'n Kritiese evaluering van die gebruike- en bevredigingsbenadering in televisienavorsing

SUMMARY

The uses and gratifications approach is one of the most popular approaches for studying the reasons why people watch television and the effects this medium might have on the recipients. Although this approach is very popular, it is also controversial because as a theory and method it has definite limitations and is therefore severely criticised.

In this article the author investigates the historical development of the uses and gratifications approach and the research procedures (hypothetical-deductive or inductive) that have been applied in advancing this approach as a theory. Furthermore, the following aspects are critically evaluated; positivistic research methodology; the functionalist, tautological and atheoretical nature of the approach; the dearth of studies on the “active” recipient and message content. In conclusion, a possible convergence between the theoretical-critical paradigm and the uses and gratifications approach is proposed.