VCR use and the concept of audience activity

The audience experience with home video cassette recorders (VCRs) is examined from the perspective of the active audience concept. Based on interviews and mail questionnaires with a representative sample of Israeli VCR owners, the study finds that the orientation of VCR users to this new technology can be characterized as selective, somewhat involved, and generally productive of gratifications. Moreover, the kinds and levels of activity associated with VCR use are found to be modestly consistent across the communication sequence. Implications for the conceptualization and measurement of audience activity are also discussed.

Key concepts:

• Video cassette recorder
• VCR
• audience
• active
• gratifications
• media use
• communication technology