Sexually explicit media forms-always a good topic..

We've all heard of Fifty Shades of Grey I'm sure? 

No?..Okay well here's a brief breakdown..

Fifty Shades of Grey originated from a series of erotic novels, revolving around a man called Christian Grey. He's the typical alluring, cold, wealthy, businessman that I'm sure a lot of women would fantasise about.. So he meets this women, and they somewhat 'hit it off'. Grey then decides to let Anastasia into his most darkest secret, involving his sex life- BDSM.

That's literally what the books are about, and the film-well I'm told that's terrible too, so we won't go there...

Following the release of the books, it seemed that's all that women wanted to talk about with their friends over a coffee, or a few glasses of wine. The public, mainly female, were thrown into a frenzy of these new erotic novels. Suddenly I had a swarm of 'Mrs Grey's among my Twitter timeline-which was a little odd. This new erotic novel series impacted the audience hugely, with everyone now taking a much firmer interest in one another's sex lives. Again, a little weird.

Although following the release of these novels, a poll had been taken which resulted that more women had said that their sex life as a whole, had improved after reading these books. This obviously spurred more people on to buy these books, and see what all the fuss was about, and perhaps improve theirs too?

According to news features, sales in shops such as Ann Summers and Love Honey, had increased an extortionate amount-meaning only one thing, that the public were getting more experimental. 

It's odd how something so simple as a book, can change the discussions of what used to be a taboo subject, and make it the 'social norm'. Personally I still find the whole thing strange..

After the success of the novels, an idea of a film was pitched, and so early 2015 we were given a film version. I haven't seen it myself, but apparently I've been told it's absolute pants! But I guess with anything, alot of people have different opinions. It was announced that one of the hugest DIY stores in the UK, B&Q, would have to be prepared for huge sales in items such as rope, tape and cable ties.

This was an odd thing to read as I was scrolling down my facebook feed, on the trending items of that week..

I guess it just goes to show, that mainstream sexually explicit media forms do have a huge impact on audiences, as well as society. Society is becoming more accepting of once 'taboo' topics, and is now embracing that. I guess society as a whole is being more open to new ideas, which perhaps in some way is a good way. However, although BDSM was represented in a positive light, there are many that dismissed this idea, and saw it as a negative effect on society. A large majority stated that the film/novels, presented something that was cruel, and shouldn't be seen as enjoyable within a part of sex. In many people's eyes, BDSM is shown as an act of domestic abuse, that shouldn't be glorified. Many believe that the film accepts the idea of domestic abuse, and that because it's sexual and potentially 'enjoyable', that they can somewhat get away with it. 

Pornography is another form of sexually explicit media, that is considered taboo. This is seen in many different lights, according to one's relationship with pornography. As a whole, I think as a nation we all pretty much know, that pornography is not a realistic portrayal of sex. There are some headstrong people out there that would disagree, and say that nothing is 'staged' and that the 'actors' are purely acting out of pleasure. We all know deep down that this is pretty much rubbish! 

Pornography is one of those things that is mainly associated with males, and that females are unable to consume it. My question to that, is why? Are women not entitled to consume pornography for their own pleasure, just as men do? Why is it frowned upon for women to access something, that is second nature to men? 

Following a recent discussion involving this matter, one individual said "Men wouldn't mind women watching porn, cos they'll think it's hot!". My question to that is, why does something have to be 'hot' for a woman to enjoy it? Why do they need to seek reassurance from a male, for them to feel pleasured? No matter what women do in regards to pornography, it always seems to end up being for the male's benefit. Now, I may seem like a real feminist here, but I think that's completely wrong-and I'm sure many women would agree with me! So according to a majority of males in society, women choose to watch pornography, so that they have this 'label of being hot'. So essentially the woman is still pleasing the man. Society today still have this view that women are unable to be sexually vocal, and that although male's are still able to express their views on sex, women have to stay quiet.

Another way in which it affects audiences/society, is the false experience of sex. Pornstars are usually shown as exceptionally toned, pretty, with flawless skin- when in reality, people who don't look this way still have sex! Pornography somewhat expresses the idea that if you don't look a certain way, then you can't really enjoy sex. Granted, there are a variety of categories within porn that caters to all, but the mainstream pornography usually features actors with these aesthetics. In reality a large majority of these men and women have most likely undertaken cosmetic surgery, to look the way they do. I've heard in some cases that women have has surgery around their pelvis/crotch, to make it more aesthetically 'pleasing'.

