UNIT 7

4 ways how people use the mass media

HOW PEOPLE USE THE MASS MEDIA

4 ways how people use the mass media:• Cognition• Diversion• Social utility• Withdrawal

1. COGNITION

• Cognition is the act of coming to know something. When a person uses a mass medium to obtain information about something, then he or she is using the medium in a cognitive way. Clearly, the individual's cognitive use of a medium is directly parallel to the surveillance function at the macroanalytical level.

COGNITION

• At the individual level, researchers have noted that two different types of cognitive functions are performed:– One using the media to keep up with information

on current events, while the other using the media to learn about things in general or things that relate to a person's general curiosity.

COGNITION

– Reasons people use media to keep up with current events:• I want to keep up with what the government is doing.• I want to understand what is going on in the world.• I want to know what political leaders are doing.

– Reasons of using media to learn about things in general or relate to a person's general curiosity:• I want to learn how to do things I've never done before• I want to satisfy my curiosity• The media make me want to learn more about things• The media give me ideas.

2. DIVERSION

• 3 types of diversion:i. Stimulation/Seeking relief from boredom or the

routine activities of everyday lifeii. Relaxation/escape from the pressures and

problems of day-to-day existanceiii. Emotional release

DIVERSION

• 3 types of diversion (cont…)i. Stimulation– Many people state that they watch, read or listen

simply to pass the time.– The media have taken advantage of this need to avoid boredom in many creative ways:

• Some airlines provide audio and video entertainment during long flights.

• Advertisers are now found on walls and the backs of stall doors in rest rooms.

DIVERSION3 types of diversion (cont…)ii. Relaxation– Watching American Idol or reading People magazine

represents a pleasant diversion from the frustrations of everyday life.

iii. Emotional release– This form is the most complex.– The use of the media for emotional release is fairly

obvious. People goes to theaters to watch Scream, The Ring, etc and screamed their lungs out.

– Tearjerkers also drawn crowds. Titanic, and Pearl Harbour, for example, have prompted thousands, perhaps millions, to cry their eyes out.

DIVERSION

• Why do audiences cheer when Liverpool wins?

• Probably because people enjoy a certain amount of emotional release. People feel better after a good scream or good cry.

3. SOCIAL UTILITY

Types of social utility:1. Conversational currency• The media provide a common ground for social

conversations, and many people use things that they have read, seen or heard as topics for discussion when talking with others.

• Have you ever talked with a friend about a TV program?• Have you ever discussed a current movie or the latest

record you heard on the radio?

2. Overcome loneliness

4. WITHDRAWAL

• At times, people use the mass media to create a barrier between themselves and other people or activities. The media help people avoid certain chores that should be done.

• In this case, attending to mass media content was defined as a socially appropriate behaviour that should not be interrupted.

It’s your turn to clean the

house

I can’t. I want to finish

watching this program. You

do it.

WITHDRAWAL

• People use the media to create a buffer zone between themselves and other people.

DISCUSSION

• Why do you watch TV?• Why do you go to movies?• Can you find any more current examples of

linkage, media dysfunction, interpretation, etc.?