Blog Fifteen: The Uses and Gratification Theory and Relationship Provisions

The uses and gratifications theory states that an audience "has a complex set of needs which it seeks to satisfy in the mass media" and that this concept corresponds "with theories of face-to-face communication" as well. (Fiske, 151)  This approach focuses on  society and its search for satisfaction and and an outlet to fulfill personal needs.   Robert Weiss' provisions theory relates to the idea of uses and gratification as it claims that there are six specific areas "where relationships provide us with something special, needed or valued."(Duck, 147)  This means that a primary function of relationships is to reaffirm the value of a person by accepting and acknowledging their views of the world, ensuring a sense of emotional and physical support, validating their existence, and reassuring their worth.  People not only seek out these provisions, but also must provide them for others.  The process works both ways and it is necessary that each form of support is both provided and received in order for a relationship to be successful.  Jackie Wiseman calls this the bond and bind dilemma, meaning that we must make sacrifices and give things up (bind) in order to benefit from a relationship (bond). (Duck, 165)  It is clear that people enact the uses and gratification and provision theories everyday, whether or not they realize it.  Simply asking a friend to come over and talk because you had a bad day, and that friend's opinion being valued,  is an example of using and providing provisions to achieve gratification.  The friend in need is given an outlet to express emotions and receives an opinion that hopefully reaffirms their own personal world of meaning, while the friend who is helping realizes that their own world of meaning and advice is being recognized and accepted. Relationships are transacted and essentialized through these processes, and allow people to form deeper connections based on the fulfillment  of specific personal needs.