The audience is an integral part of any media experience. Thus, the audience needs to be understood in the greater context of media production and consumption. There are three main ways in which audiences are perceived – as objects, as masses, and as agents. However, it is counterproductive to think of audiences as objects or masses if the goal is to engage them more strongly. The perception of audiences as objects or masses limits interaction with the audience because it regards them as objects to be controlled by the media's influence. Since this perspective assumes that the audience exists in a null state when not directly exposed to media and is only activated by such an interaction, it limits the media's reach. With engaging content, audiences may be stimulated by it even when they are not directly experiencing it, for example, organizing watch-parties and premiere events for media that is yet to be released. Thus, it is recommended that audiences are thought of as agents instead. Audiences with an agency that is, active audiences, direct their media use towards their specific goals. That creates more engagement with the media, as it is fuelled by personal interest. Furthermore, active audiences take the lead when it comes to linking the gratification of their needs with their media choices. That creates a situation where all audience members are active, and instead, it is the mass media providers that compete amongst each other to satisfy the audience's needs.
One such example of gratification-led media consumption is live blogs. Live blogs are an audience experience because their content is catered to a very specific niche of audience gratification. As such, the audience members themselves seek out live blog content and participate actively in the media provided for audience participation, leaving replies in the comment section, subscribing to the user, or sharing with others. Live blogs are blogs that provide event commentary as the event takes place. It can take place in the form of short and frequent updates or rolling textual coverage. Live blogs fill a niche in contemporary trends of news provision and journalism in that they fulfill a number of current trends sought from internet users and media consumers (Pantic, 2019). These trends are immediacy, interactivity, transparency, and user-generated content (Pantic, 2019).
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Live blogs form an audience experience because they allow the audience members to participate in a commentary on live events to address these new trends in media consumption and news delivery. Furthermore, live blogs feed into the new audience experience that has been brought on by widespread digitalization. As information and media become more available in the digital space, audiences are becoming more autonomous and more fragmented (Sullivan, 2013). Fragmentation has created a situation where there are smaller and more niche groups being created within audiences daily. This fragmentation is based not only on content but also on the media of preference. Those that prefer cable and satellite, for example, have become separated from those that prefer the internet. Furthermore, those preferring handheld internet devices have become separated from those preferring desktops and laptops, as different sites are optimized differently for media provision from device to device. The fragmentation of these audiences makes the use of anyone form of media-driven by audience experience because the choices available are varied, and audiences today must make a conscious choice to use one type over another. In this way, live blogs are an audience experience because they represent a specific and conscious choice by every audience member to choose using a live blog rather than a live stream or live radio coverage of the event.
Live blogs are the medium of choice for audience members for several reasons. One potential reason is the ease of access. For audiences that cannot stream a video or listen to live radio coverage for reasons such as volume, or their current location, live blogs are good choices. Live blogs also offer a more summarized version of events. Therefore, they are a medium of choice for audience members who have limited time to follow the event and prefer short updates. Live blogs are also the best choice for audience members who wish to be interactive with the news process, as they allow readers to engage with the content by asking questions or providing comments. Thus, the medium presents an audience experience in that it is a form of news that can be tailored to audience members’ particular needs as an alternative to more traditional news sources.
In summary, audience members are the best thought of as autonomous individuals with agency. That is becoming increasingly apparent as more and more media availability through the internet and digitalization creates more and more fragmented audiences. These fragmented audiences can search for and find niche media tailored to their interests and drive media engagement through their own emotional or intellectual investment. One example of media whose engagement is driven by the audience members' personal interests is live blogs. Live blogs provide updates of live events through short updates. This format is tailored to users who wish to interact with the news process, create user-driven content, need short summarized updates, or not be able to use traditional forms of live coverage. This audience's conscious choices to use live blogs as an alternative to traditional media asserts that live blogs are an audience experience.
References
Pantic, M. (2020).l ratifications of digital media what motivates users to consume live blogs. Media Practice and Education, 21 (2), 148-163
Sullvan, J. L. (2019). Media Audiences : Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power . New York: SAGE Publications
