Why is it important to determine an author’s intended audience?
First, if you are not among those in the intended audience, you may need
to do some extra work in order to understand the material.
Second, if you are doing research, you can decide whether material on the
topic is written for the “audience” you are part of.
Third, knowing who the audience is gives you insight into the author’s
purpose, his or her reason for writing. This allows you to evaluate whether
or not that purpose was accomplished.
Perhaps the most important reason for you to become aware of the
importance of audience is that it can make you a better writer: you will
learn to shape your message to your intended audience, and this will
enable you to communicate your message more effectively.