Media Reflection: The Importance Of The Uses And Gratifications

Uses and gratifications is a critical theory in understanding media effects. Uses and gratifications states that media users are seeking different forms of media for different needs in response to previous beliefs about media consumptions. In other words, the premise of uses and gratifications is based on how a person plans to use media and the benefits they will receive from that use. When using this theory, there are assumptions that are made about people and media in general. A few core assumptions are that communication behavior is goal directed, purposive, and motivated, the media competes with other forms of communication in the gratification of needs and wants, and people are typically more influential than the media in the effects process.

With the growth in technological advances, our modern society demands have both increased in volume and magnitude. We always want the fastest, biggest/smallest, best devices. When a new product is released to the public, people are lining up to buy it. Take Apple for example, each time the company releases a new phone or tablet, I know for me, I am online or physically at the store to purchase it. Before IPhone’s went on presale, a week prior to their release, I would go to the Verizon store at four in the morning to wait on line. Companies know that people want to have the newest devices, whether they are so different from the last model or not. The uses and gratifications in our society have only been amplified with our advancements in technology and social media. I remember growing up with variety in technology, and more specifically phones. There were all shapes and sizes and there was not really one specific dominant brand that people worshiped. I had phones that were flipped open to use and ones that slide up to use. The variety in the types of cell phones people used not only allowed of the market to run smoothly, but also prevented one brand from monopolizing the industry.

I remember a time when I had to carry my phone and my Ipod, two seperate devices, one for making calls and answering texts and the other for listening to music. In 2007 Apple released the IPhone, a growth on their very successful Ipod touch, that allowed it’s users to combined their phone and music devices into one powerful tool. I got my first IPhone in 2012 when the IPhone 4 model was released. My gratifications sought were as simple as just being able to combine my music and phone in one device as to lessen what I was carrying around on a daily basis. After getting that phone, my expectations were met and that was all I cared about. Now, many years and IPhones later I find myself in a similar position. I get the new phone when it comes out, with promises for a better, faster, more efficient phone. One that can open to your fingerprint; it only worked about 80% of the time. One that has facial identification; only if the lighting is acceptable. I still always get the new Iphone; however I do not use the newer features to their full potential. One of the new features on the IPhone X is the Animoji Yourself. This feature uses the camera to capture the user’s face and it transforms the face into an emoji, that moves and talks as the user does. While this is a novelty that created buzz about the new IPhone, I wondered how many times has this actually been used by everyday people?

Since I got my phone I have only used the Animoji yourself feature about five times. I was curious if I was the only one, so I asked my friends and family about their Animoji yourself uses, and they’re results were similar to mine. I know that I have expectations about IPhones when they come out, but once my expectations are met, I do not explore the other potential with the device.