The Uses and Gratifications Theory differs hugely from the Hypodermic Theory and in fact takes the complete opposite approach. Initially when the relationship between the media and the audience was discussed, researchers focused on the idea of the media being this huge influential source which could affect the audience in any number of ways. This theory, on the other hand, looks at how we as an audience take what we find in the media and use it for our own satisfaction and gratification. One huge distinction between the Hypodermic Needle Model and The Uses and Gratifications Theory is the way in which the audience is viewed. Rather than viewing the audience as a collective group of identical individuals who receive information in the same way, Katz and Blumer decided that within the audience there are different characteristics and ideas and that how a person views and uses the media for gratification depends on who and what the person is.The model is broken down into four different areas of gratification: surveillance, social interaction, entertainment and identity.
Surveillance
As humans, it is natural for us to want to know what’s happening in the world around us. Being kept up to date with general news and social affairs helps us to feel connected with the rest of the world and makes us feel better about our personal safety. For example, using the media to intake information on some of the negative aspects of life can give us the confidence to know that we can avoid these areas and therefore reduce our chances of also being affected.
Social Interaction
We can sometimes use media as a platform to form or strengthen relationships with others. Discussions over favourite films or genres can be used as very easy conversation starters create the feeling of acceptance and belonging. Finding common ground with someone can ease the minds of all those involved and make communicating a lot easier. Viewers can also use the the media to gain perspective on situations they may not have previously thought of and develop empathy as a result.
Entertainment
The media can be used by the viewer as a method of escapism. Sometimes the stress of life may start to become too much for a person and a good movie can be a great way to escape from all that. Problems stop being the sole thought of a person’s mind for just a couple of hours and they are allowed that time of release and relaxation. Or sometimes a person might just want to enjoy a good horror movie for no other reason than just to enjoy themselves.
Identity
Being able to identify with a character or character trait being portrayed in the media, particularly through a film, can help to gratify a viewer. Being able to relate to a character and the experiences they are going through could really help to give an audience member that sense of gratification that they are seeking for and help them to develop their own sense of identity.
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a great example of a film which allows the audience to receive gratification from all four areas specified by the Theory. The idea of surveillance is demonstrated as the audience are able to view aspects of teen life that do constantly occur in high schools. Themes such as bullying, peer pressure and underage drinking are explored and viewers are educated considerably in these areas and many others. The audience can also receive gratification through escapism. The viewer can throw themselves into the madness and comic turmoil of the drama found in the film and in the lives of the teen students. The highs in the film can create a sought after distraction from the hardships in the viewers’ lives and give them a reason to laugh, whilst the lows can be used to perhaps put the viewers’ own lives into perspective - maybe there are people out there a lot worse off. Mean Girls is a film that audience members can hugely identify with in one way or another. We’ve all been there, we were all high school students once and are likely to have experienced at least one of the issues highlighted within the movie. This idea of recognising a personal trait within an onscreen character can issue a viewer with a huge sense of gratification because of that idea that they can relate to the character/s. On the flip-side, a character with some very negative character traits, in this case such as Regina George, could help to deter a viewer from developing such traits and therefore help to define them as a person in a positive way. In terms of allowing the audience to receive gratification through social interaction, Mean Girls is definitely a film that is capable of doing this. Because of the combination of humour, relateable themes and big Hollywood names, Mean Girls has become such an iconic movie, particularly for the teenage audience. Quotes from the movie are so easily recognisable and are often used between friends to gain a quick laugh.
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