Maria Hays

Mass Media and Pop Culture

February 11, 2019

Theory Review: Uses and Gratifications

Media effects are theories used to describe the influences media have on audience

members. The theories describe why certain types of media are more or less successful, why

audience members engage in particular media, and the ways in which the media impact behavior.

The uses and gratifications theory outlines reasons and outcomes of particular audiences’

behaviors in regard to media, such as Instagram, based on their personal needs and interests.

The uses and gratifications theory suggests that people focus on particular media as a

result of a variety of influences. According to Borah, one of these reasons is individual

environment (Borah 3). In regard to Instagram, a person living in a city may be more likely to

engage on the social media platform than a person in a rural area. The lifestyle differences

between these two environments would have an effect on which media individuals would prefer.

In addition to environment, uses and gratifications theorizes that individuals engage with

particular media based on cognitive needs. This means that individuals use particular media to

gather information. Common media used for cognitive purposes include newspapers, reliable

magazines, and even some social media apps like Twitter. While Instagram does have some

credible accounts, many people do not rely on Instagram for news updates.

Another reason for media use outlined by the uses and gratifications theory is affective

needs. This accounts for the emotional and empathetic side of humanity. Many media share

heart-warming stories to get its audience’s attention. For example, on the news, you may see a

short clip of a soldier surprising his or her family when returning home from deployment. This
could also include heart-wrenching topics in the media as well. An example would include a

video of a dog struggling during a flood. This is shown on Instagram as well, considering many

businesses and companies will post sentimental ads that appeal to human connection and

emotion. For example, popular influencers on Instagram showcase their children, if they have

any, as well as their significant others. Posting the sentimental side of their relationships in turn

elicits a sentimental response from their audiences. The affective need does not always rely on a

desire for positive or negative emotion; it simply relies on the desire to feel something.

In addition to feeling emotion, audiences what to feel good about themselves. This is

most commonly supported through social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and

Snapchat. However, these types of media do not solely rely on consumption to create good-

feeling. Unlike watching the news or reading the paper, these media heavily rely on its audiences

to post their own content. The personal validation and good-feeling on social media comes from

the interactions others’ have with an individual’s content. For example, a person may post a

picture on Instagram and get many ‘likes.’ The validation that other users liked your post allows

the media platform to make people feel good about themselves.

Another component of the uses and gratifications theory exemplified in the previous

example is social interaction. Many people engage in particular forms of media, like Instagram,

to communicate with others (Borah 3). This is especially done through commenting features, as

well as direct messaging. The use of Instagram allows individuals to fulfil social needs by

communicating with people they know, people from far away, and people of whom they are fans.

Instagram allows a barrier to be broken down, giving people greater opportunity to engage with

individuals they may not have met before.

 In addition to each of the previously mentioned needs, the final need outlined by the class

textbook is tension-free need. This is probably one of the most common reasons people have for

engaging with media. What better way is there to avoid the stresses of daily life than to open

social media? Many people put off getting started by scrolling through their accounts first. For

example, a college student may sit down to write his or her paper for class, but decides to catch

up on his or her Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat feeds. Escapism is one of the most common

reasons for Instagram’s popularity. For a moment, we can open the app to immerse ourselves in

the lives of others to temporarily forget about the state of our own. We also use social media like

Instagram as an escape from awkward situations such as riding an elevator or waiting for

someone to arrive. Instead of standing and waiting, we pull out our phones and open social

media. It’s a ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’ kind of situation. Does our perceived

need to check social media make those moments awkward or was the moment awkward

regardless?

The previous question shows that social media platforms like Instagram truly do impact

us. Instagram itself is a great platform to use to distract ourselves from daily stresses, as well as

the many other purposes described by the uses and gratifications theory. The app’s 2018 user

demographics include 72% of 13-17 year olds and 64% 18-29 year olds and the majority of its

users are women. In addition to the large portion of young adult users, a 2014 survery showed

the number of users that believe it would be difficult to give up social media apps has increased

by 12% (Anderson and Smith). This just shows that social media does have an influence on

society.

Instagram allows us to showcase our interests, relationships, talents, and even

personalities however we want. In regard to uses and gratifications, Rubin states that audiences
“have agency when it comes to consuming media, and that their social environment inevitably

changes how they interact with media” (Borah 3). Instagram supports Rubin’s claim in that it

allows audiences to select which content they want to see by simply clicking the follow button.

Our control over media, and media’s ability to fulfil our needs are what makes the media itself so

popular in today’s society.

 Works Cited

Anderson, Monica and Smith, Aaron. Social Media Use in 2018. Pew Research Center, March 1,

2018, www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018.

Borah, Porismita. Media Effects Theory. ResearchGate, January 2016,

www.researchgate.net/publication/314119579.

Turow, Joseph. Media Today: Mass Communication in a Converging World. 6th ed., Erica

Wetter, 2017.