Uses and gratification model

• Uses and gratification

  Blumer and Katz

  5 elements in this model

  • audience is active
  • audience has the power to exercise choice over their consumption of media
  • the needs satisfied by the media compete directly with other sources of need fulfilment in society
  • the goals of media consumption can be identified by the audience themselves in a reflective process
  • the researcher should suspend all value judgement regarding the relative and specific worth or merit of these audience goals
• Uses and gratification

  McQuail

  Diversion- people immerse themselves in media to make up for the lack of satisfaction at work or in their life
• Uses and gratification

  McQuail

  personal relationships- membership of a community, most frquent users of the media were those who were lonely
• Uses and gratification

  McQuail

  personal identity- media helps us explore and confirm our self identity, however media may also challenge and destabilise one's sense of identity
• Uses and gratification

  McQuail

  surveillance- helps us keep in touch with what is happening for reassurance, personal education etc
• Uses and gratification

  Lull

  list of social uses for TV

  • structural
  • environment- background noise, entertainment
  • regulative- talk patterns, punctuation of time
  • communication facilitation- common ground, agenda for talk
  • affiliation/avoidance- physical, verbal, family relaxant, conflict reduction
  • social learning- decision making, behaviour modelling
  • competence/dominance- gatekeeping, role portrayal
• Uses and gratification

  Killborn

  reasons why people watch soaps

  • acts as a launchpad for social and personal interaction
  • provides escapist fantasy
  • a focus on topical debates
  • fulfils individual needs