The uses and gratification of media provide us fans with an escape and an alternate reality in which we can be whoever we want to be for a moment in time. Being a fan of something brings you into a community of others like you. I’m a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and have been for years, when I meet other Buccaneer fans its an automatic approval of momentarily friendship. Fandom is a close-knit community and the media knows that so they highlight fanbases with different events and social gatherings.

The gratification that comes from being a fan and seeing the media praise you creates an alternate reality for most. Media gratification blocks all a lot of negativity one can be going through and it brings immediate joy. Many people do seek an alternate reality and I think the biggest forms of obtaining that is online gaming and social media. Social media has various platforms in which an individual can recreate who they are to the outside world. Many of us can type things online that we would never say in a person-to-person conversation. The gratification that comes from typing and not having to physically see the viewer is a thing that many people chase and that is thanks to the media. Online gaming is growing at a fire rate and it is because of how globally widespread it is. With online gaming you create a platform of who ‘you’ are, you can willingly join a community in which you are nobody and eventually become somebody. In these gaming communities you create a new you and whenever you are gaming, that person that you create becomes real.

The online gaming community can be a blessing or a curse because it is not hard to create a reputation especially the more skilled you are. The top gamers across different games across the world compete against one another and can be recognized for their accomplishments. These gaming competitions are watched worldly and individual gamers have fanbases themselves. Pro gaming is a profession thanks to the media and even in gaming there are community laws. Cheating and hacking are two immediate actions that can destroy a gamers reputation and ultimately get you banned from partaking in future events. It is actually comical to me that the media has created a virtual platform in which anybody can be anybody and still there is judgement between peers.

The use and gratification theory is truth and our society today amplifies that fact. The media is our outlet to find acceptance in life. Being part of a fanbase or joining a gaming community brings confidence and pleasure to individuals. We seek what we can’t have and sometimes just viewing something, even though we can’t obtain it, it brings a sense of gratification. People just want to be accepted, the problem is that everybody has a different personality and sometimes personalities are not compatible.

Questions for thought:

Would you say that who you are on social media emphasizes who you are in reality?

Do you express your true feelings on media?

Do you sometimes find yourself indulging in the false lifestyle norms the media portrays?