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Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa

Year 2014, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 53 - 72, 01.03.2014

Abstract

Drawing from the Uses and Gratifications Theory, this study examined the Gratification Sought and the Gratification Obtained from using Social Networking Sites among Iranian, Malaysian, British, and South African higher education students. This comparison allowed to drawing conclusions about how social networking sites fulfill users’ needs with different cultures. Data were collected through a quantitative study applying online and paper- based questionnaire carried out in 2013, using a representative sample (N=320). Findings showed differences in students’ motivation to join to and to use of social network sites in each country. Interestingly, the researchers found that cultural differences may determine the uses and gratifications of social networking sites.

References

  • Acquisti, A. & Gross, R. (2006). Imagined communities awareness, information sharing, and privacy on the Facebook. Retrieved on 14 May 2013 from http://petworkshop.org/ 2006/preproc/preproc_03.pdf
  • Ancu, M. & Cozma, R. (2009). Myspace politics: Uses and gratifications of befriending candidates. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(4), 567-583.
  • Boyd, D. (2006, December). Friends, Friendsters, and MySpace top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites. Retrieved on 14 May 2013 from http://131.193.153.231/ www/issues/issue11_12/boyd/index.html
  • Boyd, D. & Heer, J. (2006). Profiles as conversation: Networked identity performance on Friendster. Proceedings of the Hawaii international conference on system sciences (HICSS-39). Kauai, HI.
  • Boyd, D. M & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230.
  • Brandtzæg, P. B. & Heim, J. (2009). Why people use social networking sites. In A. A. Ozok & P. Zaphiris (Eds.), Online communities and social computing (pp. 143-152). Berlin: Springer.
  • Cho, J., De Zuniga, H. G., Sueng, A., Nhumane, A., Hyunseo, H., & Rojas, H. (2003). Beyond access: Digital divide, Internet use and gratifications gained. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association. Marriott Hotel, San Diego, CA.
  • Choi, Y., Kim, J., & McMillan, S. (2009). Motivators for the intention to use mobile TV. International Journal of Advertising, 28(1), 147-167.
  • Clark, N., Lee, S., & Boyer, L. (2007). A place of their own: An exploratory study of college students' uses of Facebook. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association. San Francisco, CA.
  • Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & de Zuniga, H. G. (2010). Who interacts on the web? The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(1), 247-253.
  • DiMicco, J.M., Millen, D.R., Geyer, W., Dugan, C., Brownholtz, B., & Muller, M. (2008). Motivations for social networking at work. Paper presented at the ACM conference on computer supported cooperative work. San Diego, CA.
  • Ding, H. & Zhang, J. (2010). Social media and participatory risk communicationduring the H1N1 flu epidemic: A comparative study of the United States and China. China Media Research, 6(4), 80-91.
  • Eighmey, J. & McCord, L. (1998). Adding value in the information age: Uses and gratifications of sites on the world wide web. Journal of Business Research, 41, 187-194.
  • Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook ‘‘friends’’: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168.
  • Fahr, A. & Boecking, T. (2005). Programmed escape? Avoidance processes in TV -program choices. Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p13345 _index.html
  • Flanagin, A. J. (2005). IM online: Instant messaging use among college students. Communication Research Reports, 22(3), 175-187.
  • Gallion, A . J. (2010). Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Social Networking Sites:A Review of Related Literature. Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.academia. edu/1077670/Applying_the_Uses_and_Gratifications_Theory_to_Social_Networking_Sit es_A_Review_of_Related_Literature
  • Haridakis, P. & Hanson, G. (2009). Social interaction and co-viewing with YouTube: Blending mass communication receptions and social connection. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(2), 317-335.
  • Hausman, A. & Siekpe, J. (2009). The effect of web interface features on consumer online purchase intentions. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 5-13.
  • Herzog, H. (1944). What do we really know about day-time serial listeners? In P. Lazarsfeld & F. Stanton (Eds.), Radio research 1942-1943. New York: Duel, Sloan and Pearce.
  • Joinson, A. (2008). Looking up, looking at or keeping up with people? Motives and use of Facebook. Paper presented at the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. New York.
  • Kang, Y. S. & Lee, H. (2010). Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 353-364.
  • Katerattanakul, P. (2002). Framework of effective website design for business-to-consumer internet commerce, INFOR, 40(1), 57-69.
  • Katz, E., Gurevitch, M., & Hass, H. (1973). On the use of mass media for important things. American Sociological Review, 38, 164-181.
