'End of audience' theories - Clay Shirky

Question 1

What does Clay Shirky believe about audiences?

Answer 1

They are no longer passive

Question 2

Instead of audiences being passive, what does Clay Shirky believe about audiences?

Answer 2

He believes that audiences are now a lot more active, wanting to interact with the media

Question 3

Why does Clay Shirky believe that passive audiences no longer exist?

Answer 3

Because technology has changed our expectations and behaviour - we expect a level of interaction with our products, to be able to like them, etc.

Question 4

Why would Clay Shirky suggest that physical newspaper and magazine sales are declining?

Answer 4

Because audiences don’t want to just read the magazine/newspaper, they like to be able to go online and interact - they prefer digital versions because we are more active audiences

Question 5

What is the danger if websites such as The Times and Daily Mirror don’t offer interaction on their websites

Answer 5

Audiences are likely to go elsewhere

Question 6

What does Clay Shirky believe that audiences like to do to producers of media?

Answer 6

“Speak back” - we don’t want to be kept separate from them anymore

Question 7

What does Clay Shirky mean when he says that audiences like to “speak back” to producers?

Answer 7

We don’t want to be kept separate from them anymore - we want interaction with them instead of waiting for them to send us things. We can tell them what we like/don’t like on social media

Question 8

Why is there less of a hierarchy between the consumer and producer in the 21st century where the producer had much more power?

Answer 8

We used to have to wait for them to send us things but because of social media we can interact with the producers, tell them what we like/dislike, etc. Because of technology audiences are beginning to get more power too