Uses Gratifications theory AS Media Uses and Gratifications

Uses & Gratifications theory AS Media

Uses and Gratifications theory Media consumers choose texts or media platforms that fulfil one or more of these needs: - Informed or educated about the world. - Need or want to identify a personal connection with characters/situations in order to learn new things about themselves. - Entertained by a range of well constructed media texts. - Use media text as a platform for social interaction. - Escapism from their daily lives.

Tension free need, this would be the need to relief stress and tension. A magazine such as “PAPER” could be a reliable stress reliever. The record prop denotes vintage and elder generations. Readers could use this sense of vintageness as a means to escape their current daily lives. Cognitive need – readers may have the need to acquire information. This could be routed as we are exposed that AM have picked their record that ‘changed their life’, so readers may want to discover which that is. Social integrative need, this would refer to the need to be social, a magazine headlining Arctic Monkeys new best album could be a hot topic of discussion. Therefore people would want to talk about this through conversation or social media

A magazine like Kerrang could influence escapism. This is because the magazine coverage often differs from peoples everyday lives and societal norms, it is edgy. Therefore, it is used as a means of escapism to see a different aspect of life. The word “anarchy” alludes to the rebellious attitude connoted with rock music. This could be used as readers to identify a link between themselves and characters of the article. Through this coverline, cognitive needs are met; people are made knowledgeable about the new “exclusive” album information. Entertainment needs are met here in providing a free product for merchandise.