Blumler and Katz suggest that there are four reasons as to why an audience would actively seek out a media product, these reasons are known as Uses and Gratifications. These reasons include;
– Information – whereby the consumer is looking for resources and knowledge, which would probably be media products like a newspaper, or BBC News.
– Personal Identity – where the consumer is looking to affirm their morals, behavior and sense of self. This could be something like YouTuber’s such as ‘Zoella’, although she has a vast audience, her audience feel this personal connection and identify with her.
– Social Interaction – so the audience will feel this sense of belonging, where they consume media to feel as though they fit into our culture, and have something to base their real life interactions on. This could be something like the TV series ‘Once Upon a Time’, its something people will talk about and feel this need to watch to ‘fit in’.
– Entertainment – where the audience is looking for something they will enjoy consuming for pleasure, simply something like a film, music video or game.
My audience member will be looking for entertainment, social interaction and personal identity. I have considered the values and beliefs of my target audience which you can see below. I think its important to really consider your target audience when creating a media product, as you are creating something that is intended for them.
