Buy essay on Television audience

Mass communication media differentiate on the amount, variety, reliability and influentialness. In different societies there can be different functional features of mass communication. Offered approach has several strong sides. Here dilemma is taken between the pictures of “all-powerful” mass communication media and pictures of their “limited” influence. A greater accent is here done on concretely historical circumstances, than on individually-personality descriptions. It is assumed that the results of influence on an audience can also show up in the effects of influence both on the frame of society on the whole and on mass communication media. Methodology offered approach is in a most degree oriented to raising and decision of tasks of sociological plan. Analyzing this offered approach we can mention that its basic lack consists in its overstatement of degree of independence of mass communication media from the frame of society on the whole. It appears that actually mass communication media are deeply plugged in the structure of basic institutes of society. Classifying Individual Needs and Media Uses Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch cited two Swedish researchers “who in 1968 proposed a “uses and gratifications” model that included the following elements:
1. The audience is conceived of as active, that is, an important part of mass media use is assumed to be goal directed.
2. In the mass communication process, much initiative in linking need gratification and media choice lies with the audience member.
3. The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction” (Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch, 1973: 507) Saying about theory of uses and gratifications it is understandable that the base parcel of approach consists of that from all aggregate of materials of mass communication an audience chooses materials, satisfying its necessities in one or another measure. The degree of informative activity depends on individual necessities and interests. Probability of choice of concrete report depends on that, in which measure it answers one or other individual necessities. Contrasting them with other models we can note most models of “uses and gratifications” are not plugged in consideration such constituent of communication process as sender of report. An initial moment is an analysis of factors, determining the address of audience to informative materials.
One of the major in this connection is individual necessities and reasons. The first interpretations of conception destroyed the list of necessities from so-called base necessities. Later to them were added necessities of more high level. Today this list usually includes requirements in an orientation, safety, co-operation and removal of tension. Necessities are revealed in reasons, propulsive a man and becoming the form of display of necessities. During researches it was offered a few typologies of reasons. According to Miller we will bring “one over of them in this connection, supposing next “co-ordinates”:
1. Informative: seeking advice, teaching, estimations and orientations in what be going on.
2. Self-identification (to the identity): search of models of behavior, reinforcement of individual values.
3. Integration and social co-operation: finding out of terms of existence other, adaptation to implementation of individual roles, conditioning for social intercourse.
4. Entertainments: weakening, distractions from everyday problems, filling of spare time, satisfaction of sexual necessities.” (Miller, 2005: 73)
One of conclusions, which ensue from resulted typologies, consists of variety of reasons of address to mass communication. Obviously also, that pictures of communicator about address of audience to this report frequently can not coincide with those reasons on which people indeed appeal to such reports. Gratification of necessities is supposed by the consumption of reports. At an answer for a question what maintenance will satisfy the necessities of individual the theory of the known social psychologists is used, among other. It is here assumed that settings and conduct is the function of two factors that are called expectations and estimations.
Expectation is related to the picture that certain properties or conduct are inherent to the object and they will have certain consequences. Gauntlett added that “man, who receives, for example, a newspaper in any case set a question about the utility of material reading.” (Gauntlett, 2007: 26) Estimation consists of ascription of positive or negative relation to the expected properties or consequences. The same person sets itself a question and about importance of being good informed.
We will make a typical example of interpretation within the framework of approach of “uses and gratification”. Moores show that “a man has requirements in social intercourse”. (Moores, 1993: 51) From the experience he knows that over the consumption of certain materials of mass communication will bring to satisfaction of this necessity. Therefore he speaks to the programs of television, to reading of newspapers et cetera. In the total there is satisfaction of necessity. Carnoy demonstrated that “at the same time it is expressed depending on mass communication and change of habits of people.” (Carnoy, 1999: 128) In this example mass communication is a certain functional alternative to the real intercourse. In approach of “uses and gratification” basic attention is concentrated on an audience, factors of the determining a selection revealing to mass communication. Thus, an accent is done on the micro level of analysis. Little attention spared to the macro social descriptions. Ideological, socio-cultural, the political orientations of audience practically are not studied within the framework of approach. Functional character has approach: the consumption of mass communication is related to the row of functions realization of which is instrumental in maintenance of balance of necessities. It is important to take into account that supposition about activity of audience gets empiric support not always.
Thus, based on all above discussed information we could come to the conclusion that the theory of use and gratification gives the large value of active role of audience in making decision and determination of aims at a consumption by it to the products of mass media. Character of influence mass-media partly depends on that, how a man uses them and what satisfaction he gets from them. For example, the film of horrors will be made by one impression on a man, deeply emphasizing with victim, and completely other – on a spectator, recipient only superficial pleasure from tense intrigue of film. Viewing of the program of news on the channel of CNN or reading of newspaper USA Today can cause one experiencing for a man, persons interested to have fun, and quite another – for a man, aspiring to get the detailed information about the platform of political candidate. We can use mass-media not only as a source of entertainment or information but also for the great number of other aims. For example, in an order to deliver itself from a necessity to study anything, or to escape from the real world in the world of fantasies, or to test pleasant agitation, looking after the game of some popular star. Maybe, we want to know that «all think» about some popular show. Possibly, sit at a screen, only to please our relatives, who presently also watch TV. And sometimes we watch or listen to the program which quite dislikes us, only for the sake of that, to feel ourselves lonely. For the conclusion it is necessary to note that each of theoretical approaches brings in the contribution to understanding of mass-media and their influence. Such theory which would engulf all aspects of this problem adequately is not developed so far, including cognitive, emotional and behavioral. The mass-media create for us reality in the great number of different areas, leaning in the process of it on different psychological processes.

References:

Carnoy, M. (1999). Sustaining flexibility: work, family, and community in the Information Age. New York: Russell Sage.
Gauntlett, David (2007). Creative Explorations: New approaches to identities and audiences, London: Routledge.
Katz, Elihu, Blumler, Jay and Gurevitch, Michael. (1973). “Uses and gratifications research,” Public Opinion Quarterly, volume 37, number 4, pp. 509–523.
Miller, K. (2005). Communication Theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Moores, Shaun (1993). Interpreting Audiences: The Ethnography of Media Consumption, London: Sage.