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Facebook and Motives For Its Use
Facebook and Motives For Its Use
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(2001) suggested that, with the widespread use of CMC, we need a better understanding of personal and social attributes that predict why people use computermediated communication (CMC) and the outcomes of CMC-related behavior.
CMC blurs traditional boundaries between interpersonal and mass communication, thus offering new opportunities for the way individuals relate to one
another (Parks and Floyd, 1996). Although some educational institutions have
raised their voices against Facebook, claiming that students may be addicted to
the site and spend too much time there, there is little research on who uses the
site, what brings people to Facebook, and what the outcome of their social networking is. What are user motives (gratifications sought) for using Facebook, how
do individual differences (age, gender, education) relate to motives for Facebook
use, and to what extent can motives and individual differences predict attitudinal
and behavioral outcomes of Facebook use? These are the questions this study is
designed to answer.
Uses and Gratifications Theory. Newhagen and Rafaeli (1996) suggested that
uses and gratification (U&G) theory might well be suited to study the Internet.
The theory explains how different people use the same media messages for different purposes to satisfy their psychological and social needs and achieve their
goals (Katz, 1959). According to uses and gratifications theory, audiences differ in
the gratifications they seek from the mass media. What needs and gratifications
people are looking for can be grouped into the following categories: diversion
(escape from problems; emotional release), personal relationship (social utility of
information in conversation; substitute of the media for companionship), personal identity (value reinforcement, self-understanding), and surveillance (McQuail, Blumler, and Brown, 1972). Later, researchers added a few more categories.
Generally, U&G theory focuses on motives for media use, factors that influence
motives, and outcomes from media-related behavior. Many studies conducted after 1972 showed that different motives are linked to different media preferences,
leading to different patterns of media exposure and use to different outcomes
(Haridakis and Rubin, 2003).
Ruggiero (2000) writes that new media like the Internet possess at least three
attributes not commonly associated with traditional media: interactivity, demassification, and asynchroneity. Dicken-Garcia (1998) said that the Internet places
stronger emphasis on interpersonal conversations than has been true of earlier
media. Users say electronically what they might never say in person, sometimes
taking on new personalities, ages, and genders. It more resembles word of mouth
than the sort of communication one usually sees in newspapers and television
(Dicken-Garcia, 1998). That is, many researchers see the Internet as a continuum
between mass and interpersonal communication (Ruggiero, 2000).
Uses and gratification theory has been criticized for focusing too narrowly
on the individual (Elliot, 1974) and not explaining why people use a certain medium, or how a certain gratification is provided by using the medium. Many central concepts such as audience needs, gratifications, and motives remain unclear
(Swanson, 1977). Scholars respond to those criticisms and are now measuring the
distinction between gratifications sought and gratifications obtained. Some uses
and gratifications studies have explored the relationship between gratifications
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sought and gratifications obtained (GS and GO) and media choice, extending
the research from description of gratifications to tests of the explanatory power
of these gratifications (Dobos, 1992). These studies found that GO are stronger
predictors of media exposure than GS.
Cyber communities. Coley (2006) differentiates among three types of cyber
communities. First, there are social networks such as Facebook and MySpace
where young people create their profiles with private information and then revealing that information to their cyber friends. The main purpose of social networks
is to make new friendships or to maintain those that already existed. The second
type of cyber community is a chat system, which includes instant messaging (IM).
The third type is blogs, personal websites with frequently updated observations,
news, commentaries, and recommended links (Coley, 2006).
Online social networks and Facebook. Online social networks encompass online dating sites, as well as popular social networking websites such as MySpace,
Xanga, Live Journal, and Facebook. The difference between chat rooms and social
networking sites is that the majority of communication in online social networks
takes place asynchronously and within the network of friends that the user has
established. Facebook.com is a social networking website which, according to
nonacademic sources, allows people who use it several advantages. It allows users to stay in touch with old friends and those at other schools, to make new
friends, to join groups that fit their interests, advertise their parties, check how
many personal messages/wall posts they received from their friends, and see other
peoples pictures and new features that Facebook continually adds. Many search
for new people who have recently joined Facebook and whom they might know
or want to meet. Another reason is that students are already online, and checking
Facebook is a routine online behavior. Coley (2006) asserts that most students use
Facebook for fun, to organize parties, and to find dates. They like the opportunity
to find others with similar interests, students with whom they are in class, and
in using Facebook, they feel a sense of community and connectedness. In 2006,
Coley (2006) wrote that about 80 percent of colleges have Facebook, and 85 percent of students at those colleges have accounts. Sixty percent of them log on daily,
around six times a day. According to Coley, Facebook is the ninth most-visited
website, behind a similar online network called MySpace.com.
