Mass Media, Decline of

Audience Fragmentation

Audience fragmentation is often described as the process through which large, heterogeneous audiences are divided into smaller groups who consume specialized media content from an increasing array of media outlets. Today's overall audience is not smaller but is far more divided up among a vast range of individual media, outlets, and messages. In turn, some scholars argue that the [Page 877]audience is becoming less “mass.” For example, prior to the onset of cable television, there were but three national networks (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC) from which to choose. During this period—well into the 1960s at least—the term mass audience indicated a vast and heterogeneous group of people, consuming more or less the same television content at the same time, and thus sharing a similar viewing experience. Four decades later, however, with the growth of cable and satellite television, the number of video entertainment and news choices has skyrocketed, thereby making it increasingly difficult for any single message to capture a mass audience. Furthermore, relative to broadcast television and radio, entertainment and news content on the Internet operates in an environment that is especially conducive to audience fragmentation.

Specialized Media Content

As our media options multiply, many of them are becoming increasingly specialized in content. At the start of the twenty-first century, we are witnessing a transition where legacy broadcasting is being supplemented and may be replaced by narrowcast services, where specialized media content attracts a smaller and more specific audience demographic. For example, cable television has entertainment channels that appeal specifically to African Americans (e.g., BET), sports fans (e.g., ESPN), and preschoolers (e.g., PBS Kids Sprout), among others. Cable news service has grown increasingly specialized as well, with CNN offering 24-hour news coverage, C-SPAN covering the U.S. Congress and related hearings, and Fox News known for its more conservative coverage. The Internet, even more than cable television, provides a seemingly infinite number of media choices, both entertainment and news, targeting highly specialized audiences.

Content Customization

Perhaps more than any other mass communication technology, the Internet makes a seemingly unprecedented amount of content available to the user. At the same time, the Internet offers the user more control over both content creation and selection (let alone time of use) and typically does so at little or no cost to the average person. Thus, not only does the Internet's sheer volume of specialized online content further fragment audiences, but it also offers the user the possibility to create their own messages (via blogs, message boards, personal websites, and so on), thereby giving the user an extraordinary level of control. At the same time, the Internet and other technological advancements (e.g., iPods, heavily featured cellphones) allow for an exceptional level of user customization. The Internet, for example, affords users the ability to personalize their online news services to receive only those items that conform with their preferences. Furthermore, most online news websites include features (e.g., menu, hyperlinks to related stories, searchable archives of content) that enable users to locate further information to suit their individual needs. This huge menu of service options often renders it easier for the user to seek specific issues online than in legacy news media outlets.

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