USES AND GRATIFICATIONUSES AND GRATIFICATION

Zeeshan QasimZeeshan Qasim

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

Uses and gratifications, also known as usage and gratifications or needs and gratifications, is not a single approach but a body of approaches to media analysis that developed out of many varied experimental studies, begins in the mid 20th century

Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz devised their Uses and Gratifications Model in 1974

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF USES AND GRATIFICATION USES AND GRATIFICATION

THEORYTHEORY In the beginning, it was only the media holding the top place and

kept on suppressing the public about its gratifications -- and then came mass media, suddenly, out of the blue some sociologists dreamed up a theory of the foundation behind the use of  media and the resulting gratifications of its users, and vice versa.  To make a long story short, the Uses and Gratifications Theory evolved

Over the past 100 years communication theories have developed through the disciplines of psychology and sociology

The Uses and Gratifications Theory developed from the Functionalist Theory by well-known sociologist researchers, including Jay Blumler and Elihu Katz

The functionalist paradigm seemed to insist on media effects towards people, such as the frequently used model of the "hypodermic needle" or a "bullet" aimed at a passive audience (Severin and Tankard, 1997)

This model was used by practitioners from the 1920's to the 1940's, but a shift occurred during the middle of the 20th century that lead mass media gurus to further develop and understand the notion of Uses and Gratifications

FOUR AREAS OF GRATIFICATIONSFOUR AREAS OF GRATIFICATIONS

Escapism — a media text which provides escapism. When a media text temporarily partially covers one's senses. For example playing a video game

Personal relationships — People create personal relationships with the characters in a media text, they start to feel they know them. For example, if one trusted a news reporter too much they may take everything they say at face value and not question it, this trust could then be abused

Personal identity — When a person creates part of their own identity from things they find attractive in people from media texts, for example someone may have a haircut because they liked the look of a similar one in a magazine

Surveillance — The audiences gain an understanding of the world around them by consuming a media text, for example print and broadcast news

USES AND GRATIFICATIONUSES AND GRATIFICATION: IMPLICATIONSIMPLICATIONS

Uses and gratification approach refers to the usage of media by people rather than usage of people by media

The audience is conceived as active; this is an important part of mass media use as it is assumed to be goal directed

In the mass communication process, much initiative in linking need gratification and media choice lies with the audience member

The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction (Severin and Tankard, 1997)

SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONSFUNCTIONS

In a 1973 study by Katz, Gurevitch and Haas developed 35 needs taken from the largely provisional literature on the social and psychological functions of the mass media and put them into five categories:

1. Cognitive needs -- Acquiring information, knowledge and understanding

2. Affective needs -- Emotion, pleasure, feelings

3. Personal integrative needs -- Credibility, stability, status

4. Social integrative needs -- Family and friends

5. Tension release needs -- Escape and diversion

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS:USES AND GRATIFICATIONS:  ELEMENTS  ELEMENTS

In 1974, Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch realized that most Uses and Gratification studies were most concerned with:

1. The social and psychological origins of 2. Needs which generate3. Expectations4. Of mass media or other sources, which lead to5. Differential patterns of media exposure (or

engagement in other activities), resulting in6. Need gratifications and7. Other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended

ones (Severin and Tankard, 1997)

USES AND GRATIFICATION:  USES AND GRATIFICATION:  PROBLEMSPROBLEMS

"The nature of the theory underlying Uses and Gratifications research is not totally clear" (Blumler, 1979)

The biggest issue for the Uses and Gratifications Theory is its being non-theoretical, being vague in key concepts, and being nothing more than a data-collecting strategy (Severin and Tankard, 1997)

It seems that using this sociologically-based theory has little to no link to the benefit of psychology due to its weakness in operational definitions and weak analytical mode

it is focused too narrowly on the individual and neglects the social structure and place of the media in that structure (Severin and Tankard, 1997)

it goes too far in claiming that people are free to choose the media fare and the interpretations they want

Other motives that may drive people to consume media may involve low level attention, a habit or a mildly pleasant stimulation