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Uses and gratification theory

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Abbey Cotterill

The document summarizes the history and key aspects of uses and gratifications theory. It explains that in the 1960s, media theorists recognized that audiences were active rather than passive in their media consumption. In 1948, Lasswell proposed four main functions of media texts: surveillance, correlation, entertainment, and cultural transmission. Katz and Blumler later expanded on this in 1974 to include personal relationships, personal identity, and diversion as reasons individuals consume media. Finally, the document notes that uses and gratifications theory focuses on understanding what audiences want from media texts and how they use and are affected by them.

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Abbey Cotterill
History of uses and gratifications In the 1960s, it became increasingly aware to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming different texts. Instead of being a passive mass, audiences were made up of passive individuals who were active and consumed texts for a range of reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell spoke out and suggested that media texts had four main functions for individuals and society which were: 1. Surveillance 2. Correlation 3. Entertainment 4. Cultural Transmission Renown researchers Blulmer and Katz expanded Lasswells theory and published their own version in 1974. This stated that individuals might consume a text for the following purposes: 1. Surveillance- information which could be useful for living such as weather reports and news reports. 2. Personal Relationships- using the media for emotional and other types of interaction. For example, using soap operas to represent different types of family life. 3. Personal Identity- finding yourself in similar situations as the text as well as learning values and behaviour from texts. 4. Diversion- the texts act as a form of escapism from everyday problems.
What it focuses on The Uses and Gratification theory focuses on questions such as: 1. What do the audience want from the text and how to target that want? 2. What does the audience do with a media product/text? 3. What is the overall effect of the media product/text on the audience?

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Uses and gratification theory

  • 2. History of uses and gratifications In the 1960s, it became increasingly aware to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming different texts. Instead of being a passive mass, audiences were made up of passive individuals who were active and consumed texts for a range of reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell spoke out and suggested that media texts had four main functions for individuals and society which were: 1. Surveillance 2. Correlation 3. Entertainment 4. Cultural Transmission Renown researchers Blulmer and Katz expanded Lasswells theory and published their own version in 1974. This stated that individuals might consume a text for the following purposes: 1. Surveillance- information which could be useful for living such as weather reports and news reports. 2. Personal Relationships- using the media for emotional and other types of interaction. For example, using soap operas to represent different types of family life. 3. Personal Identity- finding yourself in similar situations as the text as well as learning values and behaviour from texts. 4. Diversion- the texts act as a form of escapism from everyday problems.
  • 3. What it focuses on The Uses and Gratification theory focuses on questions such as: 1. What do the audience want from the text and how to target that want? 2. What does the audience do with a media product/text? 3. What is the overall effect of the media product/text on the audience?