The Mass Audience by James Webster (9780805823059)

Description - The Mass Audience by James Webster

In the early 20th century, the audience was seen as a mass of people, mostly unknown to one another, that was unified through exposure to media. This concept is now accepted. This book looks into the meaning of "audience". Media scholars have qustioned the utility of the mass audience concept, characterizing it as insensitive to differences among audience members, arguing that it serves only a narrow set of industrial interests. The authors of this volume offer the opinion that these assertions are often false and unwarranted either by the historical record or by contemporary industrial practice. They argue for a rediscovery of the dominant model by summarizing and critiquing the body of literature on audience behaviour, and by demonstrating different ways of analysing mass audiences. They present a framework for understanding the future of the audience in the new media environment, and suggest how the concept of mass audience can illuminate research on media effects, cultural studies, and media policy.

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