Digital natives’ snack content consumption and their goals: A means-end chain approach

Abstract

This study explores digital natives’ consumption of snack contents, which are short-form digital contents that reflects on the emerging trend of snack culture, referring to the participative, multi-tasking, and shortened consumption of digital contents. Specifically, employing goal theory and a means-end chain approach, this study investigates digital natives’ snack content consumption behaviors and the goals they pursue through those behaviors. Data were collected using laddering interviews, a type of semi-structured interview, and the results of the analyses were presented in a hierarchical goal map that identified four attributes and 14 goals associated with snack content consumption. The findings show that information acquisition, sense of accomplishment, fun, and restorative are the main four values users obtain through the usage of snack contents. This empirical study enhances the understanding of digital natives’ goals in consuming snack contents and provides insights into the current trend of digital content consumption.