Analysts of the media industries frequently have emphasized the idea that the audience is a socially constructed phenomenon; that these industries define audiences in a particular way that tends to reflect their particular needs and interests; and that as a result, many significant dimensions of what it means to be part of the audience are neglected
To the extent that this is the case, when we talk about the evolution of audiences, we are essentially talking about the evolution of how they are perceived.
However, in moving beyond the fundamental notion of audiences as a socially constructed phenomenon, we need to devote more attention to questions such as: how do these social constructions of media audiences change over time?