So let's talk about body image within advertising, shall we?

Okay, so this topic is something that's very close to many people's hearts in many ways. Advertising body image is one of those things in which everyone has an opinion, and an extremely strong opinion at that! 

It is commonly known that a majority of brands/products are presented on the 'idyllic' individual. It is something that is exceptionally pretentious, and goes against the idea that everyone is normal in their own skin. Although this idea is now being tackled alot more recently to promote equality, and union amongst mainly women. 

It has become the 'social norm' that all women should appear to look a certain way. The most common 'ideology' amongst women, is that we must all look a particular way. We view the most attractive women as pretty, fresh-faced, toned, slim with an hourglass figure, striking features.. crikey the list is endless! 

Below is an image that I regularly see floating around all over social media..

Yes. 

Young, slim, toned, attractive, proportioned, flawless women right?

So this is apparently what we're all aiming to look like one day, but in reality without an exceptional amount of money, we will never completely look identical to any of these women. And the issue here is that us women get downhearted because of it, when we shouldn't.

I guarantee if you asked a good amount of women to caption this on social media, their caption would be along the lines of 'Wish I looked like this' followed by a selection of sad emoji faces. I'm not dismissing the fact that I myself do not, or have not done this in the past- of course, I've used my fair share of sad emoji faces, captioning these particular types of women. I'm fairly certain, we've all done this at one point in our lives, or at least thought it!

It's humorous and somewhat irritating that we beat ourselves up about these images. When in reality, these women have most likely been airbrushed/photoshopped a heck of a lot, to receive this result. 

As you can see from the gifs above, that photoshop/airbrushing can be used to drastically change an individual's appearance. This is something that is known to infuriate the public, as it provides an unrealistic goal for those attempting to look a specific way. The public question that if someone doesn't physically look that way, then why promote an unrealistic result, when the model themselves look more 'alien' to what they originally were. This is something that is common amongst most women, as well as men! It's not just women that respond to this specific advertising of body image. Men are just as vocal about this issue as females!

Certain brands, (*cough* Abercrombie&Fitch *cough*),  do not hire people above a certain size. They also do not sell above the certain size that they promote. I looked at an article in which the CEO of the brand explained his reasons...

So according to our good friend Mike, people who don't look a particular way (the 'cool kids'), essentially can't wear their clothes. Wow- forgive me if I'm wrong here but that's abit far-fetched, I thought this was the 21st century? Equality obviously means an absolute 0 on the meter for him. Brands alike Abercrombie&Fitch are one of the main reasons for body shaming.

What's Body Shaming?

I'm sure you're familiar with the song "All about that Bass" by Meghan Trainor right?

What a controversy that stirred up right? After those lyrics were posted online, social media completely went berserk! According to Trainor's "Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches Hey", it's wrong to be skinny. But of course being social media, the WHOLE thing was blown way out of proportion. Body shaming was most likely at an all time high, with 'fat' people shaming 'skinny' people, and 'skinny' people shaming 'fat' people. It soon became clear that Trainor didn't actually mean anything by the whole thing. She was merely just stating she was a bigger girl.

So where did this even come from?

Advertising is the main route for body shaming. If someone doesn't look 'this' way, then they aren't considered attractive, beautiful or even normal, to someone who may look that particular way. We're in a society today, where we find it difficult to accept different looks/body types, which is quite sad really. We should all embrace our individual bodies.

Of course, everyone has their own personal flaws about their bodies, but that's just how it is. If we were completely 100% happy with ourselves, it would be somewhat boring. And if we all aspired to look like one another, again it would be boring. 

I don't know about some people but I absolutely LOVE that everyone is different and unique. I will be the first person to hold my hands up, and say that I am not happy with how I personally look. And I can admit that it does get me down sometimes, that I am not a particular size of clothing, or that I am exceptionally short that I resemble an elf. But then I think, as cheesy as it sounds, life is way too short to dwell on something so minor. If it's something that could be changed, why not change it. 

I feel like we need to continue embracing difference. At the end of the day, we're all human beings. We all have the same insides, we're just a little different on the outside-but who cares.

As a whole, society will always represent men and women in unrealistic goal-like aspirations, through magazines, tv etc. But let's not dismiss those that celebrate different bodies.

