 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
The uses and gratifications theoretical framework has continued to prove
useful in the study of new and emerging media. In previous research on
television as a medium, motivations for media use have been grouped into
either process gratifications (motivations associated with using the medium,
like channel surfing) or content gratifications (motivations related to
information or entertainment delivered by the medium, like
watching the
evening news for information). This study applies the uses and gratifications
perspective to better understand the factors motivating commercial Web site
use, and identifies a new media use gratification unique to the Internet:
socialization (using the medium to communicate with people). Through the
cooperation of two major on-line companies, this research reports the results
of a two-part study that begins with the identification of 179 motivations for
Web use and subsequently reduces those to five primary underlying factors.
These factors are discussed and related to three key indicators: frequency of
Web use, frequency of computer use, and affinity with the computer.
Implications for new social gratifications for Internet use are discussed, and
directions for future research are proposed.