Uses and gratification theory
The Uses and Gratifications Theory suggests there are certain reasons why an audience responds to different media texts:
| Gratification | Description |
|---|---|
| Entertainment | Audiences consume media texts to escape from their everyday lives. They choose entertaining texts that allow them to divert their attention from the real world, perhaps by watching a sci-fi film such as Star Wars. |
| Information | Some media texts are consumed by audiences when they want to be informed and educated. Newspapers, news programmes and current affairs documentaries educate and inform. They help the audience to find out what is happening in the world. |
| Social media/interaction | Some media texts like The X Factor or I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Hereprovoke interaction with the audience. Social media can now spark an immediate reaction and get people talking while the action is still happening. |
| Personal identity | Some audiences like to watch or read media texts because they can compare their life experiences with the texts. Audience pleasure comes from relating to and identifying with characters or content represented in them. Soap operas or lifestyle magazines can offer audiences this kind of enjoyment. |
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