Uses and Gratification Essay

For this “review,” please pick a program, movie, radio show, or video game that appeals to you. Your job for this paper is to
explain what appeals to you about your chosen program in terms of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Read the following
articles about Uses & Gratification:

Uses, Gratifications, and Dependency by Kevin J. Pearce https://teddykw2.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/encyclopedia-of-
communication-theory.pdf

Do you see where you are applying ideas from Uses & Gratifications theory in your interaction with this medium? Write down
specific examples for each of the categories of gratification.

In your paper, you should address the issues brought up by Pearce in his description of this theory, including:

1. Do you agree that you favor the device that gives you access to the information and programming that most meets your
needs?

2. How does the program meet your specific needs and goals? Who else do you know who seeks out this programming (movie, TV,
radio show, game) and do they do so for the same reasons as you? Why are their uses of this programming similar or different
from your own?

3. What does this programming tell you about your place in the world in relationship to how much access you have to things
you want in the “real” world? When you are stressed out, do you turn to this programming more or less? Why?

4. What does this programming tell you about people who are different from you in terms of race, age, gender, religion, or
nationality? Are they portrayed in a positive or negative light? What kinds of power do they have?

5. Contrast your use of this programming with programming that appealed to you at a different time of your life. What are
the socially and personally useful reasons for turning to programming that you can infer from the comparison of what you like
now with what you like before?