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.