Friday, April 4, 2008

Uses and Gratifications Theory in "How I Met Your Mother"

Special thanks to Marla Pachter for helping me get this you-tube clip up.


The above clip from CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” is a prime example of Uses and Gratifications Theory, which asserts that people utilize media to satisfy specific needs. In this particular episode, the main characters had planned to watch the Super Bowl together, but then learned that they would have to attend a funeral on Super Bowl Sunday. The friends decide to “TiVo” the game, agreeing to go an entire day without finding out the score or the victor; this way they could all watch it together as if it was the first time. By the time the clip above takes place, everyone has found out the score except for Ted. Although Ted’s initial reaction is getting angry and saying that there is no point in watching the game, he and his friends eventually realize that their primary reason for watching it is to satisfy their need to spend time with each other.

Uses and Gratifications Theory has five key assumptions, four of which are exemplified by certain aspects in the clip above. The first assumption is that the audience is active, and that their media consumption is goal-oriented. In other words, individuals actively choose to use media to satisfy different needs. On “How I Met Your Mother,” Ted and his friends plan the Super Bowl party for affective needs (otherwise known as the desire for a pleasant or aesthetic experience) and social integrative needs (which deal with enhancing connections with family, friends, and so forth). Planning a party around watching a single piece of media shows that as audience members, these friends are actively planning to use media to satisfy these needs.

In addition to consuming media in a goal-oriented manner, the second assumption of Uses and Gratifications Theory states that audience members take the initiative in choosing which specific medium will meet those goals. That is, audience members with a certain goal may utilize different specific mediums to reach those goals. Since the clip from “How I Met Your Mother” focuses on the same medium, it can show how this assumption also works in reverse order: instead of using different media to satisfy a similar need as the assumption implies, Ted and Barney choose to use the same media to satisfy two different needs. Barney betting on the outcome of the game shows that he is using it to satisfy a personal integrative need, which deals with enhancing his credibility and status in the sports world. On the other hand, Ted’s main goal in watching the game is to fulfill a social integrative need, because he wants all of his friends to experience something together.

It is important to note that media and their audiences do not exist in a vacuum; both are part of a larger society that can influence the way audience members use the media. This is taken into account in the third assumption of Uses and Gratifications Theory, which states that media compete with other sources for need satisfaction. In the clip, it is obvious that all of the characters (except for Ted) have somehow found out the score of the game. Since the Super Bowl is such a widely-publicized event, reports of the scores were probably found all over the place – on billboard advertisements, in commercials, in the newspaper, on the news, etc. Therefore, it would have been very hard to rely solely on the “TiVo”-ed tape of the Super Bowl for the cognitive need of acquiring information. Despite this, the group in the clip could still use the taped game as the media type to fulfill their social integrative need of enhancing connections with friends.

The fourth and final assumption of Uses and Gratifications Theory that this clip exemplifies is that people have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests, and motives to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that use. This has the most impact in terms of the research methods used to investigate Uses and Gratifications, because the researchers believe that surveys and interviews of media consumers will provide reliable and accurate information. Ted illustrates this type of self-aware audience member in his recap at the end of the clip: “what I remember is that we ate wings, drank beer, and watched the Super Bowl together.” However, even though most media consumers know exactly why they are watching a particular type of media, or even know how it will end, they can still "enjoy the ride."

Uses and Gratification Theory: Disturbia





The Uses and Gratification Theory implies that we as humans utilize various sources of media; i.e. video games, movies, music, television, and etc. to meet goals. Our choice of media links what type of need is to be satisfied.

The first clip above is an excerpt from the 2007 movie Disturbia where the main character Kale is placed on house arrest. Without the freedom to travel outside his home Kale uses multiple sources of media as a diversion.


He immediately uses his Xbox, avidly playing video games and talking to other players. The need gratified by the selected media was social integrative, because he cannot make contact with the outside world, he is enhancing his connection with the other players by verbally communicating with them through a headset. When access to his Xbox system is denied he resorts to watching television. He begins to become active with what he’s watching talking to the characters in the television show. When his Itunes is deactivated he watches a tv program that arouses his interests. These examples have met the affective need because he was aroused by the women on television, and was interested in the outcome of the first show. Kale also began watching a local news report which is an example of surveillance.

