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A survey with 172 students was conducted at Louisiana State University to see
what students’ motives are for using the Facebook, how individual differences relate
to motives for Facebook use, and to what extent motives and individual differences
can predict attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of Facebook use. In light of the uses
and gratification theory, the study found that people go to Facebook to fulfill needs
traditionally fulfilled by other media but for their interpersonal communication
needs first (relationship maintenance). Women were more likely to go to Facebook to
maintain existing relationships, pass time and be entertained. On the other hand,
men were more likely to go to Facebook to develop new relationships or meet new
people.
T
he range of communication media available to young people is rich, wide,
and likely to continue to increase in the future. As the number and vari-
ety of media have increased across U.S. households (Louie, 2003), many
questions about individuals’ media choice and use remain unanswered (Flanagin
and Metzger, 2001).
In 2006 about 88 percent of Americans age 12 through 29 went online.
Digital Natives is the name of the group that has grown up with Internet technol-
ogy. The Pew Internet Project (2006) found that the Internet’s major benefit is in
helping people tap into social networks. One of these networks is Facebook, an
Internet site created by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard undergraduate student, in
February 2004. Facebook’s primary purpose, according its homepage, is to “share
information with people you know, see what’s going on with your friends, and
look up people around you.” (Facebook.com, 2007)
As college students spend more time online than any generation before, it
is important to know what gratifications they seek and obtain from the new me-
dia. As LaRose and Eastin (2004) suggested, the definition of Internet usage is
too broad. So research in this area should distinguish Internet application (e.g.,
e-mail vs. online chat), functions or settings. Similarly, Papacharissi and Rubin
Pavica Sheldon, a doctoral student at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of
Mass Communication, won third place with this manuscript at the Southwest Sympo-
sium of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication
in October 2007.
Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use 39
(2001) suggested that, with the widespread use of CMC, we need a better under-
standing of personal and social attributes that predict why people use computer-
mediated communication (CMC) and the outcomes of CMC-related behavior.
CMC “blurs” traditional boundaries between interpersonal and mass commu-
nication, 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 net-
working 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 dif-
ferent 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), per-
sonal identity (value reinforcement, self-understanding), and surveillance (Mc-
Quail, 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 af-
ter 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, demas-
sification, 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 me-
dium, or how a certain gratification is provided by using the medium. Many cen-
tral 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
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, satisfac-
tion 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 Percent
Finance/Business 25.2
Communication Studies 5.8
Kinesiology 4
Psychology 3.4
Mass Communication 3.4
General Studies 2.8
Interior Design 2.8
Human Ecology 2.8
Other 48.8
Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use 43
Motives. A pool of gratification items was assembled from prior Internet
gratifications studies (Flaherty, Pearce, and Rubin, 1998; Papacharissi and Rubin,
2000; Flanagin and Metzger, 2001). However, items were edited for duplication
and redefined so that they fit Facebook users’ needs. In the questionnaire, respon-
dents were asked how much they use Facebook for the certain reasons. A 5-point
Likert Scale was used in rating 38 gratifications items, namely “5” (exactly) and
“1” (not at all). Factor analyses extracted factors related to gratifications of the
Internet. The factor analysis used a principal component solution and varimax
rotation to find variable groupings, and specified the retention of factors with
eigenvalues greater than 1.0. This resulted in final six factors accounted for 60
percent of the variance.
Facebook use and attitudes. To measure the frequency of Facebook use, re-
spondents were asked how many hours they spend on Facebook on an average
day and how often they log into their account. As a measure of duration of use,
respondents indicated when they opened their Facebook account. We then calcu-
lated the number of years and months they had used Facebook. Respondents were
also asked to determine how many Facebook friends they have. Facebook satisfac-
tion was measured with a single-item: “Overall, how satisfied are you with the job
the Facebook does in providing you with the things you are seeking?” Response
options ranged from extremely satisfied (5) to not at all satisfied (1). Similarly, re-
spondents were asked “If Facebook suddenly disappeared how much would you
miss it?” Response options ranged from miss a lot (5) to not miss at all (1).
