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2. Uses and gratifications
This theory assumes that there is an active audience – meaning an audience
that has an interest in something, and goes about ways of finding out about
this ‘something’.
The gratification (satisfaction) to an active audience can be found within:
- What is shown on the text. People will choose to watch a programme
because of the content. Eg: I might look at a text if it contains an interest of
mine such as Politics.
- Whether the audience is regular readers/watchers of the text’s genre to
begin with. Eg: people who like gossip magazines
- The social aspect of why. Is it something they view or talk about with
friends? Maybe for a younger audience that text would be relevant towards
that age group.

3. Differences in Gratification
Texts don’t have to be watched by people that have an interest in that topic or
people who are keen watchers of that genre. Texts can appeal to different
people for different reasons.
Some people will look at different texts because they are bored or stressed out.
Some people may look to music as something to calm them when hacked off.
Blumler and Katz identified four reasons for using media texts. (RIDS)
1) Relationships – using the media for interactions. Some people may rather watch
a soap that they are hooked on than spend time with family.
2) Identity – some people feel as though they relate to people in films, musicians
and characters in books. They may mimic the behavior of these constructs to
form an identity of their own.
3) Diversion – some may use media texts (especially music or celebrity culture) to
escape everyday issues
4) Surveillance – information such as the news.

4. Using uses and gratification in my work
I need to look at why people would read my magazine.
Using Blumler and Katz’s Theory I can say that my music magazine can be used as a
text for:
- Surveillance: So people can understand what is going on within the genre of
music magazine.
- - Diversion: Getting into a good read is a good way to escape. Especially when in
an imaginary world of celebrities and people you can relate to.
- - Identity: By using people who my magazine can relate to. Or even portraying
the model in my magazine as someone good looking and fashionable.
- People will get gratification from my music magazine because:
- The main readership will have an interest in the genre
- Hopefully a social aspect. By aiming it at a young 16-24 audience, it has
potential to be a talking point.

5. Encoding/Decoding Readings
Stuart Hall came up with this theory.
It looks at 3 readings which people may use to ‘read’ texts.
Dominant Reading: viewer recognizes the preferred or offered meaning by the
creator of the text and agrees with it. If a text is trying to portray a reading,
people may agree with the reading.
Oppositional Reading: viewer recognizes dominant reading by creator and
then rejects it through belief, whether that be cultural belief, political
belief or ideological belief.
Negotiated Reading: Reader accepts, rejects or changes elements of the
programme because of views held previously.

6. How will I work with the readings
Firstly I need to make the magazine quite open to avoid offense or dispute.
This allows for all readings to be made available.
I need to make the dominant reading of what I do clear in the first place, so
that people understand that before agreeing/disagreeing with it.