  • Katz, E., Blumer, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research (pp. 19-34). London: SAGE.
  • Kaye, B. & Johnson, T. (2002). Online and in the know: Uses and gratifications of the Web for political information. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46(1), 54.
  • Kink, N. & Hess, T. (2008). Search engines as substitutes for traditional information sources? An investigation oaf media choice. Information Society, 24(1), 18-29.
  • Lampe, C. Ellison, N., & Steinfield, C. (2006). A Face(book) in the crowd: Social searching vs. social browsing. Paper presented at the 20th anniversary conference on computer supported cooperative work. New York.
  • LaRose, R. & Eastin, M. S. (2004). A social cognitive theory of internet uses and gratifications: Toward a new model of media attendance. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(3), 358-377.
  • LaRose, R., Mastro, D., & Eastin, M. S. (2001). Understanding Inter-net usage: A social-cognitive approach to uses and gratifications. Social Science Review, 19, 395-413.
  • Leung, L. (2001). College student motives for chatting on ICQ. New Media & Society, 3(483- 500).
  • Lipsman, A. . (2007). Social networking goes global. Retrieved on 27 May 2013 from http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1555
  • Luo, X. (2002). Uses and gratifications theory and e-consumer behaviors: A structural equation modeling study. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2(2). Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://jiad.org/article22.html
  • McGuire, J. (1974). Psychological motives and communication gratification. In J. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • McQuail, D. & Windahl, S. (1993). Communication models for the study of mass communication. London: Longman.
  • Palmer, N., Batola, J., Jones, M., & Baron, S. (2008). Social networking sites within higher education: Threat or opportunity? Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.engsc. ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/ee2008/p038-palmer.pdf
  • Palmgreen, P. & Rayburn, J. D. (1979). Uses and gratifications and exposure to public television: A discrepancy approach. Communication Research, 6, 155-180.
  • Papacharissi, Z. & Rubin, A. M. (2000). Predictors of Internet use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44, 175-196.
  • Park, N. Kee, K., & Valenzuela, S. (2009). Being immersed in social networking environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications, and social outcomes. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 729-733.
  • Pempek, T., Yermolayeva, Y., & Calvert, S. (2009). College students' social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(3), 227-238.
  • Quan-Haase, A. & Young, A. (2010). Uses and gratifications of social media: A comparison of Facebook and instant messaging. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(5), 350 - 361.
  • Raacke, J. & Bonds-Raacke, J. (2008). MySpace and Facebook: Applying the uses and gratifications theory to exploring friend -networking sites. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 11(2), 169-174.
  • Reich, S. M., Subrahmanyam, K., & Espinoza, G. (2012). Friending, IMing, and hanging out face- to-face: Overlap in adolescents’offline and online social networks. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 356-368.
  • Ruggiero, T. (2000). Uses and gratification theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37.
  • Santos, I., Hammond, M., Durli, Z., & Chou, S.-Y. (2009). Is there a role for social networking sites in education? In A. Tatnall & A. Jones (Eds.), Education and technology for a better world (pp. 321-330). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Sheldon, P. (2008). The relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and students’ Facebook use. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(2), 67-75.
  • Stassen, W. (2010). Your news in 140 characters: Exploring the role of social media in journalism. Global Media Journal, 4(1), 1-16.
  • Subrahmanyam, K., Reich, S. M., Waechter, N., & Espinoza, G. (2008). Online and offline social networks: Use of social networking sites by emerging adults. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 420-433.
  • Tosun, L. P. (2012). Motives for Facebook use and expressing ‘‘true self’’ on the Internet. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1510-1517.
  • Tufekci, Z. & Spence, K. (2007). Online social network sites: A gendered inflection point in the increasingly social web? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. New York. Retrieved on 29 may 2013 from http://www. allacademic.com/meta/p182984_index.htm
  • Wang, Q., Fink, E., & Cai, D. (2008). Loneliness, gender, and parasocial interaction: A uses and gratifications approach. Communication Quarterly, 56(1), 87-109.
  • Weiser, E. B. (2001). The functions of Internet use and their social and psychological consequences. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 4(6), 723-742.
  • Correspondence: Rouhollah Khodabandelou, Department of Foundation Education, Faculty of
  • Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Year 2014, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 53 - 72, 01.03.2014

