Gratifications Sought Research Articles

Gratifications Sought and Obtained: Possible Improvements for COVID-19 Disaster Text Messages from the User’s Perspective

This study aimed to identify the difference between users’ Gratifications Sought (GS) for disaster text messages and the actual Gratifications Obtained (GO) from such messages delivering disaster information during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to derive insights for enhancing the effectiveness of disaster text messages. A survey approach was adopted, which derived GS for disaster information through literature review and big data analysis. Following this, a panel was formed to conduct a survey. The survey revealed three key attributes of GS for disaster messages through factor analysis: ① informativeness (prompt, specific, and accurate information), ② reliability (consistency, continuity), and ③ responsiveness (community maintenance, caring, understanding, and empathy). The comparison between GS and GO showed that GS was higher than GO, particularly in terms of information specificity, reliability, and consistency. Furthermore, a positive correlation emerged between age, family size, and media usage and the favorable evaluation of disaster text messages.

Satisfaction of mahasantri in accessing Instagram

Indonesia has active social media users of 68.9% or 191.4 out of 277.7 million in 2022. Instagram is the second social media platform, with active users accounting for 84.8% of the population. The use of Instagram is certainly driven by certain motives that encourage people's attitudes and beliefs to access media as needed, and Instagram can provide satisfaction according to the needs of its audience. This study aims to examine the satisfaction of the Mahasantri University of Darussalam Gontor in accessing Instagram by taking 300 samples from 1,997 populations. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics to describe the findings referring to the Expectancy Value theory as a development of the Uses and Gratification theory with two variables, namely gratifications sought (GS) and gratification obtained (GO). Then a gap test was conducted between the mean scores of the GS and GO variables to determine the satisfaction of Darussalam Gontor University students in accessing Instagram social media. The results showed that Instagram could pleasure the Mahasantri University of Darussalam Gontor in building personal relationships, filling free time, getting entertainment, fulfilling knowledge needs, and solving problems. This study answers the phenomenon of using Instagram as the second most accessed social media platform by Indonesian people, especially among teenagers. This finding positively contributes to the University of Darussalam Gontor and educational institutions' management in using Instagram as a medium of socialisation and promotion. Also, as an effort for the government to improve social media literacy for the younger generation through various creative and educational content through Instagram.

Modifiable Factors Associated with Social Media Addiction: Gratifications Sought, Social Media Realism, and Social Network Characteristics

Addictive use of social media may engender negative outcomes. This study investigated modifiable factors associated with social media addiction (SMA). These factors were gratifications sought with social media use, perceived social media realism, and social media network characteristics. Data were from a survey of U.S. adults. The linkage between socialization gratification and social media addiction was weaker when people perceived social media content as being less real. Surveillance and socialization gratifications sought predicted social media addiction indirectly through people’s social network structures on social media. Implications for future interventions addressing social media addiction are discussed.

Uses and Gratifications Sought From Mobile Phones and Loneliness Among Japanese Midlife and Older Adults: A Mediation Analysis.

Background and ObjectivesMobile phone use is increasing among older adults, yet few studies have examined how the various purposes for which mobile phones are used affect loneliness and through what mechanisms. This study aims to address the gap by examining if different uses and gratifications of mobile phone are associated with loneliness and whether there is a mediation effect through face-to-face social interaction.Research Design and MethodsParticipants included 1,318 mobile phone users drawn from a national probability sample of Japanese middle-aged (65% aged 40–64 years) and older adults (35% aged 65 years or older) in 2011. Ordinary Least Squares regression and mediation analyses were used.ResultsRegression analyses revealed that using a mobile phone for sociability purposes was associated with decreased loneliness (b = −0.10, p < .001), while using it for the purposes of entertainment/passing time was associated with increased loneliness (b = 0.04, p < .01); some effects varied by age and mobile phone feature use. Further, sociability was associated with increased face-to-face social interaction, which was, in turn, associated with reduced loneliness. Passing time, however, was related to reduced face-to-face interaction and, in turn, an increased sense of loneliness.Discussion and ImplicationsAlthough it is not possible to determine causality from this cross-sectional design, it is possible that the various purposes for which mobile phones are used (specifically sociability and passing time) partially affect loneliness through their effects on either increasing or decreasing face-to-face social interaction. Recommendations for enhancing positive and reducing negative effects of mobile phone usage are discussed.

