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USES & GRATIFICATIONS THEORY

 

WHAT IS U&G?

 

  • Uses & Gratification is a communications theory that explains how people use media for their personal need and gratification. In other words, U&G theory evaluates what people do with media rather than what media does to people. ("Uses and gratification," 2010)

 

  • The uses and gratifications (U&G) perspective focuses on viewers’ motives for making certain media choices and how these choices satisfy viewers’ needs. (Bagdasarov et al. 2010)

 

  • The U&G approach suggests that individuals are aware of their needs, evaluate various channels and content available to them, assess functional alternatives, and finally, select the media, interpersonal channel, or other activities that they believe will provide the gratification they seek, which may be in the form of selection, attention, and use. (Bagdasarov et al. 2010)

HOW DOES U&G APPLY TO CYBERBULLYING?

 

PEOPLE USE TECHNOLOGY TO SATISFY NEEDS

 

  • There are five types of needs that people seek to gratify through their use of communicaiton technologies ("Uses and gratification," 2010):

    • Cognitive needs

    • Affective needs

    • Personal Integrative needs

    • Social Integrative needs

    • Tension free needs 

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TEENS ENGAGE IN CYBERBULLYING BECAUSE......

  • POPULARITY?  

    • Desire for popularity is one of the most forefront. Described as membership of the leading crowd, popularity is something that could explain why teens engage in cyberbullying behavior. A teen may believe that such behaviors will contribute to his/her peer group status, and enhance his/her social prominence and/or dominance (Vanden Abeele & de Cock, 2013).

  • SELF-ESTEEM?

    • Both victims and instigators of cyberbullying had significantly lower self-esteem than those who had little or no experience with cyberbullying.

    • “Youth therefore tend to seek behaviors and situations that help them value themselves positively and to avoid those who make them feel bad about who they are” (Patchin & Hinduja, 2010, pp. 615-616).

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