Hey Everyone! I'm posting a little early because I'm super busy and also so that anyone who hasn't posted on one of Professor Burns' blogs can get the gist of it.
So, my topic to post on is Uses and Gratifications, Ch. 16 in McQuail.
Uses and gratification theory pretty much says that people consume certain types of media to fufil needs in their lives. McQuail breaks this down on page 425 into four main categories of "important media-person intereactions". Those categories are diversion, personal relationships, personal identity, and surveillance. Definately interesting to think about when trying to fit our own media usage into those categories. For example, I watch American Idol as a "diversion" because after watching the show, I personally feel better about my own life.
Its my own personal opinion that most people watch television as a form of diversion, or escape from their lives. (Mostly because of research done in Prof. Worthington's audience class.) But the most interesting of these interactions to me is the "personal relationships" category. I immediately thought of the Superbowl and how regardless of whether or not my friends like football, we all always get together to watch the game.
This survey done by comScore, and reported on FoxBusiness.com, reflects some patterns about the Superbowl:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/technology/article/comscore-2008-super-bowl-pregame-survey-reveals-internet-plays-important-role_460750_12.html
The most interesting being the amount of people who said that they watch the game to be with friends and family:
Q: What is your favorite part of watching the Super Bowl?
Activity Total Male Female
Watch the game 49 % 65 % 33 %
Watch the ads 26 % 16 % 35 %
Spend time with friends/family 18 % 15 % 20 %
Watch the half time show 6 % 3 % 9 %
I personally thought it would be higher.
So, what do you think of the uses & gratification theory? And do you think that your television habits conform to any of those catergories? And, why do you watch the Superbowl?
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9 comments:
I totally agree with the whole superbowl thing. I don't really watch football or follow it but I actually came home this weekend to watch the game because my uncle is have a big party with our family and friends and my mom is cooking up a storm...ok so maybe I just went home for the food but you would too if you ever had my mom's lasagna. Anyway the point is that events in the media do bring people together. I can think of so many instances when trashy shows like "I Love New York" were on and my roomates and I would have people over to eat, talk, and watch the show. Like Lauren mentioned, she watches "American Idol" as a diversion because it makes her feel better about her own life-I do the same thing with shows like "Intervention" and "Rock of Love." It's sad but some people on T.V. are so out there that it actually makes me grateful to be a normal person without groupie tendencies and drug habbits. With that being said, we basically use the media as a tool to relate to others on a more personal level. Funny that I never really thought of it that way.
-Carissa
The uses and gratifications theory is certainly applicable to my media viewing habits, and I'd think it could be applied to most people's anyways. Usually I watch TV to fulfill a need of diversion, but most of the other times I do watch TV is to meet a social need.
Books (yes, I am that archaic) fulfill several needs, and some have even reached to all four categories. This is one reason why I believe books are a richer medium. Books can serve as a diversion, they can bolster personal identity, provide snippets of information (depending on the type of book), and they also can foster personal relationships....in like a book club or even during dinner conversations (don't we all like a well read person?) ;-)
As for the Superbowl....I don't watch it. The only times I have watched it have been 1.social situation and 2.for homework (?)
I definitely agree and see the uses of gratifications theory in my TV media viewing habits. I tend to watch television through diversion and surveillance. Surveillance is used when I want to know the score of a game, see the latest sports news etc. Diversion is used mostly when I’m tired of doing homework or for when I just want to put the TV on so I can clear my head and fall asleep. Diversion is the method I most frequently use.
As for your thoughts on the Super bowl Lauren, I would totally agree with people using the event in the personal relationship category and normally this is the reason for why I watch the super bowl but this year the GMEN (my team) were playing. The Giants are my favorite football team so I watched the game using personal identity. But I also used a little personal relationship because my family is also Giants fans and I went home to watch the game with them.
On page 424 of McQuail's text, he addresses the central question of the uses and gratification theory, writing "The central question is: why do people use the media and what do they use them for?"
I strongly agree with the uses and gratification theory, especially in terms of the diversionary aspect. Television, in itself, is a diversion. It is a chance to watch fictional, or in the case of the current trend of reality shows, characters do things that we might not have the courage or chance to do ourselves. I know that I watch shows like Rock of Love and Survivor because none of the things that happen on the show would ever happen to me in real life. The absolute ridiculousness that ensues on Rock of Love is definitely a diversion—being that virtually no one has a chance to find actual love in a three week setting such as this. However, these situations are entertainment gold, in the sense that, especially with the writers strike, they are the most entertaining things on television. They offer me a chance to watch something that, to borrow a word from Lauren, escape from the monotony of my life.
As for the Superbowl: the reasons that I watch the game vary from year to year, depending on who is playing. As a big football fan, I enjoy the game, but when “my team” is not playing, the game matters far less than the entertainment value that is found on the commercials. This year, I was assigned to watch the game for my sports class, but it was more to make a comment on the reactions of people watching the game around me. This being said, I spent the night with some of my friends at a friends apartment, but what I found interesting is the fact that I didn’t know about 90% of the people at the party, and yet when I left, we all felt like we had been friends for life. I guess the media event did bring people together, through laughing at the commercials and yelling or cheering for various plays. I hadn’t really thought about it that way before.
