STRANGER THINGS - LESSON 5: AUDIENCE

UK SOCIAL CLASSES:

NOSTALGIA MARKETING:
//There's a lot that can be taken away from the wild success of Stranger Things and the nostalgic, or 'throwback' products and entertainment that have emerged over the past few years.
//A study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Research discovered that people spend more money when they're feeling nostalgic. Because of this, there's been an increasingly popular trend among smart brands to engage in what's called Nostalgia Marketing.

MILLENNIAL PULL:
//The millennial generation now represents a quarter of the US population. This group also has an annual buying power of over $200Bn, yet it's still one of the most challenging generations for marketers to figure out.
//The series revived a plethora of nostalgic memories, especially of 80s movies like ET and the Goonies, but with fantastically fresh storytelling that instantly captivated millions of viewers and turned the series into an overnight cult classic.

SOCIAL MEDIA + STRANGER THINGS:
//Social media enabled fans to continue to immerse themselves in the series through conversational topics and hashtags:
#weareallbarb
#justiceforbarb
#worldupsidedown
//There was (and still is) a huge amount of participation in the Stranger Things world by ordinary consumers.

FANDOM OF STRANGER THINGS:
//The series has a strong online fanbase.
//Fans often create negotiated readings of the text.
//Fans as textual poachers - selecting parts of the text that appeal to them, and using them as the basis of their 'we-media' products (prosumers).
//Fans essential in the marketing/promotional process - their fan art etc. shared by the Stranger Things official social media accounts.

US AUDIENCES:
//Patriotic, little or zero interest in non-English speaking European nations; fear of/dislike of the 'other' (mainly Russia).
//US culture = rich cinematic history (e.g. Speilberg) many influences and illusions. Permits far-fetched narratives but must have successful conclusions.
//Republican / democratic split (liberal / Conservative)
//Generally shallow political knowledge beyond soundbites.

BANDURA MEDIA EFFECTS:

The representations in Stranger Things could influence people's beliefs and attitudes, e.g. toward different social groups such as gender, social class, ethnicity. For example the representation of male characters in positions of authority may reinforce patriarchal ideas about gender roles.

Stranger Things features some scenes of violence and aggressive behaviour (e.g. bullying) which could influence people's behaviour.

The application of Bandura's ideas draws attention to the importance of regulation, however it may result in  simplistic assumptions about the impact of  media representations.

Applications of bandura's theories to LFTVD may ignore the ways in which behaviours and values are framed critically within media texts, and the different ways in which audience members may engage with the meanings communicated.

GERBNER CULTIVATION THEORY:

Stranger Things reflects a range of social values in relation to areas such as gender roles and the family. It's depiction of social norms can be seen as an example of mainstreaming although the complexity of regulations and the different ways in which audiences may engage with these representations would arguably limit their impact upon the audience. Stranger Things potentially contributes to the mean world syndrome through it's depiction of the vulnerability of children, and it's representation of  sinister government conspiracies.

Gerbner's perspective is useful for considering the ways in which media products may shape audience attitudes over a period of time, and draws attention to the mainstreaming of values and attitudes.

Television watching is now much more fragmented than in the 1970s when Gerbner's studies took place, as a result the ability of television to cultivate attitudes and values through the repetition of similar messages to mass audiences has arguably been lessened. gerbner's views underestimate the diverse and contradictory nature of media representations, and does not consider the ways in which audience members (especially in the online age) can actively engage with media texts and reject the values and beliefs communicated.

HALL RECEPTION THEORY:

A range of preferred readings can be identified in Stranger Things. Consider the sequence that introduces the four boys followed by Will's disappearance. What elements are used to encourage the audience to sympathise with Will and fear for his safety? What different ways could the audience respond to this?

The encoding/decoding model is a useful way to break down how meaning is constructed in LFTVD, and the ways in which thise meanings are decoded and interpreted by audiences. It draws attention to the importance of identifying the ways in which elements such as technical codes and genre conventions are used by producers to contrast specific meanings and effects, and also highlights the active ways in which audiences engage with these meanings and accept, reject of modify them.

Hall's perspective focused on the communication pf one preferred reading, neglecting the possibility that the messages communicated in a media text may contain multiple or contradictory meaning. For example the representation of gender roles in episode one depicts a patriarchal society, however it is one which the power of male authority  figures (such as Hopper and Mr Wheeler) is arguably subverted. As a result there is not a single preferred reading in relation to gender, but multiple meanings which could be interpreted in multiple ways by the audience.

JENKINS FANDOM THEORY:

Stranger Things demonstrates the participatory nature of media audiences and the use of textual poaching. There is extensive evidence of fan culture for Stranger Things including fan art, fan fiction, and social media posts and interactions.

The 'Justice for Barb' meme is a good example of convergence culture as something which emerged from the audience. It arguably suggests the way in which fan culture can interact with media production, demonstrated in the season 2 storyline focused on Barb's parents which was a response to audience reactions to the character of Barb.

Social media also allows audiences to interact with actors, writers and producers. An example of this is the actor who plays Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) using instagram to respond to online fan discussions about the character's sexuality.

The success of Stranger Things may be partly down to it's spreadability. The use of intertextuality, retro styles, appealing character, and cast members active of social media all make it suited to the creation of shareable content.

Jenkin's ideas are useful for considering how audiences actively engage with media products across different platforms but does not support discussion of the ways in which meanings are constructed by producers of LFTVDs.

SHIRKY 'END OF AUDIENCE' THEORY:

Stranger Things fan culture demonstrates the different ways in which audiences engage actively with media products. The 'Justice for Barb' meme is an example of media audiences who 'speak back' to the media. The Stranger Things fan wiki is an example of cognitive surplus - people using their free time creatively to produce content.

To an extent the Netflix model is a shift away from the restricted nature of TV production, distribution and consumption.

Shirky's ideas are useful for identifying how new media technologies have changed the ways audiences engage with media products, and can become active producers themselves. It also draws attention to the different ways audiences consume and interact with media products. However Netflix and other distributors of LFTVDs, still act as gatekeepers following the 'filter thm publish' model.