Uses and Gratifications theory

The uses and gratifications theory is a popular idea which portrays the idea that the audience of any media product are highly interactive and have choices whilst viewing the product, rather than the media influencing them entirely, allowing no chance for interpretation.
This theory focuses mostly on the audience of a product (who are essentially the most important factor in ensuring that a product is successful - by a large audience buying the creation) and how they interpret media into their own lives each and every day. From this idea, audiences would be shown to choose particular media products depending on their own personal interests and favourites. For example, an 18 year old alternative female interested in electro music would choose a music magazine based on it's bright colours, "pop-art" style fonts, fun looking images and models dressed in elaborate make-up/bright clothing due to these all being aspects that would interest her, and which portray the music genre she is most fascinated with.
Overall, this approach expresses how individuals use media products to gain their own personal enjoyment as well as fulfilling specific gratifications. This theory would also imply that the media business compete against other information sources in order to create the best products possible for their intended audience.