity in the sense that, regardless of the time that it is switched on, there is a broad range of programs that can be watched notwithstanding their quality. Part of the success that can be attributed to the success of the DVR is that it allows people to access shows that they prefer with increased additional routine flexibility since it allows opportunistic playback or contents that have been recorded. Videos are considered as not being plastic as they are immersive and at first glance, watching television may be considered as an anti-plastic activity. Television shows run for a specific length of time and if a person moves away from the television, the show will continue even without the viewer if the viewer does not have the luxury of a DVR. Even with the capability to fast-forward, televisions are crafted to keep the user engaged and immersed at the very and this is sensible in terms of product placement and other forms of advertising. The flat mates that were observed made television look more plastic through choosing specific programs and watching television through home entertainment companies. Plastic technology can be able to shrink or expand time and occupy time spaces that become available randomly. Television can be made more plastic through using time-shifting technologies to squeeze the amount of time that it takes to watch the show so that it can fit into the window of opportunity as well as the desire. The most popular manner to do this is through the use of DVR in recording television shows and then skipping the advertisement parts while going through the rest of the recording. Some people record programs so that they can go through them faster and watch only the parts they consider as being interesting. Conclusion The use of media is best forecasted by demographic variables such as age, education as age and is linked to apparent usefulness in a very clear pattern. Books as well as films together with journals are preferred by the people who have a considerably higher level of education, the upper and middle class and the young. These three forms of media and their use is strongly linked with their apparent usefulness. Radio and television are preferred by the elder together with the relatively less educated members of society and there is some association between the usage of these two forms of media and their apparent usefulness (Kippax and Murray, 1980, p. 353). Nevertheless, the importance of need is not a good forecaster of media use with the exception of when entertainment needs are being considered. For those that consider movies and videos to be important, these forms of media will not only address the needs of the viewer, but will also be a source of gratification. Bibliography Bostrom, R. 2012, Communication Yearbook 8, Taylor and Francis, Hoboken. Fourie, P. 2001, Media studies, Juta, Lansdowne. Gauntlett, D. and Hill, A. 1999, TV living. Routledge in association with the British Film Institute, London. 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