Reception and Gratification Theories...
Uses of Gratification Theory...
Researchers "Blulmer and Katz" expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes
Uses and Gratifications Theory analyses how people use media for themselves. We could say this theory states what people do with media rather than what media does to people. According to uses and gratification theory, people do not make use of media for their specific needs.
The Gratification Theory states that these are the types of specific needs in which the audience need:
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Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
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Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g.) substituting soap operas for family life
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Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts
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Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg) weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains
The Reception Theory...
Extending the concept of an active audience still further, in the 1980s and 1990s a lot of work was done on the way individuals received and interpreted a text and the way in how they were wanting the audience to interpret this in different ways and also how their individual circumstances (gender, class, age, ethnicity) affected their viewing.
This work was based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of the relationship between text and audience - the text is encoded by the producer, and decoded by the viewer, and there may be major differences between two different viewings of the same code. However, by using recognised codes and conventions, and by drawing upon audience expectations relating to aspects such as genre and use of stars, the producers can position the audience and thus create a certain amount of agreement on what the code means. This is known as a preferred viewing.
The Different types of audiences:
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Dominant or preferred audience - Is where the audience decode the exact message the company wanted them to get and do not question what they are viewing.
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Negotiated audience - Is where the audience agree with some aspects but may disagree with others.
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Oppositional audience - Is where the audience disagree with the whole message that is being portrayed by company.
