Uses and Gratifications

So I've decided to talk about the Uses and Gratification theory as its a very popular approach to understanding mass communication. Most of the theories on media explain about the effects media has on people, for example during the war media was used a lot for propaganda in order to inform and contact millions of people, this is why it is important for people to be careful how they use media as it is very powerful on people. This theory states what media does to people and not what people do with media. It is suggested that the uses and gratification theory has to fulfil one of the following when we choose a form of media;

• Identify meaning we should be able to recognise the product or person in front of you, role models that reflect similar values to yours and aspiration to be someone else.
• Educate by being able to acquire information ,knowledge and understanding.
• Entertain as what you are consuming should give you enjoyment and also some form of 'escapism' which enables us to forget our worries temporarily.
• Social interaction which is the ability for media products to produce a topic of conversation between other people.

Uses and Gratification can be seen as part of a broader trend amongst media researches which is more to do with 'what people do with media allowing for a variety of responses and interpretations.
Researchers, Blumler and Katz expanded the uses and gratification theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for similar purposes to the Uses and Gratification theory;

1. Diversion meaning and escape from everyday problems and routine
2. Personal relationships which uses media for emotional and other interaction which is similar to social interaction.
3. Personal identity which aims to help viewers find themselves reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts this is also similar to the uses and gratification theory as they say one of the main purposes is identify 
4. Surveillance meaning information which could be useful for living e.g. weather reports or financial news.

Blumler and Katz's uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goals oriented in their media use meaning they have a reason to be watching it, to achieve a goal. The theorists say that a media user aka audience seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

This is the two step flow model which also links to
mass media. The first step is the opinion leaders get information
from a media source, the second step is the opinion leaders then pass the
information, along with their interpretation to other e.g. friends or family.