Uses and Gratification Theory

TEORI KOMUNIKASI

Dr. Ali S.
MENTION, FSSK
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Overview

Media theorists find audience interaction with the

media fascinating.
One of the key theories that has evolved to explain
audience behaviour is called the Uses and
Gratifications theory.

Cont
According to U&G, we all have
different uses for the media and we
make choices over what we want to
watch.
In other words, when we encounter a
media text, it is not just some kind of
mindless entertainment we are
expecting to get something from it:
some kind of gratification.

Uses and Gratifications

Research: A Brief History
1940s
Studies to identify peoples motives for listening
to Series of certain radio programs

1970s
Researchers began to categorize the various
motives for media use.
Others developed their own typology for
gratifications.
Rosengren and Windahl suggest that media
uses and effects should be linked.

Assumptions of Uses and

Gratifications
Assumes that differences among
audience members cause each
person to:
Seek out different messages
Use those messages differently
Respond to them differently

Cont
Viewers are active participants.
Media is used for gratifications.
Social and psychological factors
mediate peoples communication
behavior.
Viewers must pay attention to be
influenced or affected by the media.

What is satisfied by the media

Media researchers have identified
four central human needs that are
satisfied (gratified) by the media.
1. Information
We want to find out about society and the
world we want to satisfy our curiosity.

Cont
2. Personal Identity
We may watch the television in order to look
for models for our behaviour.
So, for example, we may identify with
characters that we see in a drama.
The characters help us to decide what we feel about
ourselves and if we agree with their actions and
they succeed we feel better about ourselves think
of the warm feeling you get when you favourite
character triumphs at the end of a programme.

Cont
Sitcom can sometimes address
challenging issues or personal
situations in a way that allow the
audience to a) relate and b) draw
reassurance from. For example:

Cont
Discomfort over racial integration
(Love Thy Neighbour)
The difficult onset of puberty (Darlene
in Roseanne)
or even stress-induced bed-wetting
(Lucy in My Parents Are Aliens).

Cont
3. Integration and Social Interaction
We use the media in order to find out more
about the circumstances of other people.
Watching a show helps us to empathise and
sympathise with the lives of others so that
we may even end up thinking of the
characters.
At the same time television may help us to
get on with our real friends as we are able to
talk about the media with them.

Cont
4. Entertainment

Sometimes we simply use the

media for enjoyment, relaxation
or just to fill time.

Criticisms of Uses and

Gratifications
Too individualistic
Synthesized research findings
Lack of clarity among key concepts
Differences in the meaning of key
concepts
The active audience and use of selfreporting

THANK YOU