Uses and Gratifications

Uses and Gratifications BTMM 4497 Fall 2009 Lombard From: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Communication_Theory/Uses_and_Gratifications

Katz, Gurevitch and Haas (1973) developed 35 needs taken from the social and psychological functions of the mass media and put them into five categories: 1. Cognitive needs, including acquiring information, knowledge and understanding; 2. Affective needs, including emotion, pleasure, feelings; 3. Personal integrative needs, including credibility, stability, status; 4. Social integrative needs, including interacting with family and friends; and 5. Tension release needs, including escape and diversion. Congruously, McQuail’s (1983) classification of the following common reasons for media use: Information  finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world  seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices  satisfying curiosity and general interest  learning; self-education  gaining a sense of security through knowledge Personal Identity  finding reinforcement for personal values  finding models of behavior  identifying with valued others (in the media)  gaining insight into oneself Integration and Social Interaction  gaining insight into the circumstances of others; social empathy  identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging  finding a basis for conversation and social interaction  having a substitute for real-life companionship  helping to carry out social roles  enabling one to connect with family, friends and society Entertainment  escaping, or being diverted, from problems  relaxing  getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment  filling time  emotional release  sexual arousal (p. 73) These dimensions of uses and gratifications assume an active audience making motivated choices. McQuail (1994) added another dimension to this definition. He states: Personal social circumstances and psychological dispositions together influence both … general habits of media use and also … beliefs and expectations about the benefits offered by the media, which shape ... specific acts of media choice and consumption, followed by ... assessments of the value of the experience (with consequences for further media use) and, possibly ... applications of benefits acquired in other areas of experience and social activity (p. 235).