Uses and gratifications theory.docx

Uses and gratifications theory.docx

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Usesandgratificationstheory

UsesandGratificationsTheory isanapproachtounderstandingwhypeopleactivelyseekoutspecificmediaoutletsandcontentforgratificationpurposes.Thetheorydiscusseshowusersproactively（？

） searchformediathatwillnotonlymeetagivenneedbutenhanceknowledge,socialinteractionsanddiversion. [1]

Itassumesthatmembersoftheaudiencearenotpassivebuttakeanactiveroleininterpretingandintegratingmediaintotheirownlives.Thetheoryalsoholdsthataudiencesareresponsible（可靠的） forchoosingmediatomeettheirneeds.Theapproachsuggeststhatpeopleusethemediatofulfillspecificgratifications.Thistheorywouldthenimplythatthemediacompeteagainstotherinformationsourcesforviewers'gratification. [2]

StagesoftheTheory

TheUsesandGratificationsTheorywasdevelopedfromanumberofpriorcommunicationtheoriesandresearchconductedbyfellowtheorists.

Stage1:

▪In1944 HertaHerzog begantolookattheearliestforms ofusesandgratificationswithherworkclassifyingthereasonswhypeoplechosespecifictypesofmedia.Forherstudy,Herzoginterviewedsoapoperafansandwasabletoidentifythreetypesofgratifications.Thethreegratificationscategories,basedonwhypeoplelistenedtosoapoperas,wereemotional,wishfulthinking,andlearning.[3]

▪In1970 AbrahamMaslow suggestedthatUsesandGratificationsTheorywasanextensionofthe NeedsandMotivationTheory.Thebasisforhisargumentwasthatpeopleactivelylookedtosatisfytheirneedsbasedonahierarchy.ThepyramidhierarchybeganonthebottomwithBiological/Physical,Security/Safety,Social/Belonging,Ego/Self-RespectandSelf-actualizationatthetop.[4]

▪In1954 WilburSchramm developedthefractionofselection,aformulafordeterminingwhichformofmassmediaanindividualwouldselect.Theformulahelpedtodecidetheamountofgratificationanindividualwouldexpecttogainfromthemediumoverhowmuchefforttheyhadtomaketoachievegratification.[5]

▪Stage2

▪In1969 JayBlumler and DenisMcQuail begantostudywhypeoplewatchedpoliticalprogramontelevision.The motivetheywereabletoidentifyhelpedlaythegroundworkfortheirresearchin1972andeventuallytheUsesandGratificationsTheory.[6]

▪In1972 DenisMcQuail, JayBlumler andJosephBrownsuggestedthattheusesofdifferenttypesofmediacouldbegroupedinto4categories.Thefourcategorieswere:

diversion,personalrelationships,personalidentityandsurveillance.[7]

▪In1973-74McQuail,BlumlerandBrownwerejoinedby ElihuKatz, MichaelGurevitch and HadassahHaas,intheirmediaexploration.Thecollaborativeresearchbegantoindicatehowpeoplesawthemassmedia.[8]

Stage3:

▪ThemostrecentinterestsurroundingUsesandGratificationsTheoryisthelinkbetweenthereasonwhymediaisusedandtheachievedgratification.[9]

UsesandGratificationsModel

AccordingtoKatz,BlumlerandGurevitch'sresearchtherewere5componentscomprisingtheUsesandGratificationsModel. Thecomponentsare:

▪“Theaudienceisconceivedasactive.” [10]

▪“Inthemasscommunication（大众传播） processmuchinitiativeinlinkinggratificationandmediachoicelieswiththeaudiencemember.” [11]

▪“Themediacompetewithothersourcesofsatisfaction.” [12]

▪“Methodologicallyspeaking,manyofthegoalsofmassmediausecanbederivedfromdatasuppliedbyindividualaudiencemembersthemselves.” [13]

▪“Valuejudgmentsabouttheculturalsignificanceofmasscommunicationshouldbesuspendedwhileaudienceorientationsareexploredontheirownterms.” [14]

HistoricalDevelopment

Beginninginthe1940’s,researchersbeganseeingpatternsundertheperspectiveoftheusesandgratificationstheoryinradiolisteners.[15] Earlyresearchwasconcernedwithtopicssuchaschildren'suseofcomicsandtheabsenceofnewspapersduringanewspaperstrike.Aninterestinmorepsychologicalinterpretationsemergedduringthistimeperiod.

In1948,Lasswellintroducedafour-functionalinterpretationof themediaonamacro-sociological（宏观社会学） level.Mediaservedthefunctionsofsurveillance,correlation,entertainmentandculturaltransmissionforbothsocietyandindividuals [16]

In1974,Katz,BlumlerandGurevitchrealizedthatmanyUsesandGratificationstudies,tothatpointintime,weremostlyfocusedonsevenareas.Theareaswere:

 [17]

1. Thesocialandpsychologicaloriginsof

2. needswhichgenerate

3. expectations

4. ofmassmediaorothersources,whichleadto

5. differentialpatternsofmediaexposure（orengagementinotheractivities）,resultingin

6. needgratificationsand

7. otherconsequences,perhapsmostlyunintendedones

Therefore,Katz,BlumlerandGurevitchdevelopedtheUsesandGratificationsmodeltobetterstudyhowandwhypeoplewereusingmediaforpersonalsatisfaction.

