Arguments for and Against Using Television Ratings to Measure Audiences - Essay Example

Assessment Item Briefly define the uses and gratifications approach? Discuss the central achievement of this approach as well as its shortcomings. This model is a reaction to the emphasis that was put on the sender and the content to be delivered. It gives an explanation on the usefulness of media. For instance, this approach explains the reasons why people focus on using a medium rather than the content being delivered. This approach explains the use of media by individuals for the purpose of gratifying their needs. This approach also tries to understand the negative as well as positive uses of the media. Uses and gratifications approach is also effective in discerning an individual’s motive behind using a particular medium. Uses and gratifications approach stipulates that audience members tend to select the media that will satisfy their individual needs. In this case, people will use the media that meet their motives and eventual satisfaction of needs. Therefore, if a medium is more effective in terms of gratification, then people will use that medium more often. Media researchers were, therefore, concerned with understanding what people do with media with gratifications being understood as the effects that a certain medium had on the audience. A finding showed that there is a possibility that people will draw a similar response from the content of a thriller movie. Uses and gratification approach centres on the use of media based on the sociopsychological needs of an individual, as cited in Blumer and Katz (1974). They argue that the social and psychological aspects of an individual determine the kinds of expectations that these individuals have on the media. As such, individuals will seek the media that they find favourable in terms of their sociopsychological origins. Therefore, these sociopsychological characteristics will influence the individual’s media use as well as the expectations of gratifications that these individuals achieve from using the media. Richard Kilborn (2005) carried out a research on why people watch soap operas. The audience he assessed gave the feedback that they watched these soaps because soaps are an entertaining reward after the daily routine that comes with work. The audience also affirmed that soap operas act as the ultimate escapist fantasy that most people yearn for. Most people are said to watch a medium because in the content they can compare themselves with the experts. They also said that social interaction in the family and society were at large. People find certain media entertaining and educating at the same time. Gratification can be achieved only from the content being conveyed by a medium. Research has shown that people who are bored will seek to watch a content that thrills them whereas those who are stressed will prefer a calming content. There are chances that a medium will gratify different needs that have to be met by different individuals. Gratification has been associated with social class in most cases. This approach has been successful in understanding why people seek certain media to meet their needs. It has also looked into the meanings that are drawn after people use a particular medium. This approach has successfully given an explanation of significant conditions such as war, natural deserters – earthquake and tsunami – and/or elections according to the opinions of individual viewers. The greatest achievement of this approach has been its ability to discern the viewership habits of people. Audiences have been interviewed and the findings have been made. This is crucial in understanding the reasons why various audiences will opt for a certain media regardless of the content. Uses and gratifications approach has several limitations. There are chances that the audience would not know why they chose to use the media they use. In most cases, people use media for no reason. Therefore, researchers may interview a viewer on why he chose the medium he uses and the viewer will not have a full explanation as to why he sought to use the particular media. There are also chances that these viewers will give the reasons that other people gave, hence, tampering with the validity of their responses. The approach has been branded vulgar gratificationism since it only centres on the sociopsychological characteristics of media use, yet ignoring the socio-cultural context. There is a great link between the viewership habits of an individual with the socio-cultural aspects that make the individual (Morley, 2005). There is also the tendency to the needs and gratifications theorists exaggerating the choices made by the audience concerning media use. This is problematic considering that some people are made to use a certain medium because others are using it. It is also fallacious to assume that the audience will get their needs gratified regardless of the content they view (Kilborn, 2004). 