Some mass communications scholars have contended that uses and gratifications is not a rigorous social science theory. In this article, I argue just the opposite, and any attempt to speculate on the future direction of mass communication theory must seriously include the uses and gratifications approach. In this article, I assert that the emergence of computer-mediated communication has revived the significance of uses and gratifications. In fact, uses and gratifications has always provided a cutting-edge theoretical approach in the initial stages of each new mass communications medium: newspapers, radio and television, and now the Internet. Although scientists are likely to continue using traditional tools and typologies to answer questions about media use, we must also be prepared to expand our current theoretical models of uses and gratifications. Contemporary and future models must include concepts such as interactivity, demassification, hypertextuality, and asynchroneity. Researchers must also be willing to explore interpersonal and qualitative aspects of mediated communication in a more holistic methodology.

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Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century

Studying influences on media content beyond processes and effects analyzing media content patterns of media content influences on content from individual media workers influence of media routines organizational influences on content influences on content from outside of media organizations the influence of ideology linking influences on content to the effects of content building a theory of news content.

Mediating the Message: Theories of Influences on Mass Media Content

We investigate the market for news under two assumptions: that readers hold beliefs which they like to see confirmed, and that newspapers can slant stories toward these beliefs. We show that, on the topics where readers share common beliefs, one should not expect accuracy even from competitive media: competition results in lower prices, but common slanting toward reader biases. On topics where reader beliefs diverge (such as politically divisive issues), however, newspapers segment the market and slant toward extreme positions. Yet in the aggregate, a reader with access to all news sources could get an unbiased perspective. Generally speaking, reader heterogeneity is more important for accuracy in media than competition per se.

The Market for News

The advent of Web 2.0 technologies has enabled the efficient creation and distribution of user-generated content (UGC), resulting in vast changes in the online media landscape. For instance, the proliferation of UGC has made a strong impact on consumers, media suppliers, and marketing professionals while necessitating research in order to understand both the short and long-term implications of this media content. This exploratory study (n = 325) seeks to investigate consumer consumption and creation of UGC and the attitudinal factors that contribute to these actions. The data confirm the established relationship between attitude and behavior and indicate attitude serves as a mediating factor between the use and creation of UGC. With regard to the creation of UGC, the ego-defensive and social functions of attitude were found to have the most explanatory power.

Exploring Consumer Motivations for Creating User-Generated Content

We investigate the market for news under two assumptions: that readers hold beliefs that they like to see confirmed, and that newspapers can slant stories toward these beliefs. We show that, on the topics where readers share common beliefs, one should not expect accuracy even from competitive media: competition results in lower prices, but common slanting toward reader biases. However, on topics where reader beliefs diverge (such as politically divisive issues), newspapers segment the market and slant toward the biases of their own audiences, yet in the aggregate a conscientious reader could get an unbiased perspective. Generally speaking, reader heterogeneity is more important for accuracy in media than competition per se.

I. THE CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE. 1. Introduction to Mass Communication Theory. II. SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND MODELS OF MASS COMMUNICATION. 2. Scientific Method. 3. Models in Mass Communication Research. III. PERCEPTION AND LANGUAGE ISSUES IN THE MASS MEDIA. 4. The Role of Perception in Communication. 5. Problems in Encoding. 6. Analysis of Propaganda: First Theories of Decoding and Effects. IV. THE SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH. 7. Cognitive Consistency and Mass Communication. 8. Theories of Persuasion. 9. Groups and Communication. 10. Mass Media and Interpersonal Communication. V. MASS MEDIA EFFECTS AND USES. 11. Agenda Setting. 12. The Knowledge-Gap Hypothesis. 13. Effects of Mass Communication. 14. Uses of the Mass Media. VI. MEDIA CHANNELS. 15. Mass Media in Modern Society. 16. Media Chains and Conglomerates. 17. Theories of Cyber Communication. VII. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER. 18. The Overall Picture.

Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media

Communication theories: Origins, methods, uses

Buku ini mengupas perkembangan baru dalam teori komunikasi massa dan perubahan di bidang komunikasi Semua penjelasan dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi dan contoh dari dunia nyata, mulai dari jurnalisme, broadcasting, periklanan (advertising), sampai public relation Selain itu, buku ini juga memberikan penjelasan bagi pemikiran sosial-ilmiah, efek media, serta pemanfaatan institusi media dan jaringan media di tingkat lokal maupun global, bisnis dan konglomerasi media, serta perkembangan terkini dalam kepemilikan media, baik cetak maupun elektronik

Werner J. Severin

Papers

Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media

Communication theories: Origins, methods, uses

Teori Komunikasi: Sejarah, Metode, dan Terapan di dalam Media Massa (Edisi ke Lima)

Teori komunikasi: Sejarah, metode & terapan di dalam media masa= Communication theories: Origins, methods & uses in the mass media