The Uses and Gratifications Theory on mass media consumption. It focuses more on the consumer and what they do with media, rather than the actual content and what it does to people. Unlike some other theories, it assumes that the audience are active rather than passive and decide how they use and interpret media products in to their lives. It also suggests that the audience is responsible for the media they choose and how they decide to use it in order to meet their needs.
This theory follows a basic model that the audience actively seek out media products in order to gratify a need. For example, they may watch a weather forecast in order to find out the weather for the day. Why people consume media is divided in to four sections:
1. Surveillance - acquiring information, knowledge and understanding
2. Personal Identity/Individual Psychology - reassurance, self-understanding, reality exploration
4. Personal Relationships - information in conversation, media for companionship
5. Diversion - Escape, release from everyday life
After researching this theory I thought about how it applies to magazines. I feel that people read music magazines for all these reasons. For example, someone may read an article on an artist in a music magazine gaining information, which is surveillance. They then may also use this information in conversation with friends, which is personal relationships. They may have read this article due to the artist representing a particular social group which they feel they fit in to, giving them reassurance and self understanding, which is personal identity. Finally they may have read the article just to relax, which is diversion.
I will keep this theory in mind when creating my magazine in order to make it suitable to satisfy my audience's needs.
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