Which theory says people use mass media for a variety of purposes?

What is the Uses and Gratifications Theory?

The Uses and Gratifications Theory is a Mass Communication theory that focuses on the needs, motives and gratifications of media users.

The theory states that media consumers are passive consumers of mass communications; rather, they play an active role in media consumption.

The theory is attributed to researchers Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz. In 1974, they published “The uses of mass communication: Current perspectives on gratifications research”, which painted a complete picture of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. 

The theory originated, however, with the research of Harold Laswell. 

Back to: Negotiations & Communications

Lasswell theorized that Media has 4 Functions on individuals and society:

1. Surveillance
2. Correlation
3. Entertainment
4. Cultural Transmission

This shifted the traditional research focus from media effects to media functions and was adopted by the functional school of sociologists of the time. 

Pursuant to the function view, society is made up of small parts. Each party has a specific function within sub-systems that make up society. These sub-systems serve to meet the primary needs of society. 

Audiences as Active Participants

After the introduction of Uses and Gratifications Theory researchers have generally treated the audience as active participants who search, rank, use, and consume media for different reasons and purposes and in different ways. 

Modern audiences use media with the goal of satisfying one or more specific needs. 

What is a Use and a Gratification? 

Per Bloomer and Katz, user of media has a need in doing so that could be a use or a gratification. 

That is, audiences choose and use a media for the following 4 Media Purposes or Uses and Gratifications:

1. Diversion or Entertainment: To get away from everyday problems and routine (escapism).
2. Personal Relationships: As a substitute for real emotional and interpersonal interaction. 
3. Personal Identity: Association with characters in texts and TV programs and they also learn behaviors and values from media.
4. Surveillance: To satisfy their need for information. 

The base of this theory has been applied widely. In 2000, Researcher Denis McQuail slightly modified the order and the names:

1. Information
2. Personal Identity
3. Integration and Social Interaction
4. Entertainment

Critics of the Uses and Gratifications Theory?

The primary critiques of Uses and Gratifications theory have been:

• James Lull (2002) - Criticized the main assumption that people seek out media to satisfy a personal need, especially to entertain themselves - as audiences don’t accept always the content of media. Further, not all media are meant to provide gratification or to satisfy a need for entertainment,  audiences don’t always benefit from the use of media, and they don’t take on in media consumption willingly and independently.
• Ien Ang argues that the theory tends to focus on individual needs, disregarding the social context. Also the content of media is ignored and especially the quality of the message which is delivered, while there are no clues about how users perceive those message and what they get from them.
• E. Katz (1987)  noted that the theory relies exclusively on self reports of media users, which may be distorted due to people’s inaccuracy or external influences.

The Uses and Gratification theory discusses the effects of the media on people. It explains how people use the media for their own need and get satisfied when their needs are fulfilled. In other words, it can be said that the theory argues what people do with media rather than what media does to people. Also, this theory is in contradiction to the Magic Bullet theory, which states that the audience is passive. This theory has a user/audience-centered approach. Even for communication, say – interpersonal, people refer to the media for the topic to discuss among themselves. By referring the media, they gain more knowledge and exposure to the world beyond their limited eyesight.

There are several needs and gratification for people. They are categorized into five needs.

• Cognitive needs
• Affective needs
• Personal Integrative needs
• Social Integrative needs
• Tension free needs

Cognitive needs:

People use media for acquiring knowledge, information, facts, etc. Among the audience, some have the thirst to acquire intellectual and academic knowledge. This is not a very common phenomenon. Different people have different needs. For example, quiz programs on television give on factual knowledge; to know about current affairs people need to watch the news regularly; search engines on the internet are also very popular since people can browse for any topic easily under the run with no time restriction.

Affective needs:

It includes all kinds of emotions, pleasure and moods of the people. People use media; say television, to satisfy their emotional needs.

The best example would be when people get emotional or sometimes even they cry for a sad scene while watching the movie/soap opera.

Personal Integrative needs:

This is the self-esteem need. People use media to reassure their status, gain credibility and stabilize. So people watch television and assure themselves that they have a respectable status in society. For example, people watch advertisements in the media like jewellery ads, furniture ads, apparel ads, etc. and buy these products so that they can change their lifestyle. Hence the media helps them to do so.

Social Integrative needs:

It encompasses the need to socialize with family, friends and relations in society. For social interaction nowadays, people do not seem to gather socially during weekends instead they have turned to social networking sites on the internet such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr etc. to satisfy their needs.

Another example is people may start watching a particular programme, not because they have any self interest, but because their neighbour/friend watches it such that both the parties may have something in common to discuss.

Tension free needs:

People sometimes use the media as a means to escapism from the real world and to relieve from tension and stress.

For example, people tend to relax while watching television, listening to the radio, surfing the internet, etc. In fact, media has the power to grab audience mind since it makes them feel connected with the situation and characters emotionally.

Note: The needs are specific in nature to the individual and how the media satisfies the need is subjective. For example, some people may watch the news to relax while others may get tensed or agitated by the same. The media is the same, but people use it for different needs.

On television, most people watch reality shows nowadays not only its popular, but because of the following reasons:

• It is more realistic.
• It provides entertainment.
• It is more interesting.
• There are new concepts cropping up every now and then.
• Viewers can participate as well in many ways while sitting at home.
• Controversies are extensively covered.
• Sensationalism brings in more viewers.

Criticism of Uses and gratification theory :

• The uses and gratification theory does not bring into consideration the power of media.
• It is more audience-oriented study.
• Positive point of the uses and gratification theory is it focuses attention on individuals in the mass communication process.
• It mainly focuses on people’s selectivity on media content rather than its unintended effects in their minds.
• Researches of this theory conclude the results are subjective rather than objective.

What theory explains why people use media?

What is theory in mass media?

What is the U and G theory?

What are the theories of mass media effect?