Abstract

References

  • Acquisti, A. & Gross, R. (2006). Imagined communities awareness, information sharing, and privacy on the Facebook. Retrieved on 14 May 2013 from http://petworkshop.org/ 2006/preproc/preproc_03.pdf
  • Ancu, M. & Cozma, R. (2009). Myspace politics: Uses and gratifications of befriending candidates. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(4), 567-583.
  • Boyd, D. (2006, December). Friends, Friendsters, and MySpace top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites. Retrieved on 14 May 2013 from http://131.193.153.231/ www/issues/issue11_12/boyd/index.html
  • Boyd, D. & Heer, J. (2006). Profiles as conversation: Networked identity performance on Friendster. Proceedings of the Hawaii international conference on system sciences (HICSS-39). Kauai, HI.
  • Boyd, D. M & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230.
  • Brandtzæg, P. B. & Heim, J. (2009). Why people use social networking sites. In A. A. Ozok & P. Zaphiris (Eds.), Online communities and social computing (pp. 143-152). Berlin: Springer.
  • Cho, J., De Zuniga, H. G., Sueng, A., Nhumane, A., Hyunseo, H., & Rojas, H. (2003). Beyond access: Digital divide, Internet use and gratifications gained. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association. Marriott Hotel, San Diego, CA.
  • Choi, Y., Kim, J., & McMillan, S. (2009). Motivators for the intention to use mobile TV. International Journal of Advertising, 28(1), 147-167.
  • Clark, N., Lee, S., & Boyer, L. (2007). A place of their own: An exploratory study of college students' uses of Facebook. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association. San Francisco, CA.
  • Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & de Zuniga, H. G. (2010). Who interacts on the web? The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(1), 247-253.
  • DiMicco, J.M., Millen, D.R., Geyer, W., Dugan, C., Brownholtz, B., & Muller, M. (2008). Motivations for social networking at work. Paper presented at the ACM conference on computer supported cooperative work. San Diego, CA.
  • Ding, H. & Zhang, J. (2010). Social media and participatory risk communicationduring the H1N1 flu epidemic: A comparative study of the United States and China. China Media Research, 6(4), 80-91.
  • Eighmey, J. & McCord, L. (1998). Adding value in the information age: Uses and gratifications of sites on the world wide web. Journal of Business Research, 41, 187-194.
  • Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook ‘‘friends’’: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168.
  • Fahr, A. & Boecking, T. (2005). Programmed escape? Avoidance processes in TV -program choices. Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p13345 _index.html
  • Flanagin, A. J. (2005). IM online: Instant messaging use among college students. Communication Research Reports, 22(3), 175-187.
  • Gallion, A . J. (2010). Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Social Networking Sites:A Review of Related Literature. Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.academia. edu/1077670/Applying_the_Uses_and_Gratifications_Theory_to_Social_Networking_Sit es_A_Review_of_Related_Literature
  • Haridakis, P. & Hanson, G. (2009). Social interaction and co-viewing with YouTube: Blending mass communication receptions and social connection. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(2), 317-335.
  • Hausman, A. & Siekpe, J. (2009). The effect of web interface features on consumer online purchase intentions. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 5-13.
  • Herzog, H. (1944). What do we really know about day-time serial listeners? In P. Lazarsfeld & F. Stanton (Eds.), Radio research 1942-1943. New York: Duel, Sloan and Pearce.
  • Joinson, A. (2008). Looking up, looking at or keeping up with people? Motives and use of Facebook. Paper presented at the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. New York.
  • Kang, Y. S. & Lee, H. (2010). Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 353-364.
  • Katerattanakul, P. (2002). Framework of effective website design for business-to-consumer internet commerce, INFOR, 40(1), 57-69.
  • Katz, E., Gurevitch, M., & Hass, H. (1973). On the use of mass media for important things. American Sociological Review, 38, 164-181.
  • Katz, E., Blumer, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research (pp. 19-34). London: SAGE.
  • Kaye, B. & Johnson, T. (2002). Online and in the know: Uses and gratifications of the Web for political information. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46(1), 54.
  • Kink, N. & Hess, T. (2008). Search engines as substitutes for traditional information sources? An investigation oaf media choice. Information Society, 24(1), 18-29.
  • Lampe, C. Ellison, N., & Steinfield, C. (2006). A Face(book) in the crowd: Social searching vs. social browsing. Paper presented at the 20th anniversary conference on computer supported cooperative work. New York.
  • LaRose, R. & Eastin, M. S. (2004). A social cognitive theory of internet uses and gratifications: Toward a new model of media attendance. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48(3), 358-377.
  • LaRose, R., Mastro, D., & Eastin, M. S. (2001). Understanding Inter-net usage: A social-cognitive approach to uses and gratifications. Social Science Review, 19, 395-413.
  • Leung, L. (2001). College student motives for chatting on ICQ. New Media & Society, 3(483- 500).
  • Lipsman, A. . (2007). Social networking goes global. Retrieved on 27 May 2013 from http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1555
  • Luo, X. (2002). Uses and gratifications theory and e-consumer behaviors: A structural equation modeling study. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2(2). Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://jiad.org/article22.html
  • McGuire, J. (1974). Psychological motives and communication gratification. In J. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
  • McQuail, D. & Windahl, S. (1993). Communication models for the study of mass communication. London: Longman.
  • Palmer, N., Batola, J., Jones, M., & Baron, S. (2008). Social networking sites within higher education: Threat or opportunity? Retrieved on 29 May 2013 from http://www.engsc. ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/ee2008/p038-palmer.pdf
  • Palmgreen, P. & Rayburn, J. D. (1979). Uses and gratifications and exposure to public television: A discrepancy approach. Communication Research, 6, 155-180.
  • Papacharissi, Z. & Rubin, A. M. (2000). Predictors of Internet use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44, 175-196.
  • Park, N. Kee, K., & Valenzuela, S. (2009). Being immersed in social networking environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications, and social outcomes. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 729-733.
  • Pempek, T., Yermolayeva, Y., & Calvert, S. (2009). College students' social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(3), 227-238.
  • Quan-Haase, A. & Young, A. (2010). Uses and gratifications of social media: A comparison of Facebook and instant messaging. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(5), 350 - 361.
  • Raacke, J. & Bonds-Raacke, J. (2008). MySpace and Facebook: Applying the uses and gratifications theory to exploring friend -networking sites. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 11(2), 169-174.
  • Reich, S. M., Subrahmanyam, K., & Espinoza, G. (2012). Friending, IMing, and hanging out face- to-face: Overlap in adolescents’offline and online social networks. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 356-368.
  • Ruggiero, T. (2000). Uses and gratification theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37.
  • Santos, I., Hammond, M., Durli, Z., & Chou, S.-Y. (2009). Is there a role for social networking sites in education? In A. Tatnall & A. Jones (Eds.), Education and technology for a better world (pp. 321-330). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Sheldon, P. (2008). The relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and students’ Facebook use. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(2), 67-75.
  • Stassen, W. (2010). Your news in 140 characters: Exploring the role of social media in journalism. Global Media Journal, 4(1), 1-16.
  • Subrahmanyam, K., Reich, S. M., Waechter, N., & Espinoza, G. (2008). Online and offline social networks: Use of social networking sites by emerging adults. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 420-433.
  • Tosun, L. P. (2012). Motives for Facebook use and expressing ‘‘true self’’ on the Internet. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1510-1517.
  • Tufekci, Z. & Spence, K. (2007). Online social network sites: A gendered inflection point in the increasingly social web? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. New York. Retrieved on 29 may 2013 from http://www. allacademic.com/meta/p182984_index.htm
  • Wang, Q., Fink, E., & Cai, D. (2008). Loneliness, gender, and parasocial interaction: A uses and gratifications approach. Communication Quarterly, 56(1), 87-109.
  • Weiser, E. B. (2001). The functions of Internet use and their social and psychological consequences. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 4(6), 723-742.
  • Correspondence: Rouhollah Khodabandelou, Department of Foundation Education, Faculty of
  • Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
There are 54 citations in total.

