Assistance from Alexa: The social and material benefits of the Internet of Things

This article will apply the uses and gratifications theory to examine why people adopt products from the Internet of Things. Previous studies have applied the uses and gratifications theory to analyze why consumers have adopted forms of new media and technology, including social media and the Internet of Things. There are also many articles on the potential flaws of the Internet of Things, especially privacy concerns. This article will expand on this research by combining the benefits and concerns about the Internet of Things to asses user satisfaction. It argues that the Internet of Things satisfies user needs successfully despite serious flaws. Some potential flaws in products that would decrease user satisfaction are biased algorithms and possible privacy risks. However, the article concludes that the benefits outweigh these risks, as users continue to adopt Internet of Things products at a rapid rate

Uses and gratifications of problematic social media use among university students: a simultaneous examination of the big five of personality traits, social media platforms, and social media use motives

Recent studies suggest that users' preferences of social media use differ according to their individual differences and use motives, and that these factors can lead to problematic social media use (PSMU) among a minority of users. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the influences of (i) demographics and Big Five personality dimensions on social media use motives; (ii) demographics and use motives on social media site preferences; and (iii) demographics, personality, popular social media sites, and social media use motives on PSMU. The sample comprised 1008 undergraduate students, aged between 17 and 32 years (M = 20.49, SD = 1.73; 60.5% women). The participants completed a questionnaire comprising the Social Media Use Questionnaire, Social Media Usage Aims Scale, and Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Multiple linear and hierarchical regression analyses showed that social media use motives of (i) meeting new people and socializing, (ii) expressing or presenting a more popular self, and (iii) passing time and entertainment were associated with problematic social media use. Moreover, participants that preferred Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook reported higher scores of problematic social media use. Finally, being female, introverted, conscientious, agreeable, and neurotic were associated with PSMU. The findings offer empirical evidence for uses and gratifications theory because the findings demonstrated that (i) different personality traits predict different motives, (ii) different motives predict preference of different platforms, and (iii) different individual differences such as personality, preference of platform, and specific use motives predict PSMU

How Whatsapp Changes the Way Business Work?

Using a focus group and a pre-test, this study validates a scale for measuring the motivations, uses and gratifications for WhatsApp, which comprises of dimensions: communication, privacy, credibility, and miscellaneous activities. Workplace WhatsApp usage motivations consists of two dimensions namely, working, planning, & coordination and speed, convenience, & practicality. After the focus group and the pre-test, 455 participants were included in a survey to understand a connection between work performance and WhatsApp usage. The results were discussed in terms of uses and gratifications. Keywords: WhatsApp motivations, work performance, uses and gratifications. JEL Classifications: D83, L25 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.1076

Social networking sites and addiction: ten lessons learned

Online social networking sites (SNSs) have gained increasing popularity in the last decade, with individuals engaging in SNSs to connect with others who share similar interests. The perceived need to be online may result in compulsive use of SNSs, which in extreme cases may result in symptoms and consequences traditionally associated with substance-related addictions. In order to present new insights into online social networking and addiction, in this paper, 10 lessons learned concerning online social networking sites and addiction based on the insights derived from recent empirical research will be presented. These are: (i) social networking and social media use are not the same; (ii) social networking is eclectic; (iii) social networking is a way of being; (iv) individuals can become addicted to using social networking sites; (v) Facebook addiction is only one example of SNS addiction; (vi) fear of missing out (FOMO) may be part of SNS addiction; (vii) smartphone addiction may be part of SNS addiction; (viii) nomophobia may be part of SNS addiction; (ix) there are sociodemographic differences in SNS addiction; and (x) there are methodological problems with research to date. These are discussed in turn. Recommendations for research and clinical applications are provided

Snapchat abandonment among self-identified millennial women: A proposed research project

Despite its quick rise to popularity after its launch in 2011, Snapchat's user base has been declining in recent years. This is of particular interest given that the number of U.S. social media users overall continues to climb. Though users continue to adopt social media platforms, many studies examine social media usage alongside harmful and negative side effects, like increased anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem. Though some users may be experiencing these negative side effects and others, few studies have focused on why users leave social media platforms, like Snapchat. This study intends to focus on that abandonment among a large population of Snapchat users: Millennial women. This submission reviews relevant literature surrounding social media and outlines