Technological Affordance-Based Gratifications and Their Impact on Media Selection

Abstract

This study explored whether technological affordances introduced new gratifications and whether those gratifications influenced media consumption. An online survey was conducted using MTurk to examine whether individuals perceived technological affordance-based gratifications for different devices (TV, laptops, tablets, and smartphones) and whether those gratifications affected individuals’ media consumption behaviors. Results suggested that technological features did cultivate a variety of new gratifications. We also found individuals’ device selection was significantly associated with affordance-based gratifications. Although perceived low in affordance-based gratifications, TVs were still generally preferred over other devices for media content consumption. These findings not only illustrated the power of communication technologies in cultivating individuals’ psychological needs, but also broadened the gratification research by identifying new gratifications and demonstrating that these gratifications could influence individuals’ media consumption. In addition, findings in this study offered insights for designing technological features that can better satisfy individuals’ psychological needs.