2. Briefly discuss arguments for and against using television ratings to measure audiences. Use examples to substantiate your argument. Researchers need proper information on audiences for the purpose of proving and examining the popularity of a program. With media technology on the rise, situations have been impacted on the social and cultural standing of the audience. Television ratings can provide the rates of information transmission to the sponsors and shareholders. Television ratings express how the description of audiences is explored by the ratings. Ratings are generally based on counting and analysing the individual behaviour of a viewer who are engaged in the media industry for exposure. Nielsen Company is the brainchild of Nielsen ratings. These ratings stated that by September 1 2010, the estimated number of television viewers was around 116 million. Through the study of Webster, et al. (2001) and Ross and Nightingale (2003, pp. 44-5), rating system is essential for the operation of the commercial audience research sector. Moreover, they argue that there are four dividing sections in the rating system: applied for the dimension of audience popularity, administrative for business, quantitative and syndicated for reports of the general information. Demonstration for television audiences through the rating discourse by Ang’s study (1991, pp. 64-65) is significant for the broadcasters. Broadcasters will be recognised by the programmes they air whether they are a success or a failure. After radio ratings, television ratings became popular. It was cheap and efficient. A diary of those viewing certain programs was kept making it easy for the ratings to be made. Interviews and questionnaires that were used were easy to administer making television rating cheap. Television ratings are based on samples. There are chances that the ratings would read 0.0 even though many people watch that particular show. A research was carried out on a television sample show, The Mcenroe Talk Show. This show, though widely viewed, registered a 0.0 rating. There are also cases where advertisements that focus on young people are highly viewed. This case is common with energetic advertisements that showcase the many dynamics that are featured in the lives of young people. Others prefer watching advertisements that feature people who are well off while other audiences are drawn by celebrities. Therefore, if a television program is likable by a wider audience, then an advertisement that comes in between the program will be viewed by many and, consequently, be charged higher than other programs. Television samples are, however, not a representation of a wider population. The findings from these samples can only be accurate to some extent. Technological advancements have seen to it that people use more diverse sources other than televisions. The Internet has taken over the media considering that it has registered a wider viewership compared to other sources, the television in this case. People have accessibility to the Internet all over a state 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, many people have opted for the Internet. The Internet is not only an entertainment site. It is also home to networking. Many social networks help people interacting over the Internet. The Wide World Web is the best way for people to interact making it a global village where ideas are shared from different regions of the world. The rating system would constitute a litmus test of achievements of the broadcasting procedure and development for the spectators’ interests. It is necessary to study and understand audiences and their behaviours. Furthermore, it is also noteworthy as this will assist in determining the kind of support whether social, cultural or economic that a media receive. Unfortunately, the television rating does not support exact number of audiences. While Ross and Nightingale (2003, pp. 61-62) studied the rating system, they discovered that due to digitalisation and increased computer system use, the audience measurement in the 1990s was by far lower compared to the audience that the media received. This is credited to the advancement in technology. People use their computers and/or mobile phones to search websites like YouTube and Daily Motion which can air any television program. Thus, even though they cannot watch television programs on time, they still watch those using computers or mobile phones. Moreover, the Internet contexts deal with the free-to-air broadcasting industry and government. Since people view television programs online, it is obvious that the number of the audience is high. The reason behind this fact is that computers and the Internet for that matter are used by people of all ages, races and religion. Thus, while watching and searching television programs on computers and mobile phones, people can also see several advertisements. Compared to television, attaching the advertisements in those approaches is much cheaper, therefore; a number of companies can widely appeal. Consequently, development of technology has affected the information ages. Indeed, using the television is one of the many approaches that can be used to announce to the audiences (Fiske, 2008). Computers and mobile phones, nowadays, are common for people to use everywhere. For this reason, the television rating is not the most significant approach to discern the statistics of audiences paying their viewership. As mentioned above, it will be difficult to rate audiences using televisions since people today use other media to access these television programmes. Reference List Ang, I., (1991). Streamling “Television Audience.” Desperately Seeking the Audience. London: Routledge. Blumer, J.,and& Katz, E., (2006). The Uses of Mass Communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Brooker, W., and Jermyn, D., (2003). Paradigm shift: from “effects” to uses And “gratifications.” The Audience Studies Reader. London: Routledge. Fiske, J., (2008). Introduction to Communication Studies. New York. Macmilian. Kilborn, R., (2005). Television Soaps. London: Batsford. Ross, K., and Nightingale, V., (2003). Media and Audiences: new perspectives. England: Open University Press. Read More