Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging

Raacke J., Bonds-Raacke J.

The increased use of the Internet as a new tool in communication has changed the way people interact. This fact is even more evident in the recent development and use of friend-networking sites. However, no research has evaluated these sites and their impact on college students. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate: (a) why people use these friend-networking sites, (b) what the characteristics are of the typical college user, and (c) what uses and gratifications are met by using these sites. Results indicated that the vast majority of college students are using these friend-networking sites for a significant portion of their day for reasons such as making new friends and locating old friends. Additionally, both men and women of traditional college age are equally engaging in this form of online communication with this result holding true for nearly all ethnic groups. Finally, results showed that many uses and gratifications are met by users (e.g., "keeping in touch with friends"). Results are discussed in light of the impact that friend-networking sites have on communication and social needs of college students.

Quan-Haase A.

This article reviews the body of research on the use and role of instant messaging (IM) in campus life, and how IM is a key part of university students' communication. IM is a synchronous form of communication, and its speed, availability information, and support for multiple conversations have made it appealing for young people. With university students, in particular, showing a heavy reliance on IM, researchers have shown great interest in how university students use IM and how it is integrated in their social and academic life. While studies are emerging in various disciplines, no attempt has been made to integrate the disparate findings and approaches. This article synthesizes key findings, provides a map of the literature, and discusses conceptual problems inherent in the study of IM and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) that will help researchers identify key areas of study and opportunities for future investigation.

boyd D.

Not all Facebook users appreciated the September 2006 launch of the `News Feeds' feature. Concerned about privacy implications, thousands of users vocalized their discontent through the site itself, forcing the company to implement privacy tools. This essay examines the privacy concerns voiced following these events. Because the data made easily visible were already accessible with effort, what disturbed people was primarily the sense of exposure and invasion. In essence, the `privacy trainwreck' that people experienced was the cost of social convergence.

Tufekci Z.

The prevailing paradigm in Internet privacy literature, treating privacy within a context merely of rights and violations, is inadequate for studying the Internet as a social realm. Following Goffman on self-presentation and Altman's theorizing of privacy as an optimization between competing pressures for disclosure and withdrawal, the author investigates the mechanisms used by a sample (n = 704) of college students, the vast majority users of Facebook and Myspace, to negotiate boundaries between public and private. Findings show little to no relationship between online privacy concerns and information disclosure on online social network sites. Students manage unwanted audience concerns by adjusting profile visibility and using nicknames but not by restricting the information within the profile. Mechanisms analogous to boundary regulation in physical space, such as walls, locks, and doors, are favored; little adaptation is made to the Internet's key features of persistence, searchability, and cross-indexability. The author also finds significant racial and gender differences.

Ellison N.B., Steinfield C., Lampe C.

Flanagin A.J.

Jung J., Kim Y., Lin W., Cheong P.H.

This article examines the influence of the social environment on adolescents’ connectedness to the internet in East Asia, one of the most wired regions in the world. Connectedness is a qualitative conceptualization of an individual’s relationship with the internet, taking into consideration the breadth, depth, and the importance of individuals’ internet experience. This study seeks to situate adolescents’ internet connectedness in three spheres of social environment: (1) the general social support measured by how easy it is to get help when adolescents encounter problems in using the internet; (2) the parents, where we examine parents’ socioeconomic status and their internet use; and (3) the peer group, where we look into the proportion of friends who connect to the internet. The results from a survey of 1303 adolescents in Seoul, Singapore and Taipei support our major hypothesis that among the internet-using adolescents, their internet connectedness patterns differ by the nature of their social environments.

Donath J., Boyd D.

Participants in social network sites create self-descriptive profiles that include their links to other members, creating a visible network of connections — the ostensible purpose of these sites is to use this network to make friends, dates, and business connections. In this paper we explore the social implications of the public display of one's social network. Why do people display their social connections in everyday life, and why do they do so in these networking sites? What do people learn about another's identity through the signal of network display? How does this display facilitate connections, and how does it change the costs and benefits of making and brokering such connections compared to traditional means? The paper includes several design recommendations for future networking sites.

Baym N.K., Zhang Y.B., Lin M.

