Blumler and Katz

Blumler and Katz uses and gratifications theory 1974

During the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grown-ups, it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Far from being a passive mass, audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell suggested that media texts had the following functions for individuals and society:

·         surveillance

·         correlation

·         entertainment

·         cultural transmission

Researchers Blumler and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes (i.e. uses and gratifications):

·         Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.

·         Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g.) substituting soap operas for family life

·         Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts

·         Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg) weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains

Since then, the list of Uses and Gratifications has been extended, particularly as new media forms have come along (e.g. video games, the internet)

- http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience

In my magazine, I will be focussing on personal identity as my magazine is about upcoming artists and music that can influence audience. I will also be using diversion as well because one of the aims of my magazine is for it to be a good experience for the reader, where they can read about someone else's life and forget about their own for a while.