Facebook features include a profile, status, friends, photos, shares, events,
notes, groups, messages, an account setting, and a privacy setting. Facebook also
offers a possibility to find a person from your yahoo or hotmail address list that
has a Facebook account. A minimal Facebook profile only tells a users name, date
of joining, school, status, and e-mail address.
Withall (2005) best summarized the importance Facebook has for students:
Facebook.com has become our social Bible for definitive information on our
classmates, crushes and high school peers we have not spoken to in who-knowshow long.
Motives for Facebook use. To look at the motive for Facebook use, one has
to understand the history of research on traditional and new media. During the
last 15 years, researchers have developed different motivational scales for Internet
use. Most of the items they use came from the analyses of qualitative data, such
Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use
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as answers to open-ended questions, essays and diaries (Vettehen and Van Snippenburg, 2002). According to Morris and Ogan (1996), the Internet can fulfill
interpersonal and mediated needs. Except for interpersonal needs, Flaherty, Pearce,
and Rubin (1998) found that people use computers to satisfy needs traditionally fulfilled by media (i.e., social interaction, to pass time, habit, information,
and entertainment), and other needs (i.e., meeting people), which are fulfilled by
new media. Flanagin and Metzger (2001) included in mass media needs mediated
interpersonal needs such as feeling less lonely, relationship maintenance, problem
solving and persuasion. For Parker and Plank (2000), a relaxation and escape factor
predicted Internet usage. Papacharissi and Rubin (2000) found a social interaction
factor as the only one that predicted going online. Other researchers found that
the expectation of finding enjoyable activities online predicted the amount of consumption (LaRose, Mastro, and Eastin, 2001). Charney and Greenberg (2001)
described eight gratification factors for the Internet (to keep informed, diversion
and entertainment, peer identity, good feelings, communication, sights and sounds, career, and coolness). However, the assumptions of this study assert that certain Internet features, such as Facebook, may not be designed to fulfill all of those needs.
According to the uses and gratifications model, a persons social and psychological factors influence motives for communicating - their gratifications sought
and gratifications obtained. Research on media using patterns suggests that demographic variables influence motives and behaviors. Thus, females were found
to be more involved in online interpersonal relationships than men (Parks and
Floyd, 1996).
Behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of Facebook use. Parks and Floyd (1996)
found more developed personal relationships for those who posted more often
and who had been posting online for a longer time. Uses and gratification researchers have suggested conceptualizing and measuring gratifications in terms of
both gratifications sought and gratifications obtained from media use (Palmgreen
and Rayburn, 1985). Gratifications sought are defined as the audiences reasons
are for using Facebook. Gratifications obtained are defined as being those benefits
audiences believe they receive from the uses of Facebook or from their frequency
of using Facebook. In this study, we measure Facebook use as the frequency of
Facebook use and the duration of Facebook use (Rubin, 1983). We also measure
the frequency of updating ones Facebook profile. The measure of relationship development is operationalized as the number of friends people have on Facebook,
and the percentage of friends they have never met in person. This study measured
users satisfaction with Facebook gratifications. It also examined how much users
would miss the site if it suddenly disappeared.
Research Questions
The first research question addresses student motives (gratifications) for using Facebook. Based on the differences in demographics, the second research question examines how students individual differences (age, gender, and education)
relate to their motives (gratifications sought) for Facebook use. The third research
question considers to what extent gratifications of Facebook use and demographics predict attitudinal and behavioral outcomes on Facebook use. Attitudes and
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TABLE 1
Respondents Education Level
Education
Frequency (n)
Percent
173
100
5
92
56
17
3
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate
Total
2.8
51.7
31.5
9.6
4.4
behaviors are measured as the frequency of Facebook use, duration of use, the
number of Facebook friends, the number of people never met in person, satisfaction with Facebook, missing the Facebook.
Method
Sample and procedure. To address these questions, a survey of 172 students
was conducted at a large southern research university. The survey sample consisted
of students enrolled in two large communication classes. Ninety-three percent
(n=172) of students had a Facebook account and seven percent (n=12) did not
have the account. This number is larger than Coley (2006) found. Of those who
had an account, 43 percent (n = 74) were male and 57 percent (n = 98) were
female. The average age of respondents was 20 (M = 19.92, SD = 1.23). Most
respondents were sophomores (52 percent) and business majors (see Table 1 and
2).
Measurement. The survey asked participants to complete the questionnaire
regarding their Facebook usage. Participation was voluntary, but students received
credit if they completed the survey. Overall, they spent approximately five to seven
minutes on the survey. Students who never had a Facebook account were excluded
for the analysis.
