Science & Medicine; Communication & Media
Media Studies 2.0? Binge Drinking and Why Audiences Still Matter
By , Monash University (November 2007)
Sections: Science & Medicine, Communication & Media
Subjects: Sociology of Media, Sociology, Sociology of Culture and Media, Sociology of Popular Culture.
Key Topics: social issues, policy, health .
Abstract
The idea of ‘audience’ no longer appears to suit media studies. Conceiving the public as sponges for information and entertainment may have worked in the television age. But not so the computer, mobile phone, iPod era. Increasingly, it appears that the public amuse and inform themselves, using media to create and circulate their own content. This presents media scholars with a considerable challenge, as outlined in David Gauntlett's announcement of ‘Media Studies 2.0’. One goal of the new discipline is to dispense with ‘audience’ as a meaningful category. This essay will argue that this is a rhetorical shift only possible because of audience research. Additionally, in describing a study of young student drinkers, the essay will argue that traditional, ‘receiver’ definitions of audience offer an important means for the public to enter policy debates on binge culture. Abandoning audience thus also means ignoring media issues that the public feel are important.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00040.x
This article abstract has been viewed 3308 times.
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