Uses and Gratification is one of the important theory of mass communication. This presentation examines it as a theory and explains its strengths and weaknesses.

1. Uses & Gratification Theory
(UGT)

2. Scholars
• Katz 1959 > not What media do to people but
What people do with media
• Blumler and Katz 1974> media users play an
active role in choosing and using the
media. Users take an active part in the
communication process and are goal oriented in
their media use.
• Needs and desires that motivate media
consumption and participation, also vary
depending on the platform used.

3. Assumptions
• The audience is active and Media use is goal
oriented.
• Initiative to link need gratification to particular
medium choice rests with audience member.
• Media compete with other resources for need
satisfaction.
• People have clear self-awareness about their media
use, interest, and motives to report to researcher
(self reporting)
• Only audience members can evaluate the value of
media content and the gratifications obtained from
media usage.

4. Meta-theoretical Assumptions
• Ontological Assumptions:
Deterministic----------------X---free will
• Epistemological Assumptions:
Truth--------------------X----Multiple Truths
• Axiological Assumptions:
value neutral---------------X----value laden

5. Uses
• Be informed OR educated
• Identify with the characters of the situation in
the Media Environment
• Simple Entertainment
• Enhance Social Interaction
• Escape from stresses of Daily Life

6. Gratification (Sources of pleasure/
satisfaction) of Social & Psychological
needs
• Gratification Sought (GS) & Gratification
Obtained (GO)
Gratification can be obtained from -
• medium’s content (watching specific prog.)
• familiarity with genre (soap opera)
• general exposure to medium (watching TV)
• social context (watching TV with family).

7. Denis McQuail, Jay Blumler, Joseph
Brown (1972) Four Pillars of Uses
• Diversion – To escape from everyday
problems and routines
• Personal Relationships – Media for emotional
and other interactions
• Personal Identity – Finding self in text and
learning behaviour and values
• Surveillance – Useful Information for living
(financial markets, weather, transport.....)

8. The Active Audience
• Utility: using media to accomplish specific tasks
• Intentionality: Prior motive determine use of
media
• Selectivity: use media to reflect their own
existing interests
• Imperviousness to influence: Audience create
their own meanings

9. Human Needs
• Affective – Arouse certain emotions
• Cognitive – to be informed, for action
• Satisfaction – Happy to share with others
• Surveillance – be informed of surrounding
• Status – To remain in social space
• Social – To remain connected
• Escape - Daily routine or for new experience

10. Motivations
• Social interaction
• Information seeking
• Passing time
• Entertainment
• Relaxation
• Communicatory utility
• Convenience utility
• Expression of opinion
• Information sharing
• Knowledge of others
A. Whiting, D. Williams
Why people use social
media: A uses and
gratifications approach
Qualitative Market
Research: An
International
Journal, 16 (4) (2013),
pp. 362-369,

11. Three categories of SNS uses
• Consuming: the passive viewing of social
media contents
• Participating: encompasses user and
content interaction, such as commenting
on, liking, or sharing content
• Producing: Participating and production
involves the creation and publication of
content, with participation in social media
challenges falling into this last category.
• Different needs drive different uses.
• Users consume for information and
entertainment, participate for community
development and social interaction, and
produce for fame-seeking, identity-
creation, and self-actualization purposes.
G. Shao
Understanding the
appeal of user-
generated media: a
uses and
gratification
perspective
Internet
Research, 19 (1) (2
009), pp. 7-25.

12. Strengths
• more humanistic approach to looking at media use.
• there is not merely one way that the populace uses
media. Instead, they believe there are as many reasons
for using the media, as there are media users.
• Media consumers have a free will to decide how they
will use the media and how it will effect them.
• Theory believe that media consumers can choose the
influence media has on them as well as the idea that
users choose media alternatives merely as a means to
and end.
• It is the optimist’s view of the media.

13. Strengths
• Audience-Centric Approach
• Insights into Media Consumption Patterns
• Content Creation and Curation
• Predicting Audience Reactions
• Research Design and Analysis
• Understanding Media Effects
• Media Product Development
• Interactivity and Engagement
• Relevance in Changing Media Landscape
• Practical Application

14. Criticism
• Assumption of rational choice of appropriate media pre-
determined purposes may be false.
• Media can have an unconscious influence over viewers
and they may not plan viewing.
• Retrospective ‘self report’ has several limitations.
• It lays emphasis on ‘individual’ negating collective socio-
cultural factors of media consumption.
• The power of the media in today’s society is not
recognized fully.
• People may be dependent on media.
• Media use may be habitual, ritualistic, and unselective.
• It focuses on ‘vulgar gratificationism’.

15. Criticism
• Overlooks Social and Cultural Influences
• Limited Predictive Power
• Self-reporting Bias
• Inadequate Assessment of Media Effects
• Assumes Rational Decision-Making
• Neglects Unconscious Needs
• Lack of Attention to Power Dynamics
• Neglect of Media Production and Content
• Doesn't Account for Media Constraints

16. Resources
• https://studymasscom.com/
• https://media-studies.com
• https://helpfulprofessor.com/