Ailee mentioned in class the concept of producing media for itself and not for an audience, and gave the example of making films because filmmakers love the genre. Instinctively, I found that I didn’t think that media can exist without an audience, so I wanted to consider this idea of an audience-less media and see if I can find a counterexample or counterargument.

Take the example of art films, which are typically not made for mass market appeal, focus on aesthetic/visual goals, and/or fall outside mainstream standards and trends. However, these art films are still made with an audience in mind because they, as a form of media, must communicate some message. Even if the film is made out of the love of art, I would argue that the film is communicating the filmmaker’s love of the genre. Just because a film or a piece of media isn’t made to appeal to a specific audience doesn’t mean that it’s audience-less. Instead, the media, by virtue of existing as part of the process of communication, must reach some audience, somewhere.

Looking forward to digging further into the relationship between audiences and media next week – I think the ties between media and its audience when using media for a specific purpose (ex: political) and the audience’s role and influence on that media has many nuances to discuss.