When thinking about audiences, there are a couple of basic things to consider:

- AUDIENCE PROFILE (Who ARE the audience?)

- AUDIENCE GRATIFICATION (What do the audience get from this particular text or genre or whatever?)

- AUDIENCE EFFECTS (How does this text / genre / whatever affect the audience?)

How do these ideas apply specifically to comics?

Firstly, audience profile. Who is this comic aimed at?



It's probably not that hard to work out! How much use were DEMOGRAPHICS to you? What about PSYCHOGRAPHICS? Knowing who the audience is, can you make any points about how effective the design is, what gratifications are being offered, the istitution, the expectations you would have of representations and so on?

Try this one.



Again, it's probably relatively easy to work out who this is aimed at, but take it further. Can you identify a useful profile for this audience? Can you apply PSYCHOGRAPHICS (which would then produce useful information for those who might wish to advertise in your comic!) How is this audience defined? Age, gender, hobby, by genre-interest, education level, income...? Are they likely to be very knowledgeable about a certain genre (AFICIONADOS)?

Last one, this time from the wonderful world of COMIX (the term used to describe alternative, underground comics):



Obviously, a different audience again. How are they being targeted? Who are they? What gratifications are they being offered? Is this an ALTERNATIVE title, appealing to a SUBCULTURE as opposed to the more MAINSTREAM appeals of, say, the Disney comic above?

TASK: How are different audiences targeted by comics? You may refer to the examples below if you wish.




Finally, be aware that there are other issues beyond identifying and attracting an audience. One of the biggest issues debated in and about the media is whether it has an effect on the audience (eg - do violent computer games create violent people?) SInce comics are often aimed at a young, supposedly vulnerable, audience, they have often been the source of controversy. Look here for general notes on audience effects and here for some ideas about how the comic book industry has attempted to regulate themselves with respect to their supposed effect on their audience (look towards the end of the presentation.)

You can use your audience theory here. For example, the common belief that watching (say) violent movies leads viewers to be violent seems to depend on a very simple TRANSMISSIONAL model of how the media works - that is, the HYPODERMIC NEEDLE MODEL, which (as you know) is widely seen as being hugely simplistic. Do we need a more sophisticated approach? Did the media affect YOU? Would you let the Year 7 students read Frank Miller's Sin City?

INDEPENDENT LEARNING:

Do you believe that the media can have an effect on its audience? How would you regulate the content of comics?