ABSTRACT
Most research connected with the informational effects of television content has been carried out within what might be broadly labeled a “sociology of mass communications” research framework, in which the acquisition of information from the mass media has typically been traced to a complex set of determinants existing among individuals and usually involving their so-called informational “needs.” For example, does a media message have instrumental utility for the receiver? In other words, will it provide him or her with a helpful input for responding to everyday environmental stimuli or for defending personal beliefs and attitudes? A degree of selectivity of attention to and assimilation of news messages is implied. Such selection may also be based on non-instrumental factors, such as personal interest in the subject matter or even the entertainment value of the material. In the latter instance, the individual supposedly derives a certain intrinsic satisfaction during exposure. Intrinsic motivational influences are, in turn, often closely interrelated with demographic characteristics of individuals, such as their socio-economic background or level of formal education, which may act as mediators of likes and dislikes concerning media content and of use of different media.
