Couldry has found different theoretical explorations of understanding the ‘Extended Audience’. Through ‘audience research,’ he has found conceptualised audiences through the use of media, and to understand how and why an audience tends to evolve over time. Couldry determines these findings through existing audiences of today through his theories and also by understanding Abercrombie and Longhurst’s three categorization of audiences, through the classification of the “simple audience” growing into a “mass audience” which later evolves into the “diffused audience.” (Reader, p187).
Couldry describes the audience as a “diffused audience” due to the fact that media use is “everywhere”, “not just audiences.” (reader, p187). through my understanding, media use for me is at home with the computer and my television, and my use of the iphone on the train or anywhere else. And as i dont realize it, the “diffused audience” also appears on streets, train stations, pubs and clubs where media can be accessed such as the television showing news and current affairs or maybe Big Brother or ‘So you think you can dance’ allowing people to vote and make a change.
Couldry then recognises the immediate participation of the audience to “perform”, through “audience-hood” (Reader, p185) through the mundane use of media in everyday life has become an “intrusion of media in everyday life.”(reader, p186), therefore, becoming “ritualised” (Couldry 2003, p2) into a lifestyle making people “performers”.
i dont realise it, but i do have an urge to ‘perform’ through the media. when i am on facebook, my firend sends me a comment asking me “how are you?” this is read by almost everyone if they are frIends with us. i have to then reply back.