Results
The goal of the study was to find out to what extent motives and individual
differences can predict attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of Facebook.
The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, multiple
regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). For all analyses, the
alpha level was set at .05.
According to the analysis, the average time of a Facebook account was 18
months. Students in this sample reported that, on an average, they spent 47 min-
utes a day on Facebook. Fifty-four percent of the respondents logged into the ac-
count several times per day. Twenty- seven percent logged in once per day. Overall,
81 percent of students logged into Facebook on a daily basis. This is 21 percent
more than Coley (2006) found.
The majority of students (50 percent) changed their profile every few months.
Nineteen percent changed their profile every day, and 19 percent 1 to 3 times per
week. The majority of students had between 200 and 350 Facebook friends.
Facebook motives. The first research question asked what motivates student
to use Facebook. The final factor analysis yielded six interpretable factors. Table 3
presents the results of factor analysis.
Factor 1 was labeled relationship maintenance (eigenvalue = 10.73). It con-
tained six items (e.g. “To send a message to a friend,” “To post a message on my
friend’s wall”) and accounted for 31 percent of the total variance after rotation.
This factor suggests that Facebook was used to maintain relationships with exist-
ing acquaintances. It was labeled relationship maintenance because it focused on
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 ac-
quaintances, 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 people’s profiles,” “It is entertaining”) and explained 4.6 percent of the
total variance. However, the factor had a high mean score, suggesting entertain-
ment as a strong gratification sought in Facebook use.
Factor 5, coolness (eigenvalue = 1.48) consisted of three items (e.g. “It is cool,”
and “Have fun”) and explained 4.2 percent of the total variance. It was named
“Internet motive” by Charney and Greenberg (2001).
Factor 6, companionship (eigenvalue = 1.41) consisted of three items (e.g. “To
feel less lonely,” “No one to talk or be with”), and explained 4 percent of the total
variance. It is connected with loneliness and regarded as one of mediated interper-
sonal technology needs (Flanagin and Metzger, 2001).
Passing time (M = 3.88, SD = 1.23) and relationship maintenance (M = 3.64,
SD = 1.24) factors had the highest mean scores. Entertainment (M = 3.23, SD =
1.19) was also a salient factor for using the Facebook. Less important reasons were
coolness (M = 2.12, SD = 1.19), companionship (M = 1.35, SD = .78), and virtual
community (M = 1.29, SD = 0.6) (Table 4). The internal consistency of each factor
was assessed. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .75 to .90 (Table 3).
Motives and antecedents. The second research question examined how stu-
dents’ individual differences relate to their gratifications sought in Facebook use.
Six stepwise multiple regressions were run with different motives identified by the
factor analysis and the demographic characteristics of age, gender, and educational
level (Table 5.)
Gender (β = .63**) and age (β = -.16*) were the significant predictors of
respondents’ motivations to go on Facebook to maintain their existing relationships.
Females and younger respondents went to Facebook for those reasons more than
males and older respondents. The variables explained 16.3 percent of variance
(F [3, 160] = 11.60, p < .01). Gender (β = .40*), age (β = -.18*), and education
(β = .38*) predicted passing time motives, with more females than males, and
more young people going to Facebook to pass time when bored. The variables
explained 8 percent of variance (F [3, 160] = 5.6, p < .001). Gender was the only
significant predictor of the use of Facebook to develop new relationships (“virtual
community”). This time male respondents (β = -.40*) went to Facebook to meet
new people, or to develop a romantic relationship more than female respondents
(adjusted R² = 0.03; F [2, 161] = 3.32, p <.05). Gender was the only significant
predictor of respondents’ going to Facebook for entertainment reasons (adjusted
R² = .04; F [2,161] = 3.56, p < .05). More females (β =.42**) than males went to
Facebook to be entertained and see other people’s profiles. Nothing significantly