How People Use Mass Media?
People use mass media for:
- Cognition
- Diversion
- Social Utility
- Withdrawal
Cognition
To learn about things, to keep up with information on current events.
• We want to keep up with what the Government is doing?
• What is going on in the world?
• What political leaders are doing?
• How to do things we have never done before?
• We want to satisfy our curiosity.
Diversion
To get diversion, we go to media, diversion can take many forms:
¨ Stimulation
¨ Relaxation
¨ Emotional release
Stimulation
• Alone & seeking additional stimulation.
• To avoid boredom media have taken advantages (ludic behaviour).
Example:
• Airlines show CNN/BBC during long flights.
• In airlines terminals, TV channel.
• In doctors waiting room special magazines are distributed.
Relaxation
Too much stimulation or too much information is not desirable, it’s called sensory overload.
Different people relax in different ways: some watches TV, listen to radio or reading newspaper.
Emotional release
Aggression on screen or aggressive scenes can actually purge the viewers own aggressive feelings, (catharsis theory).
Social Utility
We use media to strengthen our contact with family, friends, and others in our society.
• Conversational currency.
Example:
Watching movies sitting beside your favorite one.
• Para-social relationship. People develop feelings of kinship and friendship with media characters.
Withdrawal
The media help people avoid certain chores that should be done. Perhaps many of we put off our homework until we finished watching favorite TV program or reading article.
• “Answer the telephone”
“I can’t, I m watching the TV, you get it”.
nice & informative...good work
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