TheActiveAudience

JayBlumlerpresentedanumberofinterestingpoints,astowhyUsesandGratificationscannotmeasureanactiveaudience.Hestated,"TheissuetobeconsideredhereiswhetherwhathasbeenthoughtaboutUsesandGratificationsTheoryhasbeenanarticleoffaithandifitcouldnowbeconvertedintoanempiricalquestionsuchas:

Howtomeasureanactiveaudience?

"（Blumler,1979）.Blumlerthenofferedsuggestionsaboutthekindsofactivitytheaudienceswereengagingwithinthedifferenttypesofmedia.

▪Utility :

“Usingthemediatoaccomplishspecifictasks”

▪Intentionality:

“Occurswhenpeople’spriormotivedetermineuseofmedia”

▪Selectivity:

“Audiencemembers’useofmediareflecttheirexistinginterests” [20]

▪ImperviousnesstoInfluence:

“Referstoaudiencemembers’constructingtheirownmeaningfrommediacontent” [21]

25yearslater,in1972,Blumler,McQuailandBrownextendedLasswell'sfourgroups.Theseincludedfourprimaryfactorsfor whichonemayusethemedia:

[22]

▪Diversion:

Escapefromroutineandproblems;anemotionalrelease [23]

▪PersonalRelationships:

Socialutilityofinformationinconversation;substitutionofmediaforcompanionship[24]

▪PersonalIdentityorIndividualPsychology:

Valuereinforcementorreassurance;self-understanding,realityexploration[25]

▪Surveillance:

Informationaboutfactorswhichmightaffectoneorwillhelponedooraccomplishsomething [26]

Katz,GurevitchandHaas（1973）sawmassmediaasameansbywhichindividualsconnectordisconnectthemselveswithothers.Theydeveloped35needstakenfromthelargelyspeculativeliteratureonthesocialandpsychologicalfunctionsofthemassmediaandputthemintofivecategories:

▪CognitiveNeeds:

Acquiringinformation,knowledgeandunderstanding[27]

▪MediaExamples:

Television（news）,video（how-to）,movies（documentariesorbasedonhistory）

▪AffectiveNeeds:

Emotion,pleasure,feelings[28]

▪MediaExamples:

Movies,television（soapoperas,sitcoms）

▪PersonalIntegrativeNeeds:

Credibility,stability,status[29]

▪MediaExamples:

Video

▪SocialIntegrativeNeeds:

Familyandfriends[30]

▪MediaExamples:

Internet（e-mail,instantmessaging,chatrooms,socialmedia）

▪TensionReleaseNeeds:

Escapeanddiversion [31]

▪MediaExamples:

Television,movies,video,radio,internet

edit NewMedia

TheapplicationofNewMediatotheUsesandGratificationsTheoryhasbeenpositive. [32] Theintroductionofthe Internet, socialmedia andtechnologicaladvanceshasprovidedanotheroutletforpeopletouseandseekgratificationthroughthosesources.BasedonthemodelsdevelopedbyKatz,Blumler,GurevitchandLasswell,individualscanchoosetoseekoutmediainoneoutlet,allfallingwithintheproscribedcategoriesofneed.Theonlydifferencenow,isthattheaudiencedoesnothavetogotomultiplemediaoutletstofulfilleachoftheirneeds. The Internet hascreatedadigitallibrary,allowingindividualsto haveaccesstoallcontentfromvariousmassmediumoutlets.

NewMediaExampleofUsesandGratificationsTheory

BeingImmersedinSocialNetworkingEnvironment:

FacebookGroups,UsesandGratification,andSocialOutcomes

[33]

In2007astudywasconductedtoexaminethe Facebook groupsusersgratificationsinrelationtotheircivicparticipationoffline.TheWebsurveypolled1,715collegestudents,ranginginagefrom18-29,whoweremembersof Facebook groups.Therespondentsweregiven16statementthroughanelectronicsurveyandasked“toratetheirlevelofagreementwithspecificreasonsforusing Facebook groups,includinginformationacquisitionaboutcampus/community,entertainment/recreation,socialinteractionwithfriendsandfamily,andpeerpressure/selfsatisfaction.”TheLikertscaleindicatedthe1wasstronglyagreeand6wasstronglydisagree.Toensurethoseresultswerenotskewed（歪曲的）,therespondentswerealsoaskedtocompleteasetoflevelofagreementquestionstoproperlygaugetheirleveloflifesatisfaction.

Thestudyultimatelyyieldedresultsthroughprincipal （主要的）componentsfactoranalysiswithvarimaxrotation.TheresultsshowedthattherewerefourneedsforusingFacebookgroups,“socializing,entertainment,self-statusseeking,andinformation.”

GratificationReceivedfromUseofFacebookGroups

▪Socializing:

Studentsinterestedintalkingandmeetingwithotherstoachieveasenseofcommunityandpeersupportontheparticulartopicofthegroup

▪Entertainment:

Studentsengagedwiththegroupstoamusethemselves

▪Self-Seeking:

Studentsmaintainandseekouttheirpersonalstatus,aswellasthoseoftheirfriends,throughtheonlinegroupparticipation

▪Information:

Studentsusedthegrouptoreceiveinformationaboutrelatedeventsgoingonandoffcampus

edit TheoryCriticism

Thedatabehindthetheoryishardtoextrapolateandattimesisnotfound.Howeachaudience,individualandgroupperceivesagivenmediao