Research: Theories for Audience

Maslow's Hierarchy of Need:
A theorist called Maslow stated that 'All living things have basic needs that must be fulfilled to enable survival. Humans strive for self-actualisation, and the media is a main factor that supports this.' 
He stated the 4 basic human needs are:
-Diversion/Escapism
-Personal identity
-Personal relationships
-Surveillance of the world. 


Due to humans having these basic needs and wanting to have them fulfilled means that media products tend to sell well as they all include something called "AIDA'.
A- attention
I- interest
D- desire
A- action


Media texts offer the audience a range of different fulfilling experiences and the more of them a text has to offer, the more appealing it will be to a wide range of people. Therefore it is important that our media product withholds aspects that will fulfill the audiences needs, such as entertainment in order to grab their attention. 


Uses and Gratifications Theory:
Blumer, McQuail and Brown came up with the 'Uses and Gratifications Theory' which is another way of explaining why people like media texts. The theory places more focus on the consumer by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959). The theory also states that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs.


By using these theories, we will ensure that our finished product will fulfill our target audiences needs. Ensuring that it will be popular and make people want to see out product. 






Elisabeth Mullin