It is not for fun: An examination of social network site usage

Abstract

A B S T R A C TSocial networking sites (SNS) have become a significant component of people's daily lives and have revolutionized the ways that business is conducted, from product development and marketing to operation and human resource management. However, there have been few systematic studies that ask why people use such systems. To try to determine why, we proposed a model based on uses and gratifications theory. Hypotheses were tested using PLS on data collected from 148 SNS users. We found that user utilitarian (rational and goal-oriented) gratifications of immediate access and coordination, hedonic (pleasure-oriented) gratifications of affection and leisure, and website social presence were positive predictors of SNS usage. While prior research focused on the hedonic use of SNS, we explored the predictive value of utilitarian factors in SNS. Based on these findings, we suggest a need to focus on the SNS functionalities to provide users with both utilitarian and hedonic gratifications, and suggest incorporating appropriate website features to help users evoke a sense of human contact in the SNS context.

Social networking’s peril: Cognitive absorption, social networking usage, and depression

“…Since our sample was comprised of college students, who have been found to use Facebook most often for social interaction (Pempek et al, 2009), a positive association with depression could have occurred. Given our contrasting findings, it is possible that the subjects were primarily using SNS for non-social purposes, such as entertainment, which may not have a significant relationship with well-being (Wang et al, 2014), or for utilitarian gratifications, such as coordination (Xu, Ryan, Prybutok, & Wen, 2012).…”

Impact of Entertainment Motivational Drivers on User Acceptance of Online Social Network Banner Advertising: A Gratification Perspective

“…Cha, 2010;Dhaha & Igale, 2013;Orchard et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2012) identifi ed social escapism an important user motivation for using SNSs. Katz et al (1973) stated that consumers' escapism motivation to use media is based on "escape need or need for diversion.…”

Y Kuşaği Tüketi̇ci̇ler Tarafindan Kullanilan Çeşi̇tli̇ Sosyal Ağ Si̇teleri̇ni̇n (Sas) Beli̇rleyi̇ci̇leri̇ne Yöneli̇k Ampi̇ri̇k Bi̇r İnceleme

“…We have named this factor, which includes making events, organizing them, and providing information about them, "coordination," as indicated by Xu et al [4].…”

“…SNSs provide spaces for users to upload content (such as photos or music), to send messages, and to make connections with other users [3]. The use of SNSs has affected people's daily lives and has attracted companies' attention by creating opportunities for both e-businesses and traditional companies [4]. The results of Michaelidou et al [5] indicate that organizations use SNSs to achieve brand objectives and specifically to attract new customers.…”