Blog Post #7

What is meant by uses and gratifications? Which uses and gratifications do you think are the most important for people nowadays?

Uses and gratifications is the idea that the reason people watch or take part in some types of media is because it provides something, whether it be to meet the “gratifications individuals seek… [or] people’s needs.” (Berger 119) Some of the important types of uses and gratifications are the need to be amused, to gain identity, to reinforce belief in romantic love, and to affirm moral, spiritual, and cultural values.

To be amused seems like one of the main reasons as to why people take part in different forms of media. People all over the world pay attention to music, social media, movies, television shows, etc. to be entertained. 

In recent years, the idea of belonging to a group and feeling united has become very important. With emerging media comes the emergence of fan bases that are groups of people who love a particular media (for example the Twilight series or Game of Thrones) that come together to share their experiences and ideas with the world. This feeling of belonging somewhere reassures our identity because we can identify with others.

Relationships take work and sometimes when relationships fail, they can change a person’s views on how love (in this case, romantic love) works. Although very oriented towards women, usually romantic comedies or romantic movies are based in the story of how two characters are destined to be together despite all the obstacles that may come between them. Reinforcing the belief of romantic love sells to both men and women, but having that idea in children movies teaches the young that romantic love exists. For example, Disney movies such as Cinderella and Snow White have been teaching generations about the journey of a woman who is destined to be with a certain someone.

Different cultures have different values and morals, but when the media they are exposed to validates those values, then we pay attention to that certain type of media. The documentary Miss Representation had a section where it revealed how certain TV shows such as I Love Lucy reaffirmed the beliefs of the American people to why being a housewife was great, especially since after WWII when women wanted to continue working in the factories like they had when the men left for war. I Love Lucy paved a pathway into reaffirming the moral, spiritual, and cultural morals that the American people had.

These are what strikes me as the most important reasons as to why people engage in different forms of media although it is almost impossible to ignore them. Different cultures and different people have their different reasons as to why they choose to watch what they watch and listen to what they listen. Different aspects of their social surroundings and their internal thought process goes into play when contemplating why people’s uses for the media and the gratifications they receive vary.