..UsEs aNd GrATiFiCaTiOnS ThEoRy..

The 'Use and Gratification's' theory is the idea that people use the media to get specific gratifications. People are not passive audiences of the media, however they use the media to fulfill their certian needs.

Blulmer and Katz highlighted 4 areas of gratification that the audiences tend to use:

Personal identity - for example, characters in soaps experiencing something the audience once did.

Personal relationships - a media text providing information for 'water-cooler talk' at work with colleagues, what's happening in the latest reality TV show?

Surveillance - lets the audience know what is happening in the world, for example print and broadcast news.

Diversion - a media text which provides escapism for the audience, for example a holiday programme.

As an active media consumer i can personally relate to these methods of gratificatiion for example:

As a teenage i can relate to the Personal Identity in soaps such as Eastenders. Even though i am not from the East of London, the issues the characters deal with are issues that are seen in an average teenagers daily life, for example, bullying, romance and pregnancy. Therefore as an audience we can relate to it and feel the way the character feel. These issues also allow the audience to feel sorrow towards the characters, even though they are only characters.

This is then spoken about in school, for example media lessons. Because we have seen the episode we feel part of something. This relates to Personal Relationships that the theorists talk about. Soi this appeals to me majorly, as most of my friends talk about Eastenders sometimes aswel. This is also with reality TV shows, for example Im a Celebrity.

I watch the news on a regular basis and i read media related news articles online on www.mediagardian.com which allows me to keep up-to-date with the news around the world and what is going on in the UK. This relates to the Surveillance gratification as we aware of what is happening around the world.

I watch films in the cinema's which provides a sense of escapism. This can relate to the Diversion gratification which the audience veiw a texts that provides a sense of excapism.

Denis McQuail also has his steps of Gratification theories:

Information - we gain this whilst watching the news and reading the newspaper. We absorb interesting knowledge about what is going on in the world today.

Learning - this relates us to Learning as we learn alot wby watching the news. ALso when we are watching soaps we learn a great deal about how people are and what goes on in a lot of peoples lives now - a - days. how society has changed.

Personal Identity - when watching or reading texts we sometimes tend to relate to the characters. Sometimes this causes us to act in a certain way, idolising them, and acting hows they would act. however this is mainly in reality TV shows where we idolised a certain character and therefore are made to act the way they do.

Interegation and Social Interaction - soap's allow us to gain an insight of the characters lives and have our personal views on what happens in their lives.

Entertainment - this is done when we watch the music chanels on TV. relaxing. also reading a print text can enable you to find some relaxing time.