The role of regulatory focus in decision making of mobile app download: A study of Chinese college students

This paper aims to map out college consumers’ decision making process in mobile application download. Regulatory focus (RF) is examined as an important factor affecting gratifications sought (GS) and information processing (IP), app selection style and the ultimate mobile app download behavior. Results show that RF has effects on hedonic GS, and heuristic IP and systematic IP. Hedonic GS positively predicts equally both heuristic processing and systematic processing. Both heuristic processing and systematic processing predict selection style. Although selection style does not affect download app type diversity, impulsive style consumers are more likely to download the app. The study also shows college consumers in general have high likelihood in downloading an app after they considered it. Hedonic GS mediates the relation between RF and both heuristic processing and systematic processing. Systematic processing mediates hedonic GS and selection style. Hence mobile app download decision involves both heuristic and systematic processing.

Use and Gratifications of Singing Competition Reality Shows: Linking Narcissism and Gratifications Sought with the Multimedia Viewing of Chinese Audiences

Singing competition reality shows have gradually come to dominate the mainland Chinese TV program market. This study explores the gratifications that Chinese audiences seek from watching such shows. An analysis first reveals that the most salient gratifications sought are ambition, suspense, social interaction, and high production quality. Second, narcissism significantly enhances the gratifications that audiences seek in viewing such shows. Third, individuals’ preferences in terms of their ambitions and quality of productions are significantly associated with their choice of media platforms. Finally, social interaction gratification sought and a preference for high-production quality were found to be highly related to Chinese audiences’ viewing and postviewing activities. We found support for these propositions in data collected from a probability sample of 559 respondents. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Understanding the effect of the discrepancy between sought and obtained gratification on social networking site users' satisfaction and continuance intention

The primary purpose of this study was to explore whether the discrepancy between gratifications obtained (GO) and gratifications sought (GS) from social networking sites (SNSs) affected users' satisfaction and continuance intention. The study was guided by the uses and gratifications theory along with the functional approach. It examined the role of SNS use habits in predicting an underlying psychological process that helped initiate and maintain SNS use. Data were collected via a diary survey; responses were collected from 265 adults. A path model revealed that socialization, social support, and entertainment GO-GS discrepancies had significant impacts on satisfaction with SNS use. Satisfaction with SNS use had a significant impact on SNS continuance intention. A multi-group comparison showed that media use habits negatively moderated the effect of GO-GS discrepancy on satisfaction. In the low-habit group, socialization, convenience, social support, information, entertainment, and escapism GO-GS discrepancies had significant positive impacts on satisfaction; in the high-habit group, only socialization, social support, and entertainment GO-GS discrepancies had significant positive impacts on satisfaction. The relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention significantly decreased in the high-habit group, indicating the negatively moderating role of habitual SNS use. The study highlights the importance of habitual SNS use in the achievement of SNS user retention.

Professional Team Sport and Twitter: Gratifications Sought and Obtained by Followers

Without exception, all professional sport teams in North America use social media to communicate with fans. Sport communication professionals use Twitter as one of the strategic tools of engagement, yet there remains a lack of understanding about how users are motivated and gratified in their Twitter use. Drawing on a specific sample from the Twitter followers of the Canadian Football League, the researchers used semistructured in-depth interviews, content analysis, and an online survey to seek an understanding of what motivates and satisfies Twitter followers of professional sport teams, measured through the gratifications sought and the fulfillment of these motives through the perceived gratifications obtained. The results add to the sport communications literature by finding 4 primary gratifications sought by Twitter users: interaction, promotion, live game updates, and news. Professional sport teams can improve strategic fan engagement by better understanding how Twitter followers use and seek gratification in the social-media experience.