Two studies compared college students’ interpersonal interaction online, face-to-face, and on the telephone. A communication diary assessed the relative amount of social interactions college students conducted online compared to face-to-face conversation and telephone calls. Results indicated that while the internet was integrated into college students’ social lives, face-to-face communication remained the dominant mode of interaction. Participants reported using the internet as often as the telephone. A survey compared reported use of the internet within local and long distance social circles to the use of other media within those circles, and examined participants’ most recent significant social interactions conducted across media in terms of purposes, contexts, and quality. Internet interaction was perceived as high in quality, but slightly lower than other media. Results were compared to previous conceptualizations of the roles of internet in one’s social life.

Stafford T.F., Stafford M.R., Schkade L.L.

Uses and gratifications (U&G) is a media use paradigm from mass communications research that guides the assessment of consumer motivations for media usage and access. It has been used previously in research and decision making related to the promotion of emerging radio and television media. Recent adaptations of U&G research to the Internet are incomplete and have not identified important new Internet-specific gratifications. This paper empirically derives dimensions of consumer Internet use and usage gratifications among customers of a prominent Internet Service Provider (ISP). Results describe three key dimensions related to consumer use of the Internet, including process and content gratifications as previously found in studies of television, as well as an entirely new social gratification that is unique to Internet use. All three dimensions of gratification are relevant to managing the Internet as a commercial medium, and measures developed from the gratification profiles identified here can serve as trait-valid scales in future Internet and e-commerce research.

Huang A.H., Yen D.C.

Instant messaging (IM) was introduced in 1996. In the past few years, the majority of IM users have been teenagers. As the young IM users gradually enter the workforce, it is likely that their familiarity with IM will increase its acceptance as a business application. Consequently, the potential impact of IM in the workplace has become an important organizational issue. This study investigated the usefulness of IM for both social and work-related uses from young users' perspectives. A survey of over 500 college-age IM users was conducted. The survey data were used to identify factors that were important to the usefulness of IM. The results showed that young users correlated different features of IM with different aspects of usefulness. The ability to facilitate friendship development and personalized communication was viewed as an important feature for the social use of IM; for work-related uses, information richness and information volume were deemed as more desirable features for IM. The findings can be used as a foundation for future studies using knowledge workers in the workplace.

LEUNG L.

Results from a random sample of 576 college students show that relaxation, entertainment and fashion are instrumental motives for ICQ (`I seek you') use while inclusion, affection, sociability and escape are the intrinsic motives. Students who are heavy users of ICQ are motivated by affection and sociability whilst light users are motivated by fashion. Use of emails and ownership of cellular phones seem to be significant predictors of ICQ use. Students who spend longer time on ICQ sessions also play online games more often for entertainment, live in dormitories, have a lower household income, and do not subscribe to any ISP service at home. Female ICQ users tend to chat longer and more frequently for reasons of sociability while males spend less time on each session for entertainment and relaxation. The findings suggest that ICQ is a technology that facilitates social relations and is a major source of entertainment for college students.

Lin C.A.

Despite the explosive potential for revenue growth on the Internet, research suggests that the advertising industry remains perplexed about how to reach consumers in this new medium. Drawing from several bodies of literature including diffusion, motivation, and media substitution theories, this study explores potential predictors for online service adoption. Findings indicate that the cognitive and affective gratification-seeking factors were the strongest predictors of likely online service adoption. By contrast, whereas adopter attributes were moderate predictors, the existing adoption cluster and media use attributes were both weak predictors of likely online service adoption.

Papacharissi Z., Rubin A.M.

We examined audience uses o f the Internet from a uses-and-gratifications perspective. We expected contextual age, unwillingness to communicate, social presence, and Internet motives to predict outcomes of Internet exposure, affinity and satisfaction. The analyses identified five motives for using the Internet and multivariate links among the antecedents and motives. The results suggested distinctions between instrumental and ritualized Internet use, as well as Internet use serving as a functional alternative to face-to-face interaction.

Leung L., Wei R.

