Being immersed in social networking environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications, and social outcomes

Namsu Park, Kerk F. Kee, Sebastián Valenzuela

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1072 Scopus citations

Abstract

A Web survey of 1,715 college students was conducted to examine Facebook Groups users' gratifications and the relationship between users' gratifications and their political and civic participation offline. A factor analysis revealed four primary needs for participating in groups within Facebook: socializing, entertainment, self-status seeking, and information. These gratifications vary depending on user demographics such as gender, hometown, and year in school. The analysis of the relationship between users' needs and civic and political participation indicated that, as predicted, informational uses were more correlated to civic and political action than to recreational uses.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)729-733
Number of pages5
JournalCyberpsychology and Behavior
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2009

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