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Over the past 20 years, our experiences with media have become more individualized. Back in the 1950s, it was not uncommon for half of all Americans to be watching the same TV show at night. Currently, TV shows are produced and transmitted from the older broadcast stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, and NBC; to basic cable stations like Comedy Central, CNN, and The Food Network; to the pay cable stations like HBO and Showtime. In addition, some “TV” shows are appearing only online through YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and other sources. The range of entertainment fare also is not limited to what comes to us via TV-like devices. We may record shows or watch them on multiple types of personal electronic devices. Watching programs, which used to be done with the family in the living room, is now usually a solitary activity.
For this “review,” please pick a program, movie, radio show, or video game that appeals to you. Your job for this paper is to explain what appeals to you about your chosen program in terms of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. You can read more about the theory in this article by Kevin J. Pearce on pp. 978-980 of the Encyclopedia of Communication Theory, and this article by theorists Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch.
In addition, read this often referenced article by Thomas Ruggiero on the way the Uses and Gratifications Theory is likely to change in this century.
After reading these articles and taking notes on them, watch your program/movie/game again. Do you see where you are applying ideas from Uses & Gratifications theory in your interaction with this medium? Write down specific examples for each of the categories of gratification.
In your paper, you should address the issues brought up by Pearce in his description of this theory, including:
1. Do you agree that you favor the device that gives you access to the information and programming that most meets your needs?
2. How does the program meet your specific needs and goals? Who else do you know who seeks out this programming (movie, TV, radio show, game) and do they do so for the same reasons as you? Why are their uses of this programming similar or different from your own?
3. What does this programming tell you about your place in the world in relationship to how much access you have to things you want in the “real” world? When you are stressed out, do you turn to this programming more or less? Why?
4. What does this programming tell you about people who are different from you in terms of race, age, gender, religion, or nationality? Are they portrayed in a positive or negative light? What kinds of power do they have?
5. Contrast your use of this programming with programming that appealed to you at a different time of your life. What are the socially and personally useful reasons for turning to programming that you can infer from the comparison of what you like now with what you like before?
Write a conclusion that summarizes and synthesizes your investigation.
Your essay should be at least 750-1,050 words and it should conform to American Psychological Association style and format rules for manuscripts. Its content must address the issues listed and be supported by evidence and reasons from the four resources that you read for this assignment and at least one other scholarly resource that you discovered on your own. These sources must be documented with in-text citations and end-of-text references that reflect APA documentation rules.
Please be sure to write carefully and well, using vocabulary and grammar appropriate to the professional setting, APA-style in-text citations for quotes and paraphrases from the program you’re reviewing as well as from the other resources you consult, and a reference page.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
article by theorists Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch.
article by Thomas Ruggiero on the way the Uses and Gratifications Theory is likely to change in this century