Dove launched a campaign featuring a variety of women with different body types, to promote their next product. It focussed around 'real' women, who are a more realistic approach to the average female. As well as different sizing, all women are of a different race, as well as body modifications. It just goes to show that Dove are appealing to a much wider audience through their television campaign, to promote equality throughout women.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with changing yourself, if you aren't happy. However the intentions for these changes, should be valid. If someone wants to lose a little weight to feel more healthier, why not? If someone wants to gain a bit of weight to be more healthier, why the heck not? I think if the intentions do not harm one's self, then why should they be judged for wanting to change. Change is sometimes good, and gives the confidence boost that one may need. I believe if you're healthy and happy in your own skin, then that should be more than enough.

I get disheartened, when I hear about so many people wishing to change for other people. If it benefits YOU, and it is YOUR choice that you're making, then it is YOUR decision to do as you please. 

We all need to be more comfortable in our own skin, and stop aspiring to be like those that we know we can never be. We also need to stop shaming others that are nothing like us. So what if they're a little bigger than you, or if they've got longer legs than you- focus on yourself!

Stop worrying that you've got a few stretch-marks, or that you've got a few wrinkles! It just goes to show you've lived a little and grown up, and it's completely natural!

Be nice to yourself, and you'll feel the benefit!

I'm sure if you scoured the internet for links between screen violence and the effect on the viewers, you'd find a whole load of content!

One shocking story that I will be discussing, including this issue, is the James Bulger case. I'm sure everyone has heard about this absolutely vile case. The two year old, James Bulger, was abducted from a shopping centre in which he was in the company of his mother. His abductors were two 10 year old boys, later identified as Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. Thompson and Venables brutally and disgustingly tortured James Bulger, and left his lifeless body on a railway line in Liverpool.

The disgusting behaviour of these two children was documented by tabloid newspapers, who created the link between the horror film Child's Play 3. Within the film, there is a scene in which the terrifying doll, Chucky, splashes his victim with blue paint. James Bulger was found with blue paint across the left hand side of his face, as well as in his eye, which was evidently down to his murderers, Venables and Thompson. It came to light during a police investigation, that Venables' father had previously rented the horror Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking. However the potential link was dismissed, when it was concluded that Venables was not living at his fathers at the time, and supposedly would've been unlikely to have seen the film. It was also apparent that the child killer 'disliked horror films'-a study confirmed from psychiatric reports. Not that I necessarily believe that Venables 'disliked horror films' based upon the vile acts himself and Thompson carried out!
So the police investigation concluded that there was no video link.

-In regards to this, I'm not entirely sure that the murderers didn't mimic specific actions from a media source. As said in one of my previous posts, we cannot always control what media we consume, but in some cases we can. Who knows if Venables or Thompson consumed any violent media content? Even a psychiatrist can be wrong.

Perhaps the main reason behind these actions was that these individuals were mentally unstable? Perhaps an abnormal upbringing? There are so many Perhaps' questions, as to why these young boys did what they did. We will never truly know why. All I know is that nothing could possible excuse what these two 10 year old boys did to little James Bulger. It was beyond cruel.

If this was something that was provoked by violent media, and there are some truly terrible cases which have, then it goes to show that we should be very concerned about young people consuming this type of media at such a young age. Children's brains are sponges. They soak up everything they're 'fed'- whether this by an individual or by the media. It is terrifying what people, or in this case, children, are capable of.

Introducing Mr Stuart Hall..

Stuart Hall was a cultural theorist and Professor of Sociology at the Open University.

He produced a model explaining his view on the three different ways in which an audience interpret mass media texts by differing social groups.

These are known as Encoding and Decoding which are as follows:

• Dominant Reading (also known as preferred reading): This is where the reader fully accepts the preferred reading. The audience read the media and react in a way that matches the way the producer intended them to.

                                                     

• Oppositional Reading: This is when the audience rejects and doesn't accept the producer's intentions, which could be because of their social position.

                               

• Negotiated Reading: This is where the reader partially accepts the code, they may partly agree or disagree with the intended reactions- or they may modify it in a way that reflects their position, experiences and interests.

As well as this, Hall was also interested in media power which involves social values and how it somewhat creates dominant ideologies. An example could be women's role in society. Hall states that he has a strong belief that mass media holds a clasp on what defines the problems of public concern and also catches interest through positioning of audiences.

Undoubtedly, each member of an audience will decode readings differently which brings forth the term polysemy- multiple meanings of a text which leaves it open for anyone to interpret. This can be applied to various contexts.

So what is Desensitisation?