Details

Other ID JA83ER99SE
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Leila Karimi This is me

Rouhollah Khodabandelou This is me

Maryam Ehsani This is me

Muhammad Ahmad This is me

Publication Date March 1, 2014
Published in Issue Year 2014 Volume: 5 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Karimi, L., Khodabandelou, R., Ehsani, M., Ahmad, M. (2014). Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa. Contemporary Educational Technology, 5(1), 53-72.
AMA Karimi L, Khodabandelou R, Ehsani M, Ahmad M. Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa. Contemporary Educational Technology. March 2014;5(1):53-72.
Chicago Karimi, Leila, Rouhollah Khodabandelou, Maryam Ehsani, and Muhammad Ahmad. “Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa”. Contemporary Educational Technology 5, no. 1 (March 2014): 53-72.
EndNote Karimi L, Khodabandelou R, Ehsani M, Ahmad M (March 1, 2014) Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa. Contemporary Educational Technology 5 1 53–72.
IEEE L. Karimi, R. Khodabandelou, M. Ehsani, and M. Ahmad, “Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa”, Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 53–72, 2014.
ISNAD Karimi, Leila et al. “Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa”. Contemporary Educational Technology 5/1 (March 2014), 53-72.
JAMA Karimi L, Khodabandelou R, Ehsani M, Ahmad M. Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa. Contemporary Educational Technology. 2014;5:53–72.
MLA Karimi, Leila et al. “Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa”. Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 5, no. 1, 2014, pp. 53-72.
Vancouver Karimi L, Khodabandelou R, Ehsani M, Ahmad M. Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Compare Higher Education Students’ Motivation for Using Social Networking Sites: Experiences from Iran, Malaysia, United Kingdom, and South Africa. Contemporary Educational Technology. 2014;5(1):53-72.