Uses and Gratification Theory
Uses and Gratification Theory: the uses and gratifications theory suggests that individuals who make use of the media choose and use certain forms of the media discriminately; in other words, they pick and choose which forms they use, rather than having any one form thrust upon them (uky.edu).
This theory originated in the 1940’s and was brought back from obscurity in the 1970’s by theorists Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz, who suggested that individuals view certain media channels in order to satisfy some form of need, usually for information. They also suggest that people choose these certain channels for subjective reasons, much like one would choose a favorite TV show (uky.edu; aber.ac.uk).
Click here to view a student made video describing this theory.
