Applying Niche Theory to Measure Uses and Gratifications of Social Media in Malaysia

Abstract

Niche theory provides a comprehensive framework to measure uses and gratifications of social media in terms of competitive superiority and overlapping capabilities. Despite various researches were conducted to measure how social media play roles of availability for tasks using media richness theory, there are not many researches, conducted on the differences in the gratification of social media reflecting unique characteristics of social media. This study is designed to investigate how well social media can represent the characteristics of communication, and how richness of media affects the communication on social media. It was observed that one type of social media does not completely replace another but rather becomes integrated in dealing with various communication needs. From the perspective of niche theory, the comparative utility of social media to fulfil users’ needs and provide them with gratification opportunities is essential to its survival and growth in this industry.