Desensitisation is the theory of media audience’s reactions growing weaker according to the level/amount of exposure to violence, death and sex. It is the decline in fear to exceptionally aggressive behaviour, as well as taboo subjects possibly being introduced, into modern day life.

Desensitisation to violence is seen as an incidental process, which could possibly occur because of exposure to 'real-life' violence. This could also occur from exposure to media violence, such as video games or horror films. 

A stereotypical example of this could be a young adult male, say in his early 20's, who regularly consumes violent media such as GTA, or Mad World, and also consumes violent television shows such as Dexter, they would be less inclined to be shocked after watching the news about a disastrous/violent event that may have occurred. Because of their familiarity to this violent media, it is less of a shock to them, as opposed to if they consumed less violent media.

Emotional desensitisation is known when there is a lack of emotional reaction to events, that would usually elicit a very strong reception. Adults and children, are increasingly edging towards becoming immune to the shock of horror, and somewhat accept it as a means to solve issues, imitation of violence and also identify with characters (on television) that are either victims, or victimisers.

A Media example of Desensitisation is the video game Mad World. From some comments on YouTube, we can see that a large majority of users aren't too bothered by the violence. This game has been known to be an exceptionally violent game, but over time media violence becomes more frequent and popular, and so there is serious decline in reaction.

Above is a screenshot from YouTube of some reactions to the Mad World gameplay online.

As well as a media example, I have also sourced a real example of desensitisation towards violence. This example was an event that occurred in 1999, known as The Columbine High School Massacre. Two senior students killed 12 students and 1 teacher, as well as directly injuring 21 students. Three others were also injured whilst attempting to escape. The two students then committed suicide. The Columbine High School Massacre, is now known as the fourth-deadliest school massacre to ever occur, in the US. The disastrous event provoked debates surrounding gun violence involving youths. The role of violent video games and films in American society was also debated. Subcultures, and the issue of high school bullying was also something that was brought up in debate, following this event. The event somewhat resulted in moral panic towards the gun culture among teens, goth culture and social outcasts, teen internet usage, aggressive music and films, as well as violent video games. The conclusion was that events like this, were somewhat 'inspired' or 'mimicked' by these common media consumptions. 

Desensitisation is a theory that suggests constant exposure to accessible violence, i.e a video game, dampens the emotional impact among an audience. It could possibly result in them becoming insensitive towards violence, in modern day life. 

There have been many studies into how much of a 'link' there is between aggressive behaviour and media violence. Anyone can distinguish the idea that the horror of violence, is becoming increasingly immune to many as we grow up, and society throws more violence at us to effectively 'accept'.

Enough of Desensitisation, what is Catharsis?

Catharsis is a theory based upon emotional release. It's all about channelling emotions into specific types of media, to make one feel better about themselves. The word 'Catharsis' originates from the Greek word 'Katharsis' which, translated literally, means 'cleansing or purging'. Aristotle came up with the theory that when people watched tragic plays, they would experience 'Katharsis' (emotional release), from negative emotions. The viewers' negative feelings were 'cleansed' by viewing the characters in the play, experiencing tragic events. 

An example of Catharsis could be someone watching Bambi, or possibly The Notebook, because they were potentially feeling sad. Catharsis is a way of somewhat making one feel better about themselves, by empathising with something that represents their mood. So if the individual felt angry, they may play a violent video game such as Call Of Duty, to relieve themselves from their anger etc.

Everyone consumes some aspect of media on a day to day basis, whether we choose to or not, but the differentiation between us all, is the variations of content that we each consume.

Someone can consume media through a variety of different platforms such as; watching television/films, listening to various radio stations, reading newspapers/magazines etc.

As said previously, we all consume different types of media, but we also consume it for different reasons. The reasons in which we consume a specific type of media, also gives us a certain gratification from this consumption.

Being a media student, and a teenager in this day and age, it's merely impossible to avoid consumption of media. Media is absolutely everywhere in the world! By the time one has travelled to college or even work, they would have consumed some form of media, without knowing it. This could be something as simple as looking at a billboard advertisement, listening to the radio etc.

I consume masses of media, mainly for entertainment purposes. Below are a few examples of the type of media that I consume.

I choose to fully immerse myself into a whole variety of media platforms involving; television, film, radio, video games, online material, newspapers and also magazines. I choose to consume these specific media platforms for specific reasons too.

Below is a diagram that I have constructed, based upon the McQuails theory. The diagram essentially highlights Denis McQuail's theory about the typology of common reasons for media use.

