 Lesson 3

 At the end of this lesson, we will know why people use the media, and be able to comment on our own consumption of media products.

Create a spider diagram about how you have recently consumed the following things:  Film watched  TV shows watched  Radio stations listened to  Magazines read  Newspapers read  Music bought/listened to  Internet sites visited WHY? Films My Media Consumption TV

 Television: I watch _____ (program name) because…  Magazines: I read ______ (magazine name) because…  Film: I watched _____ (film name) because…

 The idea that the media can have an effect over its audience- this is often discussed in terms of negative effects.  Thought of as what the media does to its audience.

PositiveNegative  Media has a positive influence on us because….  Media has a negative influence on us because…

 A theory that suggests that the media ‘inject’ its audience with its ideas like a passive patient rather than a critical and active consumer.  The focus here is on the fact that we don’t choose to believe certain things; the media chooses for us.

 The idea that media audiences make active choices about what to consume in order to meet certain needs. This is about what the audience does with the media product.  We choose what we consume, and how it will affect us.

 entertainment: the text provides pleasure for the audience, this is often characterised as being 'escapist'.  social interaction: films, the news or last night's television programmes are common topics of discussion; we use the media to feed this social interaction. Uses and Gratifications TheoryUses and Gratifications Theory:

 personal identity: we can get a sense of ourselves and our peer group from the media. We may identify with particular ‘characters’, who we see as having similar life experiences  information: the media are full of information which we can use

Go back to your spider diagram from the starter. 1. Discuss with your partner whether you have been an active or a passive consumer 2. Which ‘Uses and Gratifications’ do you think you get from the media?

 entertainment  social interaction personal identity information In magazines aimed at your age group, what type of articles would you expect to see in each of the four ‘Uses and Gratifications’ categories?

 What have you learnt today about how you consume media?