Affect theory and audience

The "affective turn" (Clough 2007) which has taken place in cultural studies over the last 15 years is progressively emerging in related fields of study, and seems likely to add a new dimension to audience research, even as it struggles with the rapid redefinition of its object as publics or, in some new media discourse, as users. To date, affect has been a category that has made more impact in media theory than in audience studies - in fact, affect theory has not yet been seriously adopted at all by audience research.