The Theory Of Uses and Gratifications: Why Use Social Media?

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew why people use social media?  Well we can!

The theory of Uses and Gratifications is a theory that helps to explain this.   The theory seeks to explain why users "use" social media and what "gratification" they receive from using it.  It speculates that people use new media in order to satiate social or psychological needs.


For example, many users of Facebook have found this site as a Mecca for interpersonal relationships.  I can recall my first uses for Facebook were to find existing friends of mine as well as seek out older friends I had lost touch with. The gratification of my usage was the reconnection of friendships through a new medium.

This theory isn't just about Facebook though.  It can be used to discover the reasons why people decide to use any social media site.  Twitter, for example, has a variety of uses for its users to receive gratification. 

Specificity is important when looking into the uses for social media.  To say that someone is using social media for a broad use (e.g. to find friends) isn't enough.  It's better to find a precise usage, like if a person where to want to find pictures of dogs on Instagram; but not just any dog.  They want to find a "#crazydog" pic.

This theory can be useful when building the presence of a company on Social Media.  It helps tailor posts to the specific needs of your audience.  My capstone project, for instance, should use social media to target the uses for the intended audience of Brother's Pizza.

When a customer is browsing the internet to find a pizza place to eat, I have to think of what their uses could be.  "I want to find a pizza place where I can go watch a football game."  or "I'm looking for a place to hang out with my friends and eat some pizza." are some possible uses that my audiences may have.  It's my job to make sure those uses are gratified through Brother's social media and that users are likely to search and find Brother's in order to satisfy their needs they have.


Source:

Sundar, S. S., & Limperos, A. M. (2013). Uses and Grats 2.0: New Gratifications for     New Media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. 57(4), 504-525.

Photo by: Andy Melton
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