Demographics. Respondents indicated whether they were male or female and
were coded dichotomously. Respondents were also asked their age. They were
asked their educational level (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and other) and
their field of study.
TABLE 2
Participants Field of Study
Majors
Finance/Business
Communication Studies
Kinesiology
Psychology
Mass Communication
General Studies
Interior Design
Human Ecology
Other
Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use
Percent
25.2
5.8
4
3.4
3.4
2.8
2.8
2.8
48.8
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TABLE 3
Motives for Facebook Use: Primary Factor Loadings
Loading Eigenvalue Variance
Factor 1: Relationship Maintenance
To send a message to a friend
To post a message on my friends wall
To communicate with my friends
To stay in touch with friends
Get in touch with people I know
Get through to someone who is hard to reach
Factor 2: Passing Time
To pass time when bored
It is one of the routine things I do when online
To occupy my time
To check my wall after I receive an e-mail from Facebook
Factor 3: Virtual community
Develop a romantic relationship
Find more interesting people than in real life
Find companionship
Meet new friends
To feel less lonely
Factor 4: Entertainment
To see other peoples pictures
It is entertaining
To read other peoples prole
To enjoy it
To see which of the people I know that joined the Facebook
Factor 5: Coolness
It makes me cool among my peers
Have fun
It is cool
Factor 6: Companionship
To feel less lonely
No one to talk or be with
So I wont be alone
.74
.70
.83
10.73
31
.90
3.94
11.2
.83
1.84
5.2
.80
1.62
4.6
.84
1.48
4.2
.76
1.41
4 .76
.78
.72
.58
.67
.61
.74
.74
.77
.70
.86
.65
.52
.59
.56
.67
.61
.62
.76
.66
.60
.51
.75
.83
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TABLE 4
Internet Motives Scale
I use the Facebook for the following reasons
Factor 1: Relationship Maintenance
To send a message to a friend
To post a message on my friends wall
To communicate with my friends
To stay in touch with friends
Get in touch with people I know
Get through to someone who is hard to reach
Factor 2: Passing Time
To pass time when bored
It is one of the routine things I do when online
To occupy my time
To check my wall after I receive an e-mail from Facebook
Factor 3: Virtual community
Develop a romantic relationship
Find more interesting people than in real life
Find companionship
Meet new friends
To feel less lonely
Factor 4: Entertainment
To see other peoples pictures
It is entertaining
To read other peoples prole
To enjoy it
To see which of the people I know that joined the Facebook
Factor 5: Coolness
It makes me cool among my peers
Have fun
It is cool
Factor 6: Companionship
To feel less lonely
No one to talk or be with
So I wont be alone
SD
3.62
3.61
3.84
3.92
3.49
3.37
1.19
1.31
1.22
1.22
1.19
1.31
4.10
4.04
3.52
3.85
1.07
1.24
1.33
1.29
1.15
1.22
1.18
1.60
.51
.58
.49
.87
3.67
3.58
3.05
3.61
2.25
1.18
1.21
1.24
1.19
1.15
1.52
2.62
2.22
1.12
1.23
1.22
1.28
1.50
1.26
.57
.92
.64
total variance. The motive is particularly salient to the Internet (Flaherty, Pearce,
and Rubin, 1998).
Factor 3, virtual community (eigenvalue = 1.83) consisted of five items (e.g.
To feel less lonely, To meet new friends) and explained 5.2 percent of the total
variance. This factor, as opposed to maintaining relationships with existing acquaintances, emphasized communication with people met through the Internet.
It was named virtual community following Song et al. (2004) term.
Factor 4, entertainment (eigenvalue = 1.62) consisted of five items (e.g. To
read other peoples profiles, It is entertaining) and explained 4.6 percent of the
total variance. However, the factor had a high mean score, suggesting entertainment as a strong gratification sought in Facebook use.
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TABLE 5
Multiple Regressions: Facebook Motives and Demographics
Relationship maintenance
Passing time
Virtual community
Entertainment
Coolness
Companionship
Gender
(Female=1)
Age
Education
Adjusted R
.63**
.40*
-.40*
.42**
-.02
-.14
-.16*
-.18*
-.08
-.04
-.08
-.05
-.08
.38*
-.06
.01
.01
-.16
.16
.08
.03
.04
.00
.00
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49
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Swanson, D. L. (1977). The uses and misuses of uses and gratifications. Human
Communication Research, 3, 214-228.
Tewksbury, D., & Althaus, S. L. (2000). An examination of motivations for using
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Vettehen, P. G. H., & Van Snippenburg, L. B. (2002). Measuring motivations for
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Withall, R. (18 November 2005). Facing the facts about Facebook. The Villanovan.
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