Overall, Kale constantly shows frustration and a form of irritability because he is unable to access his video games, music, and television. It is clear that Kale had a dependency on the various forms of media sources.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Uses and Gratification Theory: Sex and the City



These clips from an episode of Sex and the City provide a good example of The Uses and Gratification theory. This theory discusses what people do with media and why. It states that people choose media to satisfy their needs and are aware of why they use the media. In this episode Miranda’s use of her TiVO and favorite TV show demonstrates the Uses and Gratification theory in action.
Miranda’s desire to watch her favorite TV show Jules and Mimi shows that she is an active audience and is goal oriented in her media use. It’s clear that after a long day at work she wants to sit down with a big bowl of ice cream and use the TV show as a diversion to escape from her daily routine as a busy lawyer and single mother of a young son. This is one reason she gets so upset when she realizes her son’s babysitter has accidently deleted the show from her TiVO.
Miranda is also using the TV show as a personal relationship, which is when people substitute the media for companionship. Earlier in the episode, she jokingly refers to the TiVO as her “boyfriend”. Instead of going out with a guy she prefers to just stay home watching TV. In addition, after the TiVO breaks she talks to a repairman as if she’s trying to fix a broken relationship rather than a just a machine.
Miranda also uses her choice of the specific TV show Jules and Mimi to satisfy her own personal needs. Watching the show gratifies a few need types. One is affective needs. Jules and Mimi provide Miranda with emotional and pleasant experiences each time she watches. The show is a British drama about a man and woman from different classes who are in love. The program is similar to a soap opera. Miranda seems to follow the show religiously and really enjoys watching it. It appears that Miranda is using the show to fill a void in her own life. In the past she had many problems finding love so instead of going out and looking for it she finds it easier to watch the show and experience life through the lives of others. Miranda seems to be using her TiVO recordings as a tension release as well. It provides an escape from her every day schedule. At the end of a long day she just wants to sit back and be entertained.
From these clips, it is clear that Miranda has a dependency on this show. When she realizes that her TiVO was tampered with and her show is no longer recorded she becomes very upset. She even seems angry. It is clear that she misses her favorite show. In the end, when the TiVO is finally fixed, Miranda shows excitement and happiness. She knows she will be able to use Jules and Mimi as a form of gratification.

Uses and Gratifications

The Uses and Gratifications theory discusses the ways in which individuals the media. It recognizes that the audience is active and that people use media for many different reasons. These reasons include, but are not limited to, diversion, acquiring knowledge, social connection, and emotional gratification.
With this clip, I decided to look deeper into the topic of video games. These individuals who are admittedly addicted to the games talk about the reasons they use this particular type of media. They connect with peers, they escape to the world of the game, and some even experience a type of euphoria due to game play. However, they also acknowledge that they choose to engage in the addictive behavior not because of the content of the game, but because of the feeling they get from playing it. This exemplifies the assumption that the audience is active.
These cartoons exemplify the active audience as well. Although they acknowledge that the programming is less than quality and that they can change the channel, they continue to watch because their needs get gratified.

Uses and Gratifications- Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls - Season 1 Teaser - Dean Say Something



As stated in "Uses and Gratifications," people watch television and use the media for different purposes. As a general rule though, people typically know why they are watching television. It is usually to fulfill a need that one has. These needs, according to Katz, Gurevitch, and Haas (1973), are either cognitive, affective, personal integrative, social integrative, or tension release. In the clip of Gilmore Girls, these needs are being fulfilled.



In this clip, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bleidel) are watching an episode of "The Donna Reed Show" and invite Rory's boyfriend Dean (Jared Padalecki) over to join them. By everyone watching television together it is fulfilling their social integrative need. They are being social and spending an evening together. Also, when Dean asks what is going on in the show, he is trying to fulfill is personal integrative need. Since this show depicts life in the 1950's, he is trying to learn what actually went on during that time period. In addition to these needs, the women are using the tension release need. As shown they are sitting on the couch eating pizza and just relaxing on a Friday night. This implies that they must have had a difficult week and are now trying to relieve some of the stress and tension. Watching television is one way of using the media to satisfy particular needs.



It was believed that people were victimless to the mass media and would just believe whatever the media told them. Today, we believe that the media still effects us, just not entirely. This is called the limited effects theory. One approach to this is the Individual Differences Perspective. This states that the media impacts us based on our personal characteristics. In the clip from Gilmore Girls, Lorelai and Rory have the same belief system since they are mother and daughter, while Dean feels differently on certain issues. When the three are watching "The Donna Reed Show" Lorelai and Rory look at it as something that they would never be able to believe in and would not be able to live their lives as portrayed on the television show. Dean however believes that the idea of life in the 1950's is actually quite nice. This is because he is an outsider and has a different set of morals and beliefs. This demonstrates how one's upbringing and beliefs can effect how the media influences them.



This clip also demonstrates the dependency that the women have on television. They are sitting around it waiting for Dean to arrive with their food, which they will eat around the television. They do not want to be away from it. Also, they are able to cite which episode of this show was their favorite, clearly demonstrating that they watch a lot of television. The women are very dependent upon this type of media, and would greatly miss it if they were ever without it.



The media is something that we rely heavily upon. We use it to satisfy our needs. It tells us about life and we need that to compare to our actual reality. We are dependent upon this, and without it we find ourselves lost. The uses and gratifications the media provides us with are unparalleled.