WEAKNESSES OF THE USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

The Uses and Gratification Theory of the media effects tradition, lays emphasis on consumers of media information rather than the media itself. It states that, the audiences under this theory are active users of media information and they use information from the media to satisfy their needs. That notwithstanding, this theory comes with some weaknesses.
To start with, one major weakness of the theory is that, it does not recognize the fact that the media has the power and influence of directing the audiences interest towards a particular direction and not the audiences main interest. The media disseminate information which they deem to be newsworthy and not what the public expects. These issues go a long way in informing the decisions, choice and preferences of the public.
Another defect of the Uses and Gratification theory is the fact that, it gives too much power to the mass in terms of satisfying their needs and wants with media messages. Dennis McQuail(1993) stated that, the mass cannot act by itself, rather it is always acted upon. The media in their process of manufacturing their news or programs do not consult the mass on what they want to hear or watch.