Chapter 3 wrap-up

You have now finished Chapter 3.

We ended this chapter with a focus on news consumption, and you heard from two students about their experiences of being a news consumer today.

What does our news consumption case study tell us about audiences more generally?

• Audience practices are unique to the individual and embedded in everyday life
• However, there are trends that can be observed – individuals share their practices, motivations, and experiences with other audience members
• We should never make assumptions about audiences, what they do, why they do it, or how media effects them (more on this in Chapter 7!)
• We can avoid making assumptions by collecting evidence about audiences – from reflecting on our own experiences to interviewing, surveying, or observing others.

In the next chapter, we’ll begin to consider how communicators make meaning – and engage their audiences – through signs and stories.

Chapter 3 References

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