Consumption and choice of mass media in multiple choice media environment (audience research on Eskişehir sample)

Audience in Eskişehir, basic determinant of consumption of mass mediacognitive and emotional needs, usage form and how they perceive media have beensearched in this research.Eskişehir?s audience?s usage and perception of media has been searched with thedirection of cognitive and emotional needs that are basic determinant of consumption ofmass media.Audience in Eskişehir has been divided into groups, determined by quatosampling, by this sex, age, education and income and their frequency of usage of massmedia tools and the reasons why they didn?t use was asked in respect to their cognitiveand emotional in accordance with needs. Cognitive needs tie individuals to a society inwhich they are living. Information and news help individual comprehend theenvironment and make him/her socialized as well. Mass media are significant tools tosatisfy cognitive needs. Audiences in Eskisehir primarily use internet, radio, dailypapers and TV to satisfy cognitive needs.TV appears to be the most important news source among all variables subject tothis research. If we were to evaluate radio with respect to age variable, it appears to bethe most important information source. Internet, however, is the first with respect toeducation variable.Turkey, experienced great social and economical changes after the 1980?s, isconsidered as economically developing country. This fact caused great deal of changesin individual?s life. As a result, competition, stress and disturbance has become the partof individual?s life.Various mass media, caused by technological development, have taken part inthis environment to satisfy individual?s emotional needs. Audience in Eskisehir prefersTV, daily papers, radio and cellular phone to avoid the daily life stress. Such tools asmovie and mp3 players, magazines are the last source they refer to satisfy cognitive andemotional needs.Research suggests that audience is willing to use more than one mass media andopen to technological developments. A noteworthy fact is that audience?s economicaland educational situation is a significant determinant of preferences. Daily papers andinternet, mostly consumed by male audience, depends on economical situation ofindividual.Keywords: Audience, Uses and Gratification