Uses and Gratification Theory
Ryan Ferguson
Grand Canyon University: COM-126
10/13/13
The Uses and Gratification Theory is a theory by Blumer and Katz in which proposes that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. It says that users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their use of the media. Blumer and Katz suggest that media users seek particular sources that best fulfills their needs and that they must make choices to satisfy these needs. Throughout my reading of “Why Do People Watch Religious TV?: A Uses and Gratifications Approach” by Robert Abelman, I was continuously surprised at what I was coming across as many thoughts came to my mind. The article states that audiences of religious television since 1979, have ranged from 110 million to 40 million to 13.3 million. Seeing this really astonished me, as I would have never of guess that there would be this many viewers for religious television. This being said, these findings did not match what I would have predicted because I would have believed the audience numbers and viewers of such television to be much less in magnitude. I was incredibly shocked and really taken by surprise to see such numbers be recorded for the viewing of religious television. As a follower of the Catholic faith I remain true and dear to my religion but I am not as avid of a follower as I should be as I do not go to church nearly as much as I should but am in the demographic of being a church member. At the same time although, the demographic in which Abelman discusses touches on three key characteristics for which religious television viewers fall under which are typically older, of a lower economical class, and also of whom are often less educated. This fact of the matter that Abelman touches on I was not necessarily surprised by. In saying this, the fact that the elderly is more partial to watching religious television did not surprise me yet at the same time the fact that
Grand Canyon University: COM-126
10/13/13
The Uses and Gratification Theory is a theory by Blumer and Katz in which proposes that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. It says that users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their use of the media. Blumer and Katz suggest that media users seek particular sources that best fulfills their needs and that they must make choices to satisfy these needs. Throughout my reading of “Why Do People Watch Religious TV?: A Uses and Gratifications Approach” by Robert Abelman, I was continuously surprised at what I was coming across as many thoughts came to my mind. The article states that audiences of religious television since 1979, have ranged from 110 million to 40 million to 13.3 million. Seeing this really astonished me, as I would have never of guess that there would be this many viewers for religious television. This being said, these findings did not match what I would have predicted because I would have believed the audience numbers and viewers of such television to be much less in magnitude. I was incredibly shocked and really taken by surprise to see such numbers be recorded for the viewing of religious television. As a follower of the Catholic faith I remain true and dear to my religion but I am not as avid of a follower as I should be as I do not go to church nearly as much as I should but am in the demographic of being a church member. At the same time although, the demographic in which Abelman discusses touches on three key characteristics for which religious television viewers fall under which are typically older, of a lower economical class, and also of whom are often less educated. This fact of the matter that Abelman touches on I was not necessarily surprised by. In saying this, the fact that the elderly is more partial to watching religious television did not surprise me yet at the same time the fact that
References: Baran, S. J. (2012). Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture (Updated 7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 9780077403898 Abelman, R. (n.d.). Why do people watch religious tv?: A uses and gratification approach. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf9/pdf/1987/GTT/01Dec87/11062625.pdf?T=P&P =AN&K=11062625&S=R&D=a9h&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHr7ESep7E4zdnyO LCmr0uep7ZSrqa4SrWWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMO3e54fq3+yDuePfg eyx44Dt6fIA Unknown. (2001). Uses and gratification theory. Unpublished raw data, Retrieved from http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/uses.htm