4 ways how people use the mass media 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: Stimulation/Seeking relief from boredom or the routine activities of everyday life Relaxation/escape from the pressures and problems of day-to-day existance Emotional release

DIVERSION 3 types of diversion (cont…) 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.

DIVERSION 3 types of diversion (cont…) Relaxation Watching American Idol or reading People magazine represents a pleasant diversion from the frustrations of everyday life. 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: 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? 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.?