One area of emphasis within the Public Communication doctoral program focuses on audience research. Work in this area examines audience members’ uses of and responses to texts from an individual and interpersonal level, and the associated social implications. Audiences can be conceptualized in a variety of ways. Audience research from a media effects perspective examines how mediated texts influence audience members, and how the social/interpersonal context of media exposure may modify this process. Research from the motivated audience perspective focuses on how and why audience members select and use different forms of media, including traditional forms of mass media and new technologies such as the Internet. Researchers who approach audiences from a market perspective (e.g., advertising and public relations) focus on the use of persuasive messages or media campaigns to change audience attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Researchers from a cultural studies perspective examine how audience members interpret media texts and use them within the context of their lives. Finally, the concept of audience can also be applied to an understanding of how individuals respond to texts delivered in non-mediated public contexts. Methodologically, much audience research uses quantitative social science methodology. Experimental and survey methods are commonly used in research that focuses on media effects, the motivated audience approach, and the marketing approach. Observational research is employed to examine how people use and respond to media messages. Content analysis is also used to document the content of media texts, on the assumption that uses and effects associated with media messages depend on the nature of the content. Researchers who take a cultural studies approach use qualitative methods that focus on individuals, notably ethnography, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. Affiliated faculty include Jaye Atkinson, Arla Bernstein, Yuki Fujioka, Cynthia Hoffner, Marian Meyers, Merrill Morris, Mary Ann Romski, and Holley Wilkin. |