Mobility, immediacy, and instrumentality are found the strongest instrumental motives in predicting the use of cellular phones, followed by intrinsic factors such as affection/sociability. Subscription to functionally enhanced services such as call transfers and caller ID appears to be important predictors for overall cellular phone use, especially for those who are on the go. As expected, the use of cellular phones on buses, cars, and trains or in malls and restaurants is strongly linked to mobility and immediate access gratifications. Further, young and less educated women tend to talk longer on each call. Finally, talking to co-workers and business partners via cellular phones appears to be for instrumental reasons, while talking to immediate family members is for mobility and showing affection.

Wei X., Xu Q., Chen H.

Purpose This study aims to explore the perceptions of follower identities among Chinese youth and the formation of these identities within the context of use and gratification theory and mediated relationships. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with 22 individuals who followed digital influencers on various social media platforms, and a general inductive approach was followed to analyze the collected data. Findings The research uncovered that influencers’ followers view themselves as learners, advisees, surveillants, friends and sponsors, aligning these identities with their reasons for following influencers. These reasons are classified as either emotionally or functionally driven. The study further highlights the critical role these motivations and identities play in influencing the followers’ intentions to buy products and brands endorsed by influencers. Followers motivated by utilitarian reasons focus more on the product’s functionality and practical value, whereas those attracted to influencers for their unique personalities and perceived personal connections place greater importance on the products’ symbolic value. Originality/value Despite the widespread attention the influencer market has garnered, scant literature has deeply explored the psychological mechanisms behind individuals’ behavior in following influencers and their subsequent purchasing intentions. This study introduces new insights into influencer marketing by focusing on followers’ psychological motivations, offering a refined understanding of their impact on the dynamics of digital marketing.

Majhi S.G., Mukherjee A., Anand A.

Özer S., Uğurhan Y.Z.

With the rise of social media and influencer marketing, unboxing videos have become key for connecting with customers. Drawing on the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study examines how motives for watching unboxing videos influence consumers’ purchase and eWOM intentions, and the mediating role of ad involvement. Analyzing survey data from 499 YouTube viewers, the research finds that information-seeking, entertainment, and interpersonal utility motives significantly affect purchase and eWOM intentions, while pass-time motives do not. The study contributes a novel UGT-ELM-based model with consumer-focused insights and discusses its theoretical and practical implications. The study also offers implications for marketing analytics.

van Alem J. ., Frielink N., Embregts P. .

ABSTRACTIntroductionAlthough existing research has explored both the benefits and risks associated with social internet use amongst people with intellectual disabilities (ID), a comprehensive understanding of the underlying reasons for this engagement is still lacking. This systematic review synthesizes literature investigating the reasons for social internet use amongst people with ID.MethodsEight electronic databases (Cinahl, Cochrane, Embase, ERIC, Google Scholar, Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science) were systematically searched in June 2023 and November 2024 and screened using active machine learning techniques. Studies were considered for inclusion if they qualitatively described the reasons, motivations and personal opinions of people with ID regarding their social internet use in English and were published in peer‐reviewed journals. Caregivers' insights were included if individuals could not verbally communicate directly. Only voluntary social internet use was considered; interventions were excluded unless preintervention views on social internet use were reported. Risk of bias was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT; Hong et al. 2018). Data were extracted using the SPIDER tool and analysed using thematic synthesis.ResultsIn total, 21 relevant articles were identified. Most studies described social internet use in Western contexts (n = 19), primarily amongst adults (n = 16). Four articles specifically addressed social internet use during COVID‐19. Only seven studies explicitly reported participants' level of ID, with six focusing on mild‐to‐moderate ID and one on profound and multiple ID. Four themes emerged: a feeling of fitting in (n = 12), maintaining connections (n = 16), making new connections (n = 14) and enhancing autonomy and empowerment (n = 10).DiscussionThe findings underscore the importance of social internet use in fostering feelings of inclusion, connectedness and autonomy amongst people with ID. These insights can guide researchers and caregivers in developing tailored support strategies that both maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of online social engagement for this population. By understanding the specific reasons behind social internet use, caregivers can offer more personalized guidance that aligns with the individual needs and preferences of people with ID. The review also highlights a need for future research to adhere to reporting guidelines to enhance transparency and quality in the field.

