Gratification

Gratification is the theory of 'What people do with media' instead of 'what media does to people' it is saying that people choose certain media to fit their specific needs. Some use gratification to deal with situations, such as a break up. If someone was going through a break-up they are much more likely to watch a romantic film rather than a horror. The media is used as a copying mechanism as some watch old childhood movies that remind us of happy times to deal with the sadness they are feeling. Also if you are feeling extremely happy you are very much likely to watch a comedy, people often say 'oh I really feel like watching a horror movie' you have to be in a certain mood to watch certain things otherwise it just isn't enjoyable. We cannot control what media is produced but we can control what media we watch, there is a reason people say 'No I don't want to watch a romance movie today' it's gratification, maybe that person is in a great mood and doesn't want to be reminded of a sad love story.