User:ScholarDD/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Audience Theory

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

While the class has not directly touched on Audience Theory – at least not works from James Webster relating to said theory – the class has discussed different media theories regarding people and their interaction with media.

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)

Information in the article stayed on topic to Audience theory. While James Webster’s theory was the baseline theory mentioned, the article references research that builds upon Webster’s work, including literature from Stuart Hall, Herbert Blumer, and Richard Hoggart. Most research presented or referenced are from Western POV. While the argument can be made that most audiences possess these traits, there may be traits unique to different demographics that affect their interaction with certain media. Thus, it is possible that Western or American viewpoints are overrepresented in discussion involving Audience Theory. Recent literature referenced includes Webster’s work in 2014, or Stroud’s work in 2011 regarding News media.

The article is neutral. No claim seems particularly biased for a certain position, and any opinions a particular institution or group of scholars may possess are acknowledged.

Online sources that are cited are still available through the link, provided that the reader has access to them – either through their institution or by subscribing to those journals. Additionally, the sources are reliable and relevant to Audience theory, as all the sources used are academic, and belong to an academic journalist institution.

There are no images or diagrams present in the article. While some concepts have their own Wikipedia entry, the article could have still included in either visual diagrams to accompany concepts, or showcase media that best exemplify a specific aspect of Audience theory. For example, a visual could have been shown to illustrate 1960s’ marketing strategies. Or accompany a specific part of the theory, such as the Social network analysis (SNA) or Uses and gratification theory.

This article was made by a student editor; the article was within the academic discipline of Communication Studies. The article is currently not a part of any Wikiproject, though I find this page to be a sufficient overview for someone looking to brief themselves on the theory and the literature on it. Unfortunately, there is no discussion in the talk page.

Overall though, the article gives a nice general overview of Audience theory. It touches base on significant literature relating to the theory, such as Stuart Hall and Herbert Blumer.

Strengths include the connection of other works that discuss audience’s interactions with media that also build on each other. References to other works are not used to make conclusions about a particular phenomenon, so no assumption is being made as well. There is also clear acknowledgment of how the theory has changed – in the Audience as an Outcome section, the section starts off by acknowledging how scholars slowly changed their thought regarding 1950s media effects.

Primary weakness is that there are not a diverse voice – most scholars in this field seem to be Western-oriented. The article can acknowledge how differing audiences react to different types of media, though this could also be considered off-topic. Lack of diagrams and imagery – some concepts may have a diagram, or having a diagram would help better illustrate a concept.

Article seems well-developed overall. Article links to other concepts that are used to further the discussion on Audience theory, and each section’s overview is sufficient to gain a broad understanding of the theory.