RESEARCH: Why do we Watch TV? Uses and Gratification Theory Video

Uses and Gratification Theory (Video):

*'Audiences being active participants in the exchange of media'.
*The idea that people use the media to satisfy their own needs.
*4 Primary needs which audiences can satisfy with the media:
     1. Surveilance
          - Also described as seeking information.
          - Factual texts e.g. the news, documentaries, newspapers.
          - Not necessary information that you need to know, it satisfies your curiosity.
     2. Personal Identity
          - Tests which reinforce your own values and beliefs.
          - Using it to help discover who you are and what it means to be a man or woman in the 21st                   century.
     3. Personal Relationships
          - Using media when we are bored or lonely.
          - Watching a series and knowing the characters so well you wonder what you'll do without                      them.
          - Evidence of bonds we are able to make with people and characters in the media.
          - Also how it enables personal relationships within our own lives.
          - TV shows you watch just because other people are watching them.
     4. Diversion
          - To a certain extent features in all media texts.
          - Needing something to pass some time or after a long day having somewhere to escape to.
          - By browsing Instagram, playing video games or reading magazines etc.
          - Using media as a diversion and get away from the real world.

How the primary needs apply to me:

*Surveilance
- I read the news on celebrities and the newest gossip within the celebrity world purely because it satisfies my curiosity into their lives.
*Personal Identity
- I read fashion magazines and fashion blogs as they are what interest me and help me to discover what interests me most.
*Personal Relationships
- I watch a program such as 'Geordie Shore' just because my friends were watching it so I would be able to join in when they would be talking about the latest episode.
*Diversion
- I use Instagram or Twitter as my diversion from the real world as it interests me whilst also passing time.