American Idol: Understanding the Complexities of a Media Audience

I hate to admit this, but I have been addicted to American Idol this season. I am not typically like this. Now don't get me wrong--I do enjoy watching TV, but I don't see it as a scheduled part of my day. When American Idol first came out ten years ago, I watched the first two seasons pretty religiously and then I just got bored or busy or something like that. But here I am, in my late twenties, and I'm sucked in again.

Now the interesting thing about American Idol is when it gets down to the last ten people or so. The judges clearly develop favorites, as do the hoards of pre-teens all over the country. This is where it gets interesting.

Last week one of the favorites--Pia Toscano--was voted off. Everyone was in an uproar. The judges looked like they were going to fall over or cry, the audience booed, and the jaws of millions of Americans around the country hung open. Why was this such a surprise? Well, for one, this was the first time Pia had been in the bottom three. Secondly, she seemed like the complete package--she had the looks, the voice, etc.

After Pia was voted off, people all over the country started sounding off on Twitter and Facebook. People were outraged! Yes, outraged over the voting results of a singing contest. A wide-range of celebrities--Ellen DeGeneres, Snooki (I hesitate to count her, but I will), Jennifer Hudson--used social media outlets to express their outrage. But what people don't understand is that the adults who are complaining aren't the ones voting!

Who's voting? Teenagers! I watch American Idol every single week and have yet to cast a vote even though I have my own favorites. Why? Because I don't care that much. I enjoy watching the show, but I understand that the winner doesn't always have a successful music career and the talented ones who "lose" often fare better.

Pia, undoubtedly, is a talented singer and will more than likely have a successful career. Those who are complaining about her elimination don't understand that the teenagers who make up the majority of the voting population aren't voting for who they want to win at this stage of the game--they're voting for who they don't want to get voted off next week. And, yes, it is a popularity contest in a sense, and teenagers want to see contestants who are a little different--who have a personality. Pia seemed safe, but the problem is that teenagers (and these are mostly female teenagers) aren't inclined to vote for the contestant who comes off like a beauty pageant contestant. They don't want nice, they don't want the complete package--teenagers aren't record producers--they want someone a little spunky and a little flawed.

Okay, so what does this have to do with media literacy and this class? It shows the importance of audience and understanding and analyzing the purpose of forms of media that are used for entertainment.   It is mainly adults sounding off about this elimination, and yet my feeling is that these same people probably didn't vote. If you're going to analyze a popular media machine, you have to understand who the audience is and the relationship with that audience. That is an integral part of media analysis that cannot be overlooked.