Departmental Papers (ASC)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
4-1973
Publication Source
American Sociological Review
Volume
38
Issue
2
Start Page
164
Last Page
181
Abstract
The mass media are ranked with respect to their perceived helpfulness in satisfying clusters of needs arising from social roles and individual dispositions. For example, integration into the sociopolitical order is best served by newspaper; while "knowing oneself" is best served by books. Cinema and books are more helpful as means of "escape" than is television. Primary relations, holidays and other cultural activities are often more important than the mass media in satisfying needs.
Television is the least specialized medium, serving many different personal and political needs. The "interchangeability" of the media over a variety of functions orders televisions, radio, newspapers, books, and cinema in a circumplex. We speculate about which attributes of the media explain the social and psychological needs they serve best. The data, drawn from an Israeli survey, are presented as a basis for cross-cultural comparison.
Copyright/Permission Statement
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, American Sociological Review, Vol. 38, 1973. © American Sociological Association, 1973.
Recommended Citation
Katz, E., Gurevitch, M., & Haas, H. (1973). On the Use of the Mass Media for Important Things. American Sociological Review, 38 (2), 164-181. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/267
Date Posted: 19 April 2011
This document has been peer reviewed.