Ali Solis

Dr. Lukacovic

Intro to PR

11/2/2022

Uses and Gratification

For many, it is hard to imagine a world without mass media. It has changed the way the

world around us works and has its many benefits. Media can be used to help spread information

to mass audiences, connect with others, to inform, and to meet our needs. With the media being a

new norm in our society, people all over are experiencing new ways of being offered emotional

gratifications. Gratification, like all emotions, is a motivator of behavior and plays a role in the

entire range of human social systems. The fulfillment of consuming media has only grown to be

more normalized within society, yet media and its intent is still a new phenomenon in human

history that is continuing to be uncovered.

The theory of Uses and Gratifications introduces an approach that can help us better

understand the needs, motives, and gratifications of media users and why people actively seek

out media to satisfy their needs. Uses and Gratifications can also be introduced as a theoretical

approach in the initial stages of each new mass communications medium throughout decades.

Assumptions of this theory relies on media users’ selectivity and awareness of selectivity. As

society and the media continue to grow, the assumptions, or approaches of the Uses and

Gratifications can help uncover more about what it is people do with media rather than what the

media does to people.

Section 1: History of Media and UGT

Media history considers the historical aspect of communication through mediums. The

word media itself started as the plural of the word “medium” which comes from Latin origin

meaning “the middle”. Medium, or media, is the system in which communication is used to

reach larger audiences. Its usage now as a word to describe television, radio, social media, and

more, derives from the term mass media which is another way to collect all forms of media into

one category. The term media typically refers to a collection of communication outlets that

distribute messages and information to society and is still a relatively new phenomena in human

history. As media historians Asa Briggs and Peter Burke note, “every crucial invention came

with a change in historical perspectives” (Sorin Matei, 2014). This meaning that with each new

mass communication medium comes new understandings of media, media usage, and the society

around us.

The evolution of media, from old to new, has transformed the world around us yet we

might not even understand why. Introduced in the early 1940s by Katz, and later reintroduced by

Katz and his colleague Blumler in the 1970s, the uses and gratifications theory focuses on the

understanding of why people use media, what needs they have that causes them to use it, and

what gratifications they get from using them (Faiswal Kasirye, 2021). With no complete

understanding of how gratifications plays a role in media usage, the Uses and Gratifications

theory may not be clearly defined. Although media has been around since the 1800s, from

printing press to now digital media, this theory helps focus its attention on the gratifications, or

selectivity, of media usage (Sorin Matei, 2014). As media technologies continue to advance, the

understanding of its effects are more important than ever in helping us understand what it is we

are doing with media.

Section 2 Uses and Gratifications in Media

Many early media theorists suggest multiple ways of approaching media and its study.

Katz, who focused on Uses and Gratifications Theory, suggests that the social and psychological

needs of the user are satisfied by exposure to mass media. Erik Rosengren, another familiar

theorist, also suggested that the users are using media for needs associated with personal

characteristics and the social environment of the individual (Liu Weiyan, 2015). In addition, a

newer body of research suggests that people use media to meet higher order needs by finding

meaning or finding core values. Put together, the uses and gratifications theory considers the

individual power one has over their media consumption and relies heavily on two principles

about media users. The first principle being that media users are motivated in their media

selection or don’t use media without interest. The other principle being that people rely on their

own personal knowledge of their motivations to make media choices that will meet their specific

needs (Cynthia Vinney, 2019). This leaves the uses and gratifications theory with the

assumptions that media is selected based on expectation, social context, and selectivity.

New media has several new features that were not part of older forms of media. Users

can interact whenever, wherever, and have much more options than before. Media can provide

many gratifications which are results of our own usage and action of media. For example, some

people might watch news for information, some might watch Tik Tok for entertainment, and

others might use it to for communication itself. By watching the news, that media consumer is

aware that they are being fed information they want to know, thus creating a high expectation of

satisfaction for the user. These sometimes-sudden motives or motivations we have are ultimately

fulfilled and gratified by media usage and are also influenced by feelings, thoughts, or moods we
have throughout the day. This is what Katz believed to be the power of us vs. the media. He

states that, “people’s values, their interests, their associations, their social roles, are pre-potent”

(Robin Nabi, 2009, pg. 15). This meaning that despite the power of influence of media, users are

still more in control of what they choose to consume due to their individualistic characteristics,

moods, motivations, interests, etc.

Uses and Gratification sees that variations in personality, social context, and mood lead

to variations in media behavior. Researchers have examined how several of these psychological

or social circumstances affect media usage and other researchers have also observed that the

social context influences the degree of media usage by people (Robin Nabi, 2009). For example,

poor health may lead to more television use, or loneliness might rely heavily on electronic

communication devices. Each individual difference plays a large role in the understanding of

media uses and gratification because differences in social and psychological natures affect

different needs or wants in media usage. As everyone continues to experience their own unique

sense of influence, Katz suggests that this is what causes self-awareness in the decision-making

process of what media is going to satisfy or fulfill our needs.

