Research: Uses and Gratifications Theory

Bulmer and McQuail are both Media Theorists that produced the Uses and Gratifications Model.
This approach model suggests why people use a particular media and the reasons for this, which lead to a variety of responses and interpretations.


When planning my own media products; music video, cd cover and cd advertisement, I will have to consider each use of media and what particular things attract the audience to a text.


The Uses and Gratifications Theory suggests that an individual's needs influence how they use and respond to a medium. And the same media text may gratify different needs for different individuals, which is associated with individual personalities. E.g. maturation, social roles and a person's background.





















Use of media:

• Information- People use media to find out relevant events in the immediate society/world. To seek advice and knowledge on general matters, and for self-education.

• Personal Identity- To find reinforcement for personal value's and to find models of behaviour in order to develop insight into one's self.

• Integration and Social Interaction- Identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging; social empathy. This type of use is a substitute for real-life companionship.

• Entertainment- This is generally the most common use of media, to escape or divert from other problems. Individuals get an aesthetic enjoyment and an emotional release which may also allow them to relax.

During my own media production, I will need to bear the various uses of media in mind. However, I think that my music video will fall mainly under the entertainment category, but also under integration and social interaction.

My audience would experience enjoyment from the video and watch it because they like it, as well as feeling part of a social group, identifying belonging.