Ogolsky B.G., Dobson K., Rivas‐Koehl M., Kawas G., Hardesty J.L.

ABSTRACTRomantic relationships play an important role in mental and physical health. The initiation and progression of these relationships may be particularly relevant to college students, as they experience a period of personal and social growth while presumably away from parental supervision for the first time. However, some of the more prominent models of relationship initiation and progression have not been updated to reflect recent social changes, including technological advances and more general societal trends. In the current research, we use a qualitative approach to examine how college students describe the initiation and progression of romantic relationships. Additionally, we present data from two studies collected a decade apart to examine changes in perceived relationship progression over time. Results revealed four stages of relationship progression (i.e., flirtationship, relationship potential, in a relationship, and commitment or bust) that were consistent across decades, with some minor differences. The contributions of these findings to current theoretical and empirical knowledge on relationship development are discussed, and promising directions for future inquiry are identified.

Joorabchi T.N., Haghighat A.F., QorbanianQohroudi M.

This article concentrates on identifying problematic usage of Instagram, emphasising the mediation effects of Instagram use gratification among students. A quantitative methodology was employed via a structured questionnaire survey. A sample comprising 392 students from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran was selected utilising a stratified random sampling technique. The students’ ages varied from 18 to 47, with the majority being in the younger group of 18 to 23. The pattern and purpose of using Instagram influence the gratification derived from its use. Instagram use gratification demonstrates significant associations with social isolation; however, this correlation is not evident to the purposes and patterns of Instagram usage. The findings indicated that no substantial relationships existed between the patterns of Instagram usage and the gratification obtained from it, nor with Instagram addiction. However, a significant correlation was observed concerning the purpose of Instagram usage. The mediating effect of Instagram gratification was notably significant solely in social isolation. The moderating influences of gender, academic discipline, marital status and parental educational level were deemed insignificant. The implications arising from this study are subsequently discussed.

Wang C., Chang S., Hsieh I.

The study develops a 33 items Influencer Following Motives Scale for analyzing why people follow social media influencers. The study unfolds in four stages: initial item formation through interviews and literature review, item refinement via exploratory factor analysis, validation of the scale through confirmatory factor analysis, and final validation using the Multi-Trait Multi-Method Matrix. The scale identifies eleven motivational dimensions: Beauty, Authenticity, Learning, Boredom, Expertise, Entertainment, Aesthetics, Curiosity, Sharing, Similarity, and Information. The developed measurement scale aids in understanding follower motivations, offering insights for influencers and content creators to engage their audience more effectively.

Tang H., Fu L., Chen L., Shi J.J.

Bouchillon B.C.

Choi M., Hong Y., Kwon H.

Mon L.

Establishing a social media presence extends the library’s physical manifestation into virtual space. This chapter examines the library as situated within the virtual community, exploring issues in adapting a library’s social media presence to the unique contexts, audiences, communities, cultures and communication styles within diverse social media sites.

Vaterlaus J.M., Chow S.M.

Park J., Kim S.

Gingras M., Brendgen M., Beauchamp M.H., Séguin J.R., Tremblay R.E., Côté S.M., Herba C.M.

Knowledge is lacking on whether adolescents’ motivations for social media use predict internalizing symptoms, and few studies have considered the moderating role of extraversion. In 2017 (T1) and 2018 (T2), 197 adolescents (49.70% girls, Mage = 13.15, SD = 0.36) from a large metropolitan area participated in this study. Adolescents reported on their social media use motivations and extraversion (at T1) and depressive and anxiety symptoms (T1 and T2). Latent class analysis revealed four motivation profiles at T1: (1) entertainment and fun (30.97%); (2) avoidance and escapism (14.21%); (3) meeting new people, feel involved (16.75%); (4) boredom (38.07%). Social motivations (profile 3) predicted elevated internalizing symptoms at T2. Avoidance and boredom motivations (profile 2 and 4) predicted internalizing symptoms for adolescents with low extraversion. Social media use motivations and extraversion distinguish adolescents who benefit from social media from those who experience difficulties.

Buzeta C., De Pelsmacker P., Dens N.