Understanding Electronic Media Audiences: The Pioneering Research of Alan M. Rubin

Abstract

One can hardly be considered knowledgeable of uses and gratifications theory without being familiar with the work of Alan M. Rubin. His advancement of our knowledge about the centrality of the individual in the media uses and effects relationship has inspired numerous scholars to add to the body of knowledge guided by uses and gratifications research. The breadth of Rubin's work in this regard is extraordinary, but his devotion to clarifying central concepts of uses and gratifications in his audience-centered research should also be recognized. Rubin's pioneering studies in uses and gratifications remain as benchmarks for scholars seeking to understand electronic media and how engaged audiences relate to media content.