Media Diary Week 5 - Uses & Gratifications

For this week’s Media Diary, I have chosen to discuss BBC’s ‘EastEnders’,  a soap opera set in the fictional Albert Square. I have also chosen to discuss ITV’s ‘The Chase’, a game show in which contestants must compete against The Chaser, a quiz mastermind who has competed in the World Quizzing Championship. I have chosen to discuss the Uses and Gratifications of these shows as they are both very different, and should hopefully provide results that are not like one another.

‘The Chase’

One example of Uses & Gratifications that ‘The Chase’ may provide is Personal Identification. This is due to the fact that viewers of the show may relate to the contestants who participate. The contestants aren’t quizmasters, and often the greatest incentive to come on the show is the large amount of money that can be won (thousands of pounds). Each contestant must work alongside their team members, and many audience members may identify with this aspect of the programme, asking themselves “What would I do in this situation?” The team members often advise the current participant to go for a higher amount of money, or likewise to go for a lower, more achievable amount. Audience members who identify with the contestants may ask themselves “Would I listen the team’s advice?” Viewers will very often become emotionally invested, rooting for certain contestants who they may share something in common with (e.g. birthplace, job, age).

A further example of Uses & Gratifications that ‘The Chase’ may provide is Information. The questions that are featured on the show cover sports, history, politics, geography and fiction. Audience members who enjoy learning about any of these areas may tune into the show in the hopes of learning something new. Often, once the question has been answered, The Chaser will explain why they chose it, giving some background on the subject in question.

Another example of Uses & Gratifications that ‘The Chase’ may fulfil is Social Interaction. ‘The Chase’ is a popular show on UK TV, at one point receiving 5.1 million views in 2013. ‘The Chase’ is a show that can be enjoyed by all the family; even if you may not know several answers, the show allows you to compete with those around you. Families that watch the show can test their quiz knowledge, to see who is the most intelligent. More recently, the show has been adapted to work as an app for the iPhone and iPad; this further increases the social interaction that can be derived from the programme. Friends and family can compete as if they are actually participating to win a large amount of money; it may be competitive but it is also a pleasant and enjoyable activity.

‘EastEnders’

One example of Uses & Gratifications that ‘EastEnders’ fulfils is Personal Identity. ‘EastEnders’ is a show that features a wide range of characters of different ethnic origins and backgrounds. The show features characters that are both young and old; this allows people of different ages to identify with different characters. Many characters in the show have suffered from money problems such as debt, which is a reflection on today’s society when many people are struggling to find employment. In addition to this, the show occasionally features quite serious issues such as rape and abuse. Victims of assault may find some comfort in knowing that the subject is being properly represented on a flagship TV show. Many viewers often praise the programme for their depiction of such stories, and they state how they have found the courage from watching it to move on, which often means coming to terms with what may have happened. The show has also featured many storylines involving gay children opening up to their parents (one example being Ben Mitchell in 2011); such storylines have often been said to help encourage people of that age in a similar situation to come out to their parents. In this way, I think audience members to personally identify with many of the characters in ‘EastEnders’.

In addition to this, I think many people watch ‘EastEnders’ for Entertainment/Escapism. ‘EastEnders’ has often been regarded as one of the most popular shows on British TV, and one of the reasons for this is the storylines that it provides, often spanning for months at a time. A current example of this would be the “Who killed Lucy Beale?” storyline, which begun at Easter and is intended to run up until the 30^th anniversary of the show in February 2015. Having continuous plot lines such as this allows the viewer to become invested in the programme, tuning in for each episode to try and work out who may be the killer. With clues and hints being revealed over the course of the storyline (i.e. each character’s whereabouts on the night of the murder) viewers are encouraged not to miss an episode in case of a game-changing revelation. Viewers may also watch the show as a form of escapism. Although ‘EastEnders’ is a soap opera, the stories that it features are often identified as being unlikely or far-fetched. Every so often the show will feature episodes with huge explosions and fires. A recent example would be the Moons’ house exploding in September, or the Queen Vic fire in 2010. These scenes require a great amount of precision and safety in order to produce, and are enjoyable to watch as they are sites we are unlikely to see in real life. For these reasons, I think ‘EastEnders’ fulfils the audience’s need for entertainment and escapism.

Furthermore, I think a Use & Gratification that ‘EastEnders’ fulfils is social interaction. One example of how this can be done is through social media covering the audience reception to a particular episode. Viewers are encouraged to send in their thoughts, also generating discussion on online forums (such as Digital Spy) as well as between friends and family in real life. Very often the show will attempt a controversial storyline, a recent example being Linda Carter’s rape; whether or not these storylines are well received or not, they encourage people to discuss the show, and it very often will make the newspaper headlines. Colleagues, friends and family may have differing views on how the story was portrayed, and whether or not it is a poor reflection on reality. For these reasons, I think ‘EastEnders’ fulfils the Social Interaction aspect of the Uses & Gratifications model.