Uses and Gratification

Uses and Gratification Theory Definition

Uses and Gratification Theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Uses and Gratification theory is an audience-focused approach to understanding mass communication. Diverging from other media effect theories that question "what does media do to people?", Uses and Gratification Theory focuses on "what do people do with the media?". As a result the audience actively take part in the media they consume, serving a purpose for them.

Elements of Uses and Gratification Theory

The theory is split into the following sections:

• Diversion - Escape from everyday problems and routine.
• Personal Relationships - Using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g substituting soap operas for family guy.
• Personal Identity - Finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from text.
• Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg. reports, financial news, holiday bargains.

Which theory would I want to apply to my music video?

Within the list of the theories that fit under the Uses and Gratification theory, I believe the most vital sections are Diversion and Personal Identity. I would like to implement these two sections of the Uses and Gratifications Theory as I believe they will allow me to construct my music video in a manner that would allow my audience to enjoy the content which I will produce. The implementation of Personal Identity would be mainly carried out by the inclusion of representations, mise-en-scene as well as the narrative theory which will be mainly focused around my chosen target audience allowing them to relate to what is portrayed within the music video. As a result of this, the end audience will feel that the music video is tailored for them. Due to this the video will interest the audience, making them focused on the product which as a result would implement the Diversion theory as the audience will take on what the video represents and forget about what is happening around them during the 4 minutes of the video.