New Media and the Urban Indian Homemaker - A Study of Uses, Gratifications and Outcomes

Abstract

The uses and gratifications perspective owes its origin to, among others, the housewives in the US, who faithfully followed the daytime soaps on radio. When Herzog studied why women (housewives) followed these programmes (not known for their quality) findings showed that women listened to them because they were a source of advice and support, and provided emotional relief. The new media opened up opportunities to apply the theory for newer perspectives on user expectations, motives for use and the satisfaction gained from their use. The number of Internet users in India in 2009 was 61.338 million and is growing by the day. There is a rapid increase in the number of mobile phone users too. During the Indian census year 2011, married population constituted 47.0% of the total population of 1,210,193,422. According to the Family Welfare Statistics in India, 2011, the number of married females in urban areas in the age group 15–44 was 1148,012,536 in 2001. Overall literacy rates are also increasing with 74.04% of the total population being literate. With increasing literacy rates and a growing purchase power, the urban homemaker in India is a crucial target for government, ecommerce and e-marketers of products and services, among others. The study intends to understand Internet acceptance, usage motives, gratifications and outcomes of use for the urban Indian homemaker. A survey was conducted among 151 homemakers in Chennai city who have an access to and are users of the Internet and the Smart phone. The study found that, despite disparity in demographics among Internet users across the globe, today's Indian urban homemaker's uses, gratification and personal outcomes of the use of the Internet are well in tune with the trends worldwide.