The Uses
and Gratification Theory
This is a
popular approach to understanding mass communication and places more focus on
the audience instead of the actually message itself by asking “What people do
with media” rather than “What media does to people”. It assumes that the
audience are taking an active role in integrating media into their lives. The theory
states that the audience are responsible for meeting their needs with the media
they choose and this approach suggests that specific gratifications are met
with the use of media. It also implies that media competes for the viewer’s
gratification.
It is suggested
that, when we choose a form of media, that the theory has to fulfil one of the
following:
·
Identify – being able to recognise the product
or person in front of you, role models which reflect similar values to yours,
aspiration to be someone else.
·
Educate – being able to acquire information,
knowledge and understanding.
·
Entertain – You should receive enjoyment from
the product which you’re consuming, and some form or escape from reality;
allowing us to temporarily forget our problems.
·
Social Interaction – The ability for a topic of conversation
to be started about different media products (e.g. talking about a new album
which has come out).
Application of the theory to the
internet
·
Search engines such as Bing and Google give us
the ability to search for anything on the internet and allow us to identify
more people and products. Websites such as YouTube allow music to benefit
greatly from the amount of views on music videos available.
·
Factual websites or interactive encyclopaedias
such as Wikipedia allow us to learn anything which is available.
·
YouTube is a prime example of a website which
keeps people entertained while on the internet.
·
Social networking sites and blogs such a
Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr allow us to socialise with other people when
online.
·
The internet allows us to forget about our
troubles and worries when online with the huge amount of media which is
available to keep us happy, entertained and distracted.
Criticism
People criticise
the theory and claim that we are not in control of the media and what it
produces. It is seen as being ‘too kind to media’. The theory leaves out the negative effects of
the media on our lives and how it can influence our views in a bad way. The theory that media is solely to fulfil
gratifications doesn’t exclude the notion that the media can control today’s
society. Media can be seen as manipulative such as the news on television. and
in the newspaper (newspapers are usually biased). However this theory seems to
be more relevant to today’s society as the internet and Freeview/satellite television
allow us to be in more control of what we consumed in comparison to the
analogue television and pre-internet days.