The document discusses the Uses and Gratifications theory proposed by Blumler and Katz. The theory examines why audiences consume various media and what needs they fulfill in doing so. It focuses on what audiences do with media rather than what effects media has on people. The theory proposes that audiences are active and make motivated choices to consume media that fulfills various needs, including surveillance, personal identity, personal relationships, and diversion.

1. Audience theory
Blumler and Katz
Uses and Gratifications theory

2. Starter task
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym9wFydQFYc

3. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsO3PfQiXy8

4. Starter task
• How did these clips make you feel and why?
• Which of these 2 texts would you consume if you
had a choice and why?
• What reasons may people want to watch these
films?
• What do you think the uses and gratifications
theory could be about?

5. Aims
• To understand the Uses and gratifications
theory.
• To understand “what people do with the
media” rather than “what the media does to
people”
• To be able to apply the theory to existing
media texts

6. The theory
• The 'Uses and Gratifications' model represented a
change in thinking, as researchers began to describe
the effects of the media from the point of view of
audiences.
• The model looks at the motives of the people who use
the media, asking why we watch the television
programmes that we do, why we bother to read
newspapers, why we find ourselves so compelled to
keep up to date with our favourite soap, or consume
films.
• The theory makes the audience active as they choose
what they want to consume, they are not forced in to
consumption for e.g. you only watch the films you want
as you are in control of your choices. The media simply
creates the product.

7. • The theory argued that audience needs have
social and psychological needs which generate
certain expectations about the mass media and
what they are exposed to.
• As the audience is the active participant it
allows them to make choices in relation to what
they consume making ones self in control of
what they consume. This does assume an active
audience making motivated choices making the
audience in control of their own consumerism.

8. The 4 needs
• The underlying idea behind the model is that people
are motivated by a desire to fulfil, or gratify certain
needs. So rather than asking how the media uses us,
the model asks how we use the media.
• The model is broken down into four different needs.
-Surveillance
-Personal Identity
-Personal Relationships
-Diversion

9. Surveillance
• The surveillance need is based around the idea that
people feel better having the feeling that they know
what is going on in the world around them. (we
watch the news as we feel it is a reliable source of
information and it makes us feel secure that we
know what is happening around us)
• The surveillance model is all about awareness. We
use the mass media to be more aware of the world,
gratifying a desire for knowledge and security.
• E.g. green days music video ‘wake me up when
September ends’

10. Personal identity
• The personal identity need explains how being a
subject of the media allows us to confirm the identity
and positioning of ourselves within society.
• The use of the media for forming personal identity can
be seen in music videos/films. Pop stars can often
become big role models, inspiring young children
everywhere (which is why there's such an outcry when
one of them does something wrong).
• Music videos and songs such as Meghan Trainors ‘all
about that bass’ and Christina Aguileras ‘you are
beautiful’ allow us to connect with such identities and
help us ‘fit’ in to society.

11. Personal Relationships
• This section comes in two parts: Relationships with the
Media, Using the Media Within Relationships.
• We can form a relationship with the media, and also use
the media to form a relationship with others.
• Many people use the television as a form of
companionship. This may seem sad, but think about how
many times you've watched the TV on your own, or with
other people but sitting in silence. The television is often
quite an intimate experience, and by watching the same
people on a regular basis we can often feel very close to
them, as if we even know them. When presenters or
characters in a soap die, those who have watched that
person a lot often grieve for the character, as if they have
lost a friend.

12. Personal relationships
• Using the media within relationships
• Another aspect to the personal relationships model is
how we can sometimes use the media as a springboard
to form and build upon relationships with real people.
• Having a favourite TV programme in common can
often be the start of a conversation, and can even
make talking to strangers that much easier.
• Some studies suggest that some families use sitting
around watching the television as a stimulus for
conversation, talking to each other about the
programme or related anecdotes while it is on. (take
gogglebox for example)

13. Diversion
• The diversion need describes what's commonly termed as
escapism - watching the television so we can forget about
our own lives and problems for a while and think about
something else.
• We watch music videos to take our mind off our every day
lives, we want to distract our self from the problems we are
experiencing. We want to see that people experience the
same feelings as we do and want to forget about our own
problems and focus on some one else's.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPj6CMjUrDU Leona
Lewis happy
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHp2KgyQUFk best
thing you never had Beyonce.

14. Task
• Write down some examples in which you may
have applies the uses and gratifications theory
without being aware you were doing so.
• Do you believe we are able to be in control of
what we consume? “what people do with the
media” rather than “what the media does to
people” explain.

15. Exit pass
• What have you learnt in today lesson?
• What have you found challenging in todays
lesson?