Which statement best summarizes uses and gratifications theory and the impact of social media on needs satisfaction?

• A. Audiences passively receive media to satisfy needs.
• B. Gratifications are fixed regardless of platform.
• C. Information is the only need; social aspects do not matter.
• D. Audiences actively select media to satisfy needs (information, entertainment, social interaction); social media adds social connectedness and participatory needs, altering gratification patterns.

Answer: (D)

Audiences are active in choosing media to satisfy a range of needs—information, entertainment, and social interaction—rather than passively receiving content. Uses and gratifications theory holds that people select media based on what they want to achieve, and the satisfaction they get depends on how well the content and context meet those needs. Social media expands those options by increasing social connectedness and enabling participation, sharing, and collaboration. This interactivity adds new ways to meet needs and can change how gratifying a given medium feels, since feedback, community, and user-created content become part of the experience.

So the best summary is that audiences actively select media to satisfy multiple needs (information, entertainment, social interaction), and social media adds social connectedness and participatory needs, altering gratification patterns. The other ideas—viewing audiences as passive, implying gratifications are fixed across platforms, or treating information as the only need and ignoring social aspects—don’t fit how people actually use media and how social features reshape satisfaction.