Partial test 1 week 4 Uses and Gratifications Flashcards
Uses and gratifications theory by …
Elihu Katz
Definition of Uses and Gratifications
The social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of media exposure, resulting in need gratifications and other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones.
5 main assumptions of uses and gratifications
- People use media for their own particular purposes
- People seek to gratify needs
- Media compete for your attention and time
- Media affect different people differently
- People can accurately report their media use and motivation
Elaborate on ‘People use media for their own particular purposes’
People form an active audience. They decide for themselves which media they want to use, based on the expected gratifications from that media.
What does ‘ritualised media use’ mean?
It means that your media use has become a habit.
What does ‘instrumental media use’ mean?
It means that your media use is intentional.
What are the 8 factors in Rubin’s typology of needs?
- Passing time
- Companionship
- Escaping
- Enjoyment
- Social interaction
- Relaxation
- Excitement
- Information
In what four categories can people’s different needs be divided?
- Cognitive needs (they want to know new things)
- Affective needs (they want to feel positive, medium arousal)
- Tension release
- Integrative needs (they want to fit in)
Elaborate on the need ‘Companionship’
Watching something, just to be able to be with other people as a social activity. Example, you hate football, but you love watching Ajax games because you can do it together with your friends in a cafe.
Elaborate in the need ‘Social interaction’
Using media so you can talk about it with your friends and family later, so you won’t feel left out. Example, starting to watch Game of Thrones because everyone at work is watching it and you want to be able to join their conversations.
What two factors can cause the difference in needs between people?
Their social background (culture)
and their psychological background (character)
Why do people with the same needs not always choose the same media?
Because they have different expectations about the gratifications of that media.
Explain the assumption ‘Media compete for your attention and time’
Media compete not only with each other to get as much of your attention and time, but also with other factors. Example, when you decide to watch Netflix all day while you could have also gone out with a friend or studied.
Explain ‘Different media effect different people differently’
The effects of media are not the same for everyone, they depend on the needs and expected gratifications from the user. Example, some people love scary movies because it gives them a rush and others hate it and do not sleep for weeks.
Explain ‘Parasocial relationships’
Sometimes people start to form a one-sided (!!) relationship with the characters they see on television. They start to feel connected to these characters and actually experience real emotions when something related to this character happens. This relationship can motivate people to keep watching a certain show on television, just because this character is in it.
