the theory of Media Uses and Gratification

This theory considers what people do on the media, that is using the media to satisfy their needs. Adherents of this theory believe that the individual as being supra-rational and very selective. According to its founder, Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch (in Jalaluddin Rakhmat, 1984), the uses and gratifications researching the origin of the psychological and social needs, which raises a certain expectation of the mass media or other sources, leading to different patterns of media exposure (or engagement in other activities), and leadthe fulfillment of the needs and other consequences .

The development of the theory of Media Uses and Gratification distinguished in three phases (in Rosengren et al., 1974), namely:

* The first phase is marked by Elihu Katz and Blumler (1974) gives a description of the orientation subgroup audience to select from a variety of media content. In this phase there are methodological and conceptual weaknesses in research-oriented audience.
 

* The second phase, Elihu Katz and Blumler offer operationalization of the variables predicted social and psychological impact of differences in media consumption patterns. This phase also marked the beginning of attention to the typology of media gratifications research.
 

* The third phase, characterized by efforts to use data to explain how other gratuity in the communication process, where audience expectations and motives may be related.