Media Studies Understanding Magazines and Audiences
What do you use the media for?
Uses and Gratification Theory:
According to uses and gratification theory, we all have different uses for the media and we make choices over what we want to watch, read or use. In other words, when we encounter a media text, it is not just some kind of mindless entertainment – we are expecting to get something from it: some kind of gratification. In general researchers have found four reasons that we have for using Media products:
Information: We want to find out about society and the world – we want to satisfy our curiosity. What types of media products might we use to do this? This would fit the news and documentaries which both give us a sense that we are learning about the world.
Personal Identity:
We will use a Media product in order to look for models for our behaviour. So, for example, we may identify with characters that we see in a soap. The characters help us to decide what feel about ourselves and if we agree with their actions and they succeed we feel better about ourselves – think of the warm feeling you get when you favourite character triumphs at the end of a programme.
Integration and Social Interaction: ď Ž
We use the media in order to find out more about the circumstances of other people.
Entertainment: ď Ž
Sometimes we simply use the media for enjoyment, relaxation or just to fill time.
On your mind map, colour code the different uses into the 4 categories that the theory specifies‌
Working with the people on your table, I would like you to fill in this sheet. You are to base it on stereotypes of what you expect these people to be. Demographic Girl aged 6 -10
Teenage boy (15-18)
25 year old single woman 40 year old married male
What do they do in their free time? - hobbies
What are their favourite TV programmes and who are their favourite celebs?
What do they do socially?
Magazines: Personal Identity; Information; Integration and Social Interaction; Entertainment: In order for a producer to get an audience to buy their magazine, they need to know their audience inside and out‌. You are going to put yourself in the place of a producer. Choose 1 of the demographics on the audience sheet and use the interests to list the kinds of things that they would want to see in their magazine under the headings of the Uses and Gratification theory‌. Like this:
Your Demographic: 6 – 10 year old girl Personal Identity Articles on what to wear to a party
Integration and Social Interaction Ideas for birthday parties Tips on starting a new school
Information Where to shop What’s in fashion
Entertainment Stories/ comic strip
Terms you are now learning and working with: Demographic Audience Stereotypes Uses and Gratification theory
Denotation and connotation:
Simply put, denotation is what it is. Connotation is everything that we put with it. i.e. what is this?
But what does this mean – what do we add to it?
Denotation and connotation: Colours work in the same way: I would like you to look at the following colours… In your books, write down what colour you see, then write down all of the things that you associate with that colour. The first one will be done for you:
Yellow Sun Happy Bright Summer Beach Bubbly personality Mr Happy