McQuail's believed that there must be reasons for why we consume media, and the potential reasons for the outcome of consuming media. As you can see from the diagram, McQuail's believed there were numerous reasons for why someone would consume a specific type of media. They are sorted into four main categories;  Personal Identity, Information, Integration and Social Interaction and finally, Entertainment.

One example of this could be someone watching BBC News to gain Information, as well as use it as a chance of Integration/Social Interaction. This person could be consuming this particular piece of media to 'satisfy curiosity and general interest'. As well as this, the individual could be consuming this particular media to 'find a basis for conversation and social interaction'. An example of this could be the numerous political general election stories, that are currently being shown on the news. 

I will be looking at the McQuail's theory, and using it to determine why I consume the specific media that I choose.

Game of Thrones

The main reason in which I choose to watch this television show is for entertainment purposes. However my consumption of this television programme didn't start off as entertainment. I started watching Game of Thrones for integration/social interaction purposes. Game of Thrones is one of those programmes that absolutely everyone is talking about, and so it was pretty impossible for me, not to want to discover who was going to be killed off next! Many of my friends had watched Game of Thrones, and so I decided to start watching it, to somewhat 'stay in the loop' of conversation. The gratification  I receive from watching this programme is that I am able to identify with others and gain a sense of belonging. When an individual or a group, watch the same programme, there is a strong sense of belonging. Everyone is able to converse with one another, purely about the show, representing a sense of exclusivity, and loyalty to the programme. It somewhat feels like being a part of a fandom, for a specific thing, which I thoroughly enjoy. Becoming an avid Game of Thrones fan, it also allows me to find a basis for conversation, and socially interact with people. There's nothing better than conversing with a fellow fan about the latest episode, discussing who killed who, and who we think will be the true king/queen of Westeros. So as well as social interaction, I also choose to watch this television show to be entertained. I am an absolutely HUGE fan of Game of Thrones! The show is thoroughly entertaining, and the gratification I receive, when I watch it is mainly relaxation-although any Game of Thrones fan will know that many episodes are most definitely NOT relaxing and rather tense.. (ahem, The Red Wedding..). Its a sense of escaping the real world and being thrown into a completely new experience, so I suppose I would say that for me, watching Game of Thrones diverts me from my current surroundings and potential problems, and just allows me to relax. Personally, because I love it so much, consuming this particular media is an emotional release. 

-So, If I haven't tempted you enough to watch Game of Thrones, you really should, it's mind blowing!

BBC NEWS
I tend to watch BBC NEWS primarily to gain information, about what's happening in the world, and what I need to be aware of. I find watching the news absolutely fascinating! I think it's odd that people don't want to know what's going on around the world, and that they live in their own little bubble. I'm the type of person who loves experiencing new cultures and surroundings, and essentially being clued up on current issues. The main gratification that I receive from watching BBC NEWS is that it satisfies my curiosity and general interest. It also allows me to find out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world. So as I'm a very nosy person, who like's knowing what's going on in the world, it is relevant that this is the gratification that I receive. It also helps me seek advice on practical matters within society, as the show gives me a vast amount og information. Alike Game of Thrones, I also watch the news for social interaction. Again, the gratification in which I receive from watching this is that I find a basis for conversation. There could be stories on the news about politics and general election, which would allow me to find out the views of others, resulting in social interaction.

Harry Potter
I absolutely LOVE watching Harry Potter, it is my favourite film. So because of this, the main reason in which I watch the Harry Potter films is for entertainment purposes. I can sit through any film from the franchise, for as many times as I like and I will not get bored. I absolutely adore this film franchise! The gratifications that I receive from watching these films are the sense of escape and diversion from real life. Everyone knows that the Harry Potter films are based primarily around magic, which is something that is alien to all you Muggles. This is the main reason that I watch these films, to escape from modern day and just immerse myself in this fantasy land. Again, it's an emotional release, which is quite difficult to explain as it means the absolute world to me! Watching Harry Potter makes me feel very relaxed, in that I don't have to focus on anything, but the film. It just makes me extremely happy.

BBC RADIO 1
As well as watching television and films, I also consume media through radio. The station that I'm most likely to tune into is BBC RADIO 1. This is mainly down to the specific content that the show contains. I enjoy the majority of the music aired, as well as the familiarity of presenters, and who couldn't love those dumb 'game shows' with Grimmy. Because of the content of this radio station, I usually tune in for entertainment purposes. The gratification that I tend to receive when I listen to the radio is that it fills time. I usually listen to the radio when I'm doing coursework, or getting ready to go out somewhere. It's enjoyable to listen to the radio whilst I'm already doing something, so that it passes time for nicely.

