Uses and Gratifications Theory

The main reason we watch TV is for entertainment where we can view shows and movies. Shows and movies expose individuals to a variety of cultures and values that they do not see often. Another use of television is for information such as news, political views, and advertisements. Televisions inform us of news around our community and world, and also persuade us in buying products or donating money to a cause. An ongoing controversy has risen such tha televisions can be harmful to children because of the vulgar language and violence shown through modern day shows or even celebrities. Viewing too much television can be time consuming and may even discourage children to go play outside and be social. Watching the newscast has changed my life by informing me of the violence that goes on throughout my community. Also, a negative effect of watching too much television has taken up my time when I could have been doing more productive tasks.

Comparing the influence of mass media to the early century, McQuail D. (2002) associates the first concept of communication to the ‘teachings’ and guidance towards the masses through propaganda. This transmission perception is communication at its simplest level. In this model, the major concern is to dispatch the message regardless of the receiver having reached an understanding with the source and hence omitting feedback. For example, it is evident in the

Television has increasingly become the quintessential epicenter of communication, since its invention, in 1927. At any moment in time 2.5 billion people are viewing some form of television broadcast (Ballard). Modern society has introduced various categories of television. These variations range from educational to violent. This broad spectrum makes it hard to generalize the effects it has had on American youth; however, television seems to have increased moral and intellectual degradation. Through violent shows and monotonous news broadcasts, American youths have become desensitized to the poverties, and hardships of the world. This desensitization has had several, and moreover negative, moral impacts on the youths of America. Nevertheless,

TV can make you concentrate on the TV and not what’s going on around you. Like the dullest and the least gifted of us can achieve things that seem miraculous to those who never concentrate one anything. Sometimes you need to know what’s going on in your life and not

Many say they do not let TV influence them, but it is still wrong to even look at evil. Would Jesus watch the sex and violence you view? No, so neither should you. Television viewing affects both adults and children. We must not ignore the growing body of data that suggests that televised imagery does affect our perceptions and behaviors (). Our worldview and our subsequent actions are affected by what we see on television. While experts concur that television can entertain and inform, many programs may have an undeniably negative influence on childhood behavior and values ().. A show might get you to have respect for a firefighter or police officer, but do you really want to strip away the innocence from your children’s eyes, knowing they do not have to view that corrupt ideals? More than four out of five parents are concerned that their children are exposed to too much televised sex and violence (Smith,

Television has impacted the American Culture greatly since it was first created. However, the first impact allowed a nation to become closer by learning important information in a timely manner. The programs available in today’s culture has vastly grown. Television programs has created a massive monster in the American Culture with the effects ranging from violence, rape, rage and even murder. The first programs of the era had a more religion family value.

Television has acted as a moral barometer and guide to Americans since the 1950s. It evolved from stage, to cinema, to small screen, bringing outside influence into intimate home settings. Television sponsors and programmers became paid influencers invoking a negative impact on society. Reviewing television and its history as a medium of social, cultural, and political reform, reveals it has the potential to unwind the damage done by past negative messaging in future broadcasting.

Throughout the preparation for my research project, I came to realize that the psychological gratification that stems from researching promising ideas, making novel discoveries and, above all, disseminating knowledge is unparalleled. My eagerness and dedication to the field of Prosthodontics made my willingness for sharing knowledge a life purpose. Thus, one of my main professional goals is to further evolve in research field, as I believe research provides the means to move our specialty forward and ultimately improve our patients’ care.

TV today has a great deal of constructive outcomes and impacts on our public and American culture. TV gives us supportive data, different types of instruction and diversion, which can provide some beneficial outcomes on the public. On an everyday premise, TV keeps us educated with a lot of supportive data. However, viewer must watch with wisdom. Viewers must remember the television is a tool to stimulate our thoughts, ideas, and creativity. It should not a be used as manual to shape an individual’s identity or ideas. TV has dependably been a wellspring of contention in the United States. How it influences our public and the general population have sparked inquiries that individuals have been mulling over as far back as televisions creation.

The argument of this essay is that TV viewers are being hypnotized by the media we see into “being lulled into physical and mental inactivity.” He calls viewers “a bunch of MTV-addicted, Jerry Springer loving mall rats” and says that we spend an average of 9 years of our lives “glued” to a box.” He also states that the viewers are set into two categories: passive and active”. Passive viewers sit in front of the TV with their time being wasted as they are transformed into mindless zombies as their show progresses. Active viewers are the people who look at what they are seeing and form concepts from it-this, to the author, is an advantage, but still defines TV audiences as collectively passive.

There are presently 35 television stations owned and operated by religious organizations, but every television station features religious programming in one way or another (Postman, 116). Religious television program producers are driven by the desire to make money, and they find the best way to accomplish this is by scamming viewers and members. During this process, religion loses its authenticity. Religion is not being practiced on television, it is being mocked. Religion is no longer for worship, but for entertainment.

The subject of media influence on viewers is one of much interest to researchers. After all, movies and television shows are generally designed for the sole purpose of

Alex Lickerman, author of the article “The Power of Delaying Gratification”, discuss about the experiment psychologist Walter Mischel did on the kids to understand their self-control. Basically, he give a group of children a cookie and he give them to option either they could eat the cookie immediately or they can wait until he come back however if they wait for him to back they will receive another cookie. Based on his experiment he conclude that the kid who resist to eat cookie and wait for him to gain another cookie they will do better in the school than the kids who did not resist. For instances, they will get higher sat scores than who eat the cookie immediately. Likewise, I attempt to do the same experiment instead of using cookie I use candy because teenager loves candy therefore it will be difficult for them to refuse candy. So, I try to do the experiment on students who are in regular classes and they need special helps from the teacher. Based on the results, I realize only freshman and sophomore find it difficult to candy seniors are also found difficult to resist candy. This interacts with Walter ideology because I did experiment students who are in regular classes and Walton states that kids who resist to eat candy straightway will do better in the school. Therefore, the students I did experiment they find difficult to resist the candy so they are in regular class.

George Gerbner’s *cultivation theory* a macro-level system theory that examines mass communication by studying institutions, message systems, and cultivation analysis (1967; 1970; Gerbner & Gross, 1973; Gerbner et al., 1980; Potter, 2014). Theorized during the “Age of Television” (Shanahan & Morgan, 2004), the theory has been applied to newspapers and other media formats, assuming that media institutions “cultivate facts, norms and values of society” (Gerbner, 1970; Gerbner & Gross, 1976). Specifically, frequent television viewers are more likely to be influenced by portrayals of the world than viewers who watch less. The theory’s popularity grew after the rapid integration of televisions into American homes in the 1940s and 1950s, it was

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