Uses and Gratifications and Maslow's Hierarchy of needs

1. Media Theories
Dylan Oakes

2. Uses and Gratifications Theory
• 1. Surveillance (information) – our need to know what is going on in the world. This
relates to Maslow’s need for security. By keeping up to date with news about local and
international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers.
• 2. Personal Relationships – our need for to interact with other people. This is provided
by forming virtual relationships with characters in soaps, films and all kinds of drama,
and other programmes and other media texts.
• 3. Personal Identity – our need to define our identity and sense of self. Part of our
sense of self is informed by making judgements about all sorts of people and things.
This is also true of judgements we make about TV and film characters, and celebrities.
Our choice of music, the shows we watch, the stars we like can be an expression of
our identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement.
This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar
beliefs to those we hold.
• 4. Diversion (escapism) – the need for escape, entertainment and relaxation. All types
of television programmes can be ‘used’ to wind down and offer diversion, as well as
satisfying some of the other needs at the same time.

3. Uses and Gratifications Theory - Advertising
• Surveillance – This is used in relation to advertising to provide information to the
consumers or to the people that the advertisers are appealing to. It also will provide
people with news about other things, that they're trying to show on an advert.
• Personal Relationships – This helps people to connect with the people within an
advert. For example if a celebrity, that is well-known, appears in an advert, people can
develop a personal relationship with them. This helps the producers to sell their
product or help them to appeal to a wider range of people.
• Personal Identity – This connects with adverts as people make judgments about the
adverts. Also someone’s personal identity connects adverts to people’s personal beliefs
so they can appeal to people.
• Diversion – Advertising connects with this part of the theory as producers can use this
so they can advertise their product as a form of escaping from everyday life or to show
that it is relaxing.

4. Hierarchy of Needs

5. Hierarchy of Needs – Advertising
• Maslow’s theory can be easily applied to an
advertisement. For example producers can target
the physiological sections as they’re basic needs
for human life. An example could be a food
company or a bed company could easily target
this section as consumers need these for life as
they’re vital.
• Safety can also be easily targeted as people are
keen to keep their health, home, etc. safe.
Companies that provide safety in this form can
easily advertise as it’s an important aspect of
people’s lives.
• Esteem and self-actualisation can be targeted
easily as a lot of companies apply to this. For
example charities could use these sections as well
as companies which try and sell games for
example.