How online media has changed consumer behaviour and audience response over time?

How online media has changed consumer behaviour and audience response over time?

Online media has changed consumer behaviour and audience response over time through the development of web 1.0 to web 2.0, passive to active consumption, globalization and democratization of the media. Theorists that show how online media has changed the consumer behaviour and audience response are; Marshall McLuhan, who says that media has been shaped from how we receive and understand information into three different steps of Tribal Era, Gutenburg Age and Electronic Age of retribalised man. Then Chris Anderson says in the Long Tail Theory that our culture and economy are increasingly shifting away from relatively small main stream products and markets towards a huge number of niche markets.

Online media has changed consumer behaviour and audience response over time through web 1.0 to web 2.0, as traditionally media forms included TV and Radio which were passive as the consumer just received the information they were told with no interactivity with the programmes or channels. This was then developed to web 2.0 the new media forms of internet and online TV which were more active for the consumer as they could pick and choose which website they want to go on or what programme to watch when they want. This development of web 2.0 has changed consumer behaviour as it means they have become more interactive with what they consume and how they choose to do so through whichever media form. Also web 2.0 means that now the audience expect more from websites or TV as they want to be more interactive and active with what they consume, so they expect the TV programme or channels to offer them more than they had before. The development of web 2.0 and how it is more active than the previous web 1.0 shows how it agrees with the Uses and Gratification theory that we as audiences are more active as consumers as we are able to pick up what media we consume, therefore our expectations are higher as we want the media forms to produce products that the consumers want.

Online media has changed consumer behaviour and audience response over time through the change from passive to active consumption. An example of the different theories as to whether we as consumers are active or passive are the Uses and Gratification theory of 1960s which suggests we are active, or the Hypodermic Needle Model which suggest we are passive. Our behaviour as a consumer has changed as we become more active as the uses and gratifications theory states. Blumer and Katz expanded this theory in 1974, suggesting a series of possible reasons why audience member might consume a media text, these were separated into four main points; Personal relationships, Diversion, Personal Identity and Surveillance. These have changed the audiences response and consumer behaviour because as consumers we expect to relate to the media form by interacting with its information. In comparison the Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that we as consumers are still passive and that information in the media messages are injected into the consumer. This relates to the the theory by Marshall McLuhan who suggests that in the Tribal Era consumers received information/entertainment/media forms verbally therefore making it narrative based, so the audience would not question the information they received.