Twitter
As said earlier, I'm quite a nosey person, which is why Twitter is a great social media platform for me! It's great that I'm able to see what my friends, as well as idols, are getting up to in their lives. I like that I'm able to socially interact with them-even if they don't reply to my tweets..oh well. But yeah, anyway.. I consume this particular media for mainly Personal identity purposes. I like that I can be anyone that I want to be online, and express myself where I, hopefully, will not be judged. Twitter allows me to find 'models of behaviour' such as my idols that I 'follow'. I'm able to somewhat express myself more, without the fear of looking silly and so another gratification that I receive is 'gaining insight into one's self'. I also use Twitter for entertainment purposes, in which I generally scroll down my timeline to 'fill time' or avoid awkward real life situations-We've all been there!

YouTube
 I tend to browse Youtube 90% of the day! I love actively looking at new things, or listen/discover new music! YouTube is most likely the website that I consume the most on a day to day basis. I use this website for entertainment purposes usually. YouTube is the main reason behind my procrastination, but don't let anyone know that! YouTube is a great way to 'escape' from reality, and look at what others do around the world. It's essentially a global community, meaning we're able to watch videos posted from all over the place! I also use YouTube to 'fill time' which essentially means procrastinating-which isn't very good at all, but it's enjoyable so I guess in theory, it's okay.

Left4Dead2
Unlike many people my age, I'm not necessarily 'into' many video games, although there are a few that I can tolerate. I regularly play Left4Dead2 which is a zombie apocalypse survival game, with my boyfriend. I play this for entertainment purposes, and to laugh at how rubbish I am, as I tend to 'die' fairly early on in the game.. I play this game to 'fill time' and just for something to do. I also play this when I'm in the mood for a good laugh, and so I guess you could say it's an emotional release. As well as entertainment, the obvious reason for playing this game is social interaction. If I was playing this game on my own I would probably be exceptionally annoyed at how unskilled I am. Instead, playing the xbox game with someone is enjoyable, as we both laugh at how terrible I am. I guess the gratification that I receive when playing this game is that I gain a 'sense of belonging'. Because I don't tend to play these types of games, playing it with someone helps me feel 'involved' in the whole gaming side of social interaction.

The Sun
The Sun is one of those newspapers that's all about being nosey-(queue Shani).  Although I know not to believe everything you read in a newspaper, I still enjoy flicking through the pages and looking at all the gossip. I mainly use this media platform as an entertainment purpose. I don't always read this newspaper but when I do it's primarily for filling time, whilst sat in front of the television, or perhaps eating lunch. It's just one of those things that if it's there, then I will tend to have a look through. I also consume this specific type of media for information purposes. I mainly use it to satisfy curiosity and general interest, based on the stories within the paper.

Marie Claire
I enjoy reading magazines, to look at all the latest fashion/beauty inspo's and trends. I suppose the main reason for me consuming this specific type of media is personal identity purposes. I enjoy looking at the latest beauty techniques, as well as style trends, and picture myself with these latest trends. I guess in a way, it's mainly about finding models and things, of behaviour, that I could possibly take inspiration from and mimic myself. It also allows me to gain an insight into myself, as I wonder what I may look like, if I adopted these styles.

Overall, I think the McQuail's theory is pretty 'bang on' in regards to the uses and gratifications, that we gain from media. Looking at my personal consumption, I can relate to the McQuail's theory as to why I consume the media that I do, and what gratifications I get from it all. However a criticism of the theory is that we don't always choose what media we consume. Alot of us are secondary or tertiary users. Put it this way, if your friday evening is anything like mine, your parents will most likely be in control of the Sky remote at about 8pm. We are sometimes unable to choose what media we consume. Another example, is that we are powerless as to what posters/billboards we see on the way to college/work.

Uses and Gratifications is much like the McQuail's theory.

This theory exercises the idea that we all need a use to consume media, so that we receive a specific gratification from it.

An example of this would be myself watching BBC NEWS, for information purposes, to 'satisfy curiosity and general knowledge'.

The 'use' within this example is the information, and the gratification is the result of it-which was to 'satisfy curiosity and general knowledge'.

Above is another example in diagram form, including the topic of social media.