The mass media was made to entertain which explains why individuals consume content that they enjoy. Whether I'm on my laptop, watching television or reading the paper, in my mind I have already decided that this is what I want to do. I agree with the theory because whenever I’m interacting with the "mass media" it is at my own discretion. When I choose to use the media it is always to satisfy my wants and needs at that moment. The individual controls what they watch or read which makes the "mass media" that much more powerful. By giving consumers control they are able to form a relationship with the media content being taken in. For example, everyone has their favorite television show and when a new episode is airing the die-hard fans are sure to be at their television sets or have there TiVo’s ready. During break I became fascinated with Fuel TV after having watched an episode of “Insane Cinema.” I identified myself with the show because they were showcasing snowboards in the Whistler backcountry. Being an avid snowboarder I was immediately hooked to the show and began watching the channel on a regular basis for all the reasons that relate to media usage. I watch the Superbowl for the game when the Giants are in it and for the years that they aren’t I tend to watch for the commercials unless it’s a good match-up. – Huvane
I also strongly agree with the uses and gratifications theory, like most everyone else. I have many media habits, but most of them can be related to the uses and gratifications theory. I think that it is a theory that most media consumers have to agree with, or at least feel strongly about. When I consume media, it is for a purpose most of the time, whether it is to divert myself from my everyday life, or to survey what is going on in the world. The only aspect of my media consumption that I can say probably doesn’t fit into the certain categories of the uses and gratifications approach is that I am the type of person who needs something on in the background. As long as I am not reading, I cannot function without some sort of sound or light. Whether I have music on, or I’m glancing at the television but not really paying attention while doing work, I need the visual or auditory stimulation, otherwise I would go crazy. I guess I would consider this a more psychological or physiological aspect of my media consumption.
There are some television events however, where what I am really looking for is the personal relationships aspect of the uses and gratifications model. The Super Bowl is the best example of this. As a sports fan, I watch the Super Bowl for the game, but I can watch a regular football game alone. There is something about this particular game that urges you to be with people who you love, or at least to be out being social while watching the game. It has almost become a social norm to have a party, with tons of food and drinks, and to have intense fan interaction right there in your own living room. There are other television events that I watch for the personal relationship factor. Sad but true, some of my roommates and my favorite moments throughout the week are the ones where we are watching “A Shot at Love” or “The Hills”. Part of our bonding comes from making fun of these shows however.
I definitely agree with McQuail's 'uses and gratification theory' (diversion, personal relationships, personal identity, and surveillance), which he states to capture the most important media satisfactions (425). I think that most media is used as a diversion. Just think, how many times do we look forward to the season premiere of our favorite television show? I'm not a Lost fan (although I really do want to start watching it, I hear it's great!), but I know so many Lost fans who couldn't wait for the season premiere this past week. We get to know the characters, their storylines, and it's fun to divert from your own life and watch what unfolds in the lives of fictional characters (especially if you have been a fan of that show for awhile).
I think reality shows, too, are a way that a lot of people use as diversions from their own lives. As a whole, I think most people are aware that most reality shows are scripted and/or staged. Despite the fact that we know this, we still watch them. I know I do! I love "The Hills" on MTV, and I know it's scripted (even though LC and the rest of her friends say it's not, but who really believes them), but I think I just like to watch it because it's fun to see what's going on in other people's lives. As weird as it sounds, a lot of people like to know what's going on in other people's lives, especially celebrities or these "reality celebrities". I think McQuail states it well when he says that: "Audience members are conscious of the media-related needs which arise in personal (individual) and social (shared) circumstances and can voice in terms of motivations" (424). I know what I'm watching, and it's fun to escape from my own routine and watch someone else's life, for a just a little bit.
I watch the SuperBowl because I like football, and it's basically engraved within American culture to watch this game. Just take a look at the price of how much 30-second commercials cost, $2.7 million I believe. I mean, it is just known that Americans will be tuning in. And, of course, being a Media Studies major, I'm most certainly going to watch it! Haha. But in all honesty, I do enjoy watching football. Even though I am neither a Giants nor a Patriots fan, I know people who are. Therefore, I watched the SuperBowl with my Giants fan friends, and we had a great time eating and enjoying each others company. We used the media for personal relationships and as a form of companionship. Also, with all of the new commericials that come out, everyone always comments on them right after they air. So, you can all talk about how you liked/disliked the commericials, which will spark conversation among you and whoever you are with. Watching the SuperBowl is just a great way to interact with others and enjoy eating, drinking, and having a good time :)
I think that the uses and gratification theory is the main reason why the media is so apart our lives today. The media is everywhere because we want it that way, as a way to divert our attention with entertainment, and as a way to form social connections.
For me personally media has been a sort of comfort or security blanket in my life. I can remember falling asleep to the TV late at night after I had a bad dream or if there was a loud storm outside. When I was younger I used television as a distraction and comfort so that I could relax and forget what was bothering me at the time. I think this is true for a lot of people, the TV or radio has become a sort of meditation, a way to take you away from the stresses of life and help neutralize.
Another way that I see the media being used is definitely through a social aspect. Almost every night of the week, no matter if I am here at school or at home, my friends and I have some sort of TV party. Its Gossip Girl night or The Hills is on, so my friends all get together and watch. It’s not always about the show that’s on because the shows are constantly changing (two years ago it was OC Thursdays, but today its Greys of course), but more about being together and watching the shows. Everyone is laughing, and during commercials there are major discussions going on about what just happened.
The media is providing a point of reference within social groups, helping people connect on some level to one another through common likes and knowledge about specific media pieces. I think that this is why the media is commonly used in social situations by people because it makes it easier to connect to one another. Mcquail states on page 437, “The content of media provides an object of shared attention for many, as well as topics of conversation. Media related talk is especially useful in providing non-intrusive basis of contact with strangers.” The Super Bowl is a great example to support this idea. Many homes in America throw huge Super Bowl parties to watch the game. This shows how much of a social aspect this media event has taken on. In my own experiences this past Sunday, my RA used the Super Bowl to create a program to get know different rooms in our hall as the game was going on. It worked out because we all had something in common to talk about, which was the game that obviously everyone was watching. Without the game as a common interest it would have been more awkward to meet and talk to complete strangers.
-Jess
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