Social and Usage Process Motivations for Internet Use: Differences Between Light and Heavy Users
Year: 2003
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Differences between light and heavy users of the Internet are investigated, using theoretical expectations derived from recent research on Internet diffusion and Uses and Gratifications theory. Measures of Internet usage process gratifications andInternet socialization gratifications were utilized to test for differences between light and heavy Internet users, and it was expected that light users would be more socially motivated in their Internet use while heavy users would be more motivated by gratifications related to usage processes.Results indicate that heavier, not lighter, users of the Internet on AOL are most highly oriented toward the social communication functions of the medium; heavy users are also quite usage-oriented.Though somewhat motivated by social gratifications, light users are most motivated by the access to resources and searching utilities of Internet usage processes.
Author: Thomas F. Stafford
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1606446799