Awareness plays a large role in the understanding of this theory and its principles, or

assumptions, as it sees people as active consumers of media who are self-aware of their motives

for consuming media. Another assumption driven by the two principles of UGT is that people are

active media users, meaning that media messages don’t leave any sort of impact unless the user

wants it to. As a result, this means that people can control the amount of media they are

consuming and determining how it will affect them (Cynthia Vinney, 2019, pg.1). Not only is

this considered a positive approach to media studies, but it is suggesting users to continue their

choice of selectivity in media. While media usage has become much more common, the motives
behind using it have always been there. Whether it was reading a newspaper for information or

watching the news for information, the social or psychological factors that influence that need

for information have remained which is important in understanding the needs in uses and

gratifications and where they come from. As society and technology continue to move at rapid

pace, causing social context to constantly change, the stronger the factors of motivations behind

media usage.

Section 3: Needs of UGT

As technology advancements continue to occur and as society continues adjusting as

well, new gratifications for media usage are continuing to be uncovered. Much of Uses ad

Gratifications theory in media focuses on the gratifications that media fulfills. The five social

and psychological needs gratified by media use, which is a well-known scheme introduced by

Katz, Gurevitch, and Haas in 1973, include the following needs: cognitive, affective, integrative,

social, and release. These five needs categories are obtained from traditional and new media such

as, newspapers, television, or social media. Although recent research suggests that new media

offers similar gratification, Sundar and Limperos state that while old media and new media may

fulfill similar social and psychological needs, the exploration of new media also creates unique

needs that studies of uses and gratifications may overlook. Scholars even suggest that there are

several new gratifications that fall into a new media category including modality, agency,

interactivity, and navigability (Shyam Sundar, Anthony Limperos, 2013). While these new

categories of new media are still being explored, the five categories of needs in uses and

gratifications theory can better explain the differences between all needs of the user.

Users seeking information could say that they are satisfying cognitive needs. This means

that they have needs relating to getting knowledge and information as well as curiosity and
exploration. Similarly, affective needs appeal to needs that relate to emotion or pleasure. For

example, satisfaction from watching your favorite team win a game on television. This is

considered an affective need due to the guilty pleasure one gets from watching something, not

necessarily to seek information, but to be entertained in a satisfactory way for the user. This can

also tie into the personal integrative needs of a user. While Katz believes that individuals select

which media they allow to consume or believe, watching advertisements that show one’s favorite

car, jewelry, or makeup brand might fulfill their self-esteem by reassuring their status or

credibility. Furthermore, the user is self-aware of their likes, dislikes, and emotions which may

lead to them watching something that is going to satisfy those needs. However, while the

motives or social and psychological factors of cognitive and affective needs may be similar, not

every user shares those same needs.

As individuals or users of media continue to gravitate toward media to fulfill their needs,

they might be finding out more about themselves in the process. By fulfilling ones need through

media by using social networking systems such as Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat, users can

fulfill social needs as fit best. These social media platforms may be defined as a group of

internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technical foundations that allow the

exchange of user generated content (Anita Whiting and David Williams, 2013). This is still a

relatively new norm in society as it has changed social interaction between humans forever. Not

only have our social interactions changed from face-to-face to screen-to-screen due to media, but

also the way we choose to relax or destress. For example, one might gravitate towards watching

their favorite movie for relaxation rather than going to the spa or any sort of in-person

alternative. However, this is different for all due to the subjective needs one has due to their

specific nature or social context. Moreover, media usage and its takeover of society have
impacted the way in which we satisfy our needs and how those around us selectively choose their

media intake to fit their needs best.

Conclusion

The UGT has a long-standing history in mass communication and mass media and will

continue to do so with each new addition. As discussed, the Uses and Gratifications theory

clearly provides a positive sense of awareness, selectivity, and fulfillment of media usage and

focuses its main attention on the consumer rather than the media itself. While the media is still a

relatively new phenomena and theorists continue studying its impact, or our impact, we can

assume that what people do with media is based on their social and psychological nature, their

needs, and self-awareness of these factors.

While Katz believed that media users are aware of the needs and gratifications they want

to get out of using them, there is a few critiques based on this assumption. The theory's main

critique lies in the assumption that people know their needs and gratifications, after all, it is

practically impossible for people to be knowing all their needs and gratifications because some

of them come along the way when they are using the media platforms and not thought about

before (Faiswal Kasirye, 2021). Secondly, the theory focuses on user power yet does not

consider the power of the media itself.

Despite critiques or concerns of this theory, the studies of one’s unique way of

functioning is still new in the study of media. As technology continues to grow, so does society

and with a better understanding of media history, new media, and uses and gratifications theory,

the more clearly defined the roles we play for ourselves and others in this new way of seeing

media.
 Citation

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Vinney, C. (2019, April 19). What is uses and gratifications theory? definition and examples.
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Weiyan, L. I. U. (2015). A historical overview of uses and gratifications theory. Cross-

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Sundar S., Limperos A., (2013). Uses and grats 2.0: new gratifications for new media. J
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Nabi, R. (2009). The sage handbook of media processes and effects. Google Books. Retrieved
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