Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging

TLDR

Users have adopted many digital communication technologies, yet it remains unclear why they use multiple forms instead of substituting one medium, raising questions about which needs each media fulfills. The study compares gratifications from Facebook and instant messaging to determine how different social media satisfy user needs. The authors conducted a multimethod study of 77 surveys and 21 interviews with undergraduate students to compare gratifications from Facebook and instant messaging. Factor analysis revealed six Facebook gratification dimensions—pastime, affection, fashion, share problems, sociability, and social information—while comparative analysis showed Facebook centers on fun and social activity awareness, whereas instant messaging focuses on relationship maintenance and development.

Abstract

Users have adopted a wide range of digital technologies into their communication repertoire. It remains unclear why they adopt multiple forms of communication instead of substituting one medium for another. It also raises the question: What type of need does each of these media fulfill? In the present article, the authors conduct comparative work that examines the gratifications obtained from Facebook with those from instant messaging. This comparison between media allows one to draw conclusions about how different social media fulfill user needs. Data were collected from undergraduate students through a multimethod study based on 77 surveys and 21 interviews. A factor analysis of gratifications obtained from Facebook revealed six key dimensions: pastime, affection, fashion, share problems, sociability, and social information. Comparative analysis showed that Facebook is about having fun and knowing about the social activities occurring in one’s social network, whereas instant messaging is geared more toward relationship maintenance and development. The authors discuss differences in the two technologies and outline a framework based on uses and gratifications theory as to why young people integrate numerous media into their communication habits.