Uses and Grats 2.0: New Gratifications for New Media

S. Shyam Sundar, Anthony M. Limperos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

632 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article responds to recent calls for conceptual and methodological refinement, issued by uses-and-gratifications scholars (Rubin, 2009; Ruggiero, 2000), for studying emergent media. Noting that studies on the uses of the Internet have generated a list of gratifications that are remarkably similar to those obtained from older media, it identifies two measurement artifacts-(1) measures designed for older media are used to capture gratifications from newer media; and (2) gratifications are conceptualized and operationalized too broadly (e.g., information-seeking), thus missing the nuanced gratifications obtained from newer media. It challenges the notion that all gratifications are borne out of innate needs, and proposes that affordances of media technology can shape user needs, giving rise to new and distinctive gratifications. A sample of new gratifications and potential measures for those are provided.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)504-525
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Volume57
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Communication

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