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Evolving
from idea of Functional Theory came the Uses and Gratifications approach
in the late 1950's to early 1960's. After disappointing attempts to
measure how media effected people in the short-term, the experts and
researchers in the field looked toward this new approach, which rested on
the assumption "that interesting and important differences or
orientation to mass media fare obtained different audience members" (Blumler,
1979, p.10).
The Uses and Gratifications approach became a theory in it own right, thanks to the continued research and work of Elihu Katz and Jay G. Blumler, who published a collection of essays dealing with uses and gratifications in 1974 called The Uses of Mass Communication. Blumler and Katz offer here that mass communication research has taken a different turn during this time period now interested in the gratifications that the mass media provides to the audience (1974, p. 20). Specifically, researchers became interested in "the social and psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of media exposure, resulting in need gratifications and other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones (1974, p. 20) Audience gratification came from three areas, media content, exposure to media, and the social context pertaining to the specific media the audience is exposed to. This crossed all areas of media from traditional print and radio, to the growing popularity of television and even out of home exposures. Each medium was thought to offer the audience a unique combination of attributes which gratified the them accordingly (1974, p.25). Charles R. Wright, who had been an early researcher of Functionalism, included an essay in Blumler and Katz's book where Wright offers his thoughts on both Functional Theory and the Uses and Gratifications approach. While he never abandons the importance of the Functional approach, Wright is intrigued by the new approach and welcomes the ideas presented. He does acknowledge at this time that the theory may need to be reevaluated as the studies have continued and progressed in nature. The significance of Functional Theory remains in "sharpening our perspective on the relative importance of each f several mass media," while the next question of "what are the functions of satisfying such needs regularly by the use of the mass media" should be presented and analyzed (Katz et al, 1974, p.210).
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