Effects of Narcissism, Leisure Boredom, and Gratifications Sought on User-Generated Content Among Net-Generation Users

This research identifies the gratifications sought by the Net-generation when producing user-generated content (UGC) on the internet. Members of the Net-generation want to vent negative feelings, show affection to their friends and relatives, be involved in others’ lives, and fulfill their need to be recognized. These gratifications, to a large degree, were found to be significantly associated with the users’ various levels of participation in UGC (e.g., Facebook, blogs, online forums, etc.). What’s more, narcissism was predictive of content generation in social networking sites, blogs, and personal webpages, while leisure boredom was significantly linked to expressing views in forums, updating personal websites, and participating in consumer reviews. In particular, the results showed that Net-geners who encountered leisure boredom had a higher tendency to seek interaction with friends online. Implications of findings are discussed.

Young people's use of online social networking sites – a uses and gratifications perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore why young people use and participate in social networking sites (SNSs) with specific reference to Bebo.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach is employed in this paper with a view to exploring the uses and gratifications (U and G) that girls aged 12‐14 years, both seek and obtain from the Bebo SNS. The research is conducted in a school setting in Ireland.FindingsThe findings indicate that the participants are actively using Bebo for their own personal motives and gratifications in terms of presenting and managing a certain identity and persona in a social context. Furthermore, the relatively impersonal nature of the online environment is seen to especially facilitate the young participants in negotiating the practicalities and difficulties that can arise offline, in terms of forging identities and managing relationships.Originality/valueU and G theory has attracted criticism in terms of a perceived limitation that it only serves to offer lists of reasons as to why audiences attend to the media, and furthermore, a perception that much of the extant U and G research has desisted from discerning between gratifications sought (GS) and gratifications obtained (GO). This paper affirms the appropriateness of the U and G theoretical approach in the context of online research. The authors conclude that SNS such as Bebo facilitate the participants in this paper in executing personal aims (for example, identity creation and management) with a view to obtaining certain gratifications (for example, peer acceptance). Therefore, a clear distinction but inextricable link is demonstrated between the GS and GO from participating in SNS.

Power and nerves of steel or thrill of adventure and patience? An empirical study on the use of different video game genres

This empirical study focuses on explaining the utilization of three video game genres first person shooters, strategy games and role-playing games and on whether different explanatory models can be established for the three genres. A model comprising the three explanatory components, gratifications sought (GS), gratifications obtained (GO) and subjective restrictions or capacities, operationalized by the skills that players have to have for the specific genres, serves as a theoretical basis. Data was collected by way of an online survey (N = 5,257). The results show that GO and the capacities are particularly suited to explaining the use of video games. While GO generally seem to offer a basis for explaining the use of video games, since the dimensions power and competition and thrill of adventure do influence the use of all three genres, there were considerable differences between the individual genres in terms of capacities. Gamers who have a high stress threshold and quick reactions, as well as a good sense of direction, tend to prefer first person shooters. The use of strategy games may be explained in terms of skills like logic and strategic thought. On the other hand, patient gamers prefer role-playing games. The explanatory power of GS, however, proves to be extremely low. Based on these results, approaches are discussed for further research in this field.

GRATIFICATIONS SOUGHT AND OBTAINED IN PROGRAM DEPENDENCY

This study examined the role of gratifications sought (GS) and gratifications obtained (GO) in predicting dependency on network evening news programs and 60 Minutes. Correlational analyses for both network news programs and 60 Minutes showed GS to be most strongly correlated to corresponding GO and less strongly correlated to noncorresponding GO. For both network news programs and 60 Minutes, paired group t-tests showed that mean GS levels were lower than the mean GO levels for all corresponding gratification items except for two surveillance items. Considerable promise for an additive transactional model was seen in the hierarchical multiple regression analyses which showed the added influence of GO in predicting dependency on network news programs and 60 Minutes after the ordered effects of demographic variables, habitual media use, and GS had been controlled for.

Evaluating Media Performance by Gratifications Sought and Received

Evaluating Media Performance by Gratifications Sought and Received

Relations Between Gratifications Sought and Obtained

This study investigated the relationship between gratifications sought (GS) from television news and gratifications obtained (GO) from network evening news programs Each GS correlated moderately to strongly with its corre sponding GO for the respondent's most-watched program. Correlations between each GS and noncorresponding GOs were generally much lower. In addition, the degree of dependence on a particular program was posi tively related to the strength of the GS versus GO relationship. The differ ences in the GS and GO factor structures appear attributable to medium and program content characteristics. The findings indicate considerable promise for a sought versus obtained conceptualization of uses and gratifi cations.