The Theory Of Uses And Gratifications: What It Is And What It Explains About Society
The uses and gratifications theory proposes that people use media and consume audiovisual products to satisfy specific wants and needs.
Unlike other media theories, this theory sees users as active agents who have control over their media consumption and not simply passive recipients of messages and products.
What does the theory of uses and gratifications expose?
The uses and gratifications theory, abbreviated as TUG, seeks to understand mass communication through consideration of why people use the media His focus is on the question “what effect do people have on the media?”, not the other way around.
One of the main threads of study of this theory is to identify why people choose to use certain media or consume certain products. It focuses on analyzing users’ deliberate choices to satisfy needs such as escaping, interacting with other people, having fun, or relaxing.
The theory of uses and gratifications then establishes that Audiovisual products have to satisfy the desires and psychological needs of consumers Even if a media outlet is not powerful, it becomes important to someone if it fulfills any of these specific functions.
In comparison to other media theories, uses and gratifications theory sees media consumers as active agents who have control over their audiovisual consumption, not as simple passive recipients of what is offered to them. Simply put, uses and gratifications theory focuses on the needs and wants of the consumer rather than the media or messages provided to them.
Origins of the uses and gratifications theory
Studies on the effects of media on people began during the 1930s, with mass communication. However, not enough evidence was collected from these investigations to determine the real effects of mass media on people. Although, these are considered the origin of the uses and gratifications theory.
Before the 1940s, people were not considered an active audience capable of selecting their preferred messages and content. Instead, they were seen as a passive mass that was part of a homogeneous whole. The media audience was thought to be passive and lifeless.
Consumers were seen as something inert, that is, they did not respond or react to the content. According to this view, people expected that the media would provide them with all the information necessary so that they could interact effectively within context. That is, it was expected that the audience would act in the same way as the information they received indicated.
During the 1940s there was a change in thinking, the public began to be seen from a more social, psychological and individual perspective, since it was observed that people were capable of selecting information and content based on their preferences. .
Some theses and studies established two of the basic ideas of the uses and gratifications theory: audiences can use the same media for different purposes, despite considering themselves similar and homogeneous groups, and no matter how large or powerful a medium is; This will not affect anyone who does not find its information useful in their psychological and social context.
Principles and objectives of the uses and gratifications theory
After its beginnings with mass communication research. Different authors such as Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch played an important role in solidifying uses and gratifications theory in the 1960s.
Consumers as human beings need to escape, interact with other people, have fun, relax… This drives them to relate to the media to satisfy these psychological and social needs. Consequently, it can be said that mass media are used in response to specific individual needs. Based on these notions, uses and gratifications theory specifies a set of assumptions about media consumption:
1. Audiences are active
As we have seen, during the 1960s, the idea took hold that the public did not function as a homogeneous mass. He was able to select the messages and content he wanted. The media began to see their consumers in a more individual, social and psychological way.
2. Each consumer decides the relevance of the medium
We stop thinking that they are the media that determine what the viewer sees; Instead, it is the viewers who decide for themselves based on their interests, values and needs. Ultimately, the media provides what the audience wants to see, it is the viewers who actively choose to pay attention to the content.
The uses and gratifications theory questions the relationship between stimulus and response. It proposes that it is the receivers themselves who decide on the interpretation of the content—not just the stimuli—when communicative processes begin. That is, consumers are only affected by stimuli if they want to be affected by them.
4. The media compete with each other
Ultimately, the media competes with other sources as well as each other for public attention. They do this by trying to satisfy the needs of the public. People consider their past experiences with media when making decisions about how to spend their time. This consideration takes place on a deeper level than simply remembering what they did yesterday. It involves an assessment of your environment and understanding how the content has affected you.
Types of rewards and needs
Part of uses and gratifications theory research focuses on understanding the ability of media to provide rewards. This has led to the creation of several typologies that classify media rewards into a small set of classes. These psychological and social needs include:
Need for emotional release: the media can help us escape from routine and escape from problems, as well as simply have fun.
Interpersonal need: we can use the content as a substitute for company or as a source of useful information in future conversations.
Need for personal identity: the media can strengthen certain beliefs or values, and they also allow us to explore reality.
Need for vigilance: the media provides useful information about things that can affect us.
Although recent research on uses and gratifications theory suggests that new media offers similar gratification to older media, some authors cautioned that studies on the uses and gratifications of new media should be considered separately: New media also provides unique benefits than older forms of media, these fall into four categories:
Modality-based rewards: Currently, content can be served in a variety of modalities, including audio, video, text, or a mixture of these. If we think about virtual reality, this contributes to the need for reality.
Rewards based on content creation: People today have also become content creators. This can satisfy interpersonal needs with the creation of community or status.
Rewards based on interactivity: content is no longer static, this means that you can interact with it and have an impact. This can satisfy the need for control.
Rewards based on navigability: Experiences based on navigation in new media satisfy needs such as the added fun of moving through spaces and, if it is a game, through levels. This includes overcoming them.
Theory of uses and gratifications and social networks
According to the article by Fátima Martínez, journalism professor: the theory of the uses and gratifications of the media has been expanded by the use of social networks. This is because social networks allow people to interact with each other and provide other benefits, in addition to relaxation, the stimulation of the imagination and the promotion of social relationships, considered according to their analysis the classic benefits of the media. . Social networks also provide
Trust.
Company
Happiness
Fun
Surveillance
Social relationships
As we see, this series of needs were already included in classical theory. Although, it is true that social networks have greatly enhanced them. Also, we have to consider that these benefits are not real. Social networks, in many cases, create a false illusion, for example, understanding as friends people with whom we have almost no interaction.
Criticisms of the uses and gratifications theory
Uses and gratifications theory has been criticized for several reasons, although it remains widely used in media research.
Many of their conclusions for considering active audiences are based on self-reported data from consumers themselves. This type of data is not always accurate or reliable.
Additionally, it is important to note that people do not have access to all the media options currently available. This criticism is even more evident today, as there are more options than ever. However, people are limited to choosing based on their access to different options and not based on their needs.
Finally, as we have seen, the theory focuses on the audience and does not study media messages and how they can affect people.
