Qualitative Audience Research and Transnational Media Effects

Abstract

Some years ago reception analysis and similar types of qualitative audience research had been welcomed as a new `paradigm' in the whole discussion on media meaning, functions and impact. A crucial case, on which several scholars focused, dealt with the issue of the impact of transnational media, emphasizing the active participation of the receiver in the consumption process. These studies have been reconceptualizing existing theories and arguments in international communication, media imperialism and cultural dominance. Recently the qualitative audience approaches have been labelled as `revisionist', `relativist' and even `postmodernist'. In this article we evaluate the contribution of the approach to the whole debate on the cross-cultural impact by transnational media. The central argument is that the (theoretical) debaters on both sides of the spectrum (defenders and opponents) have not adequately considered (1) the intrinsic information value of the approach and (2) the diversity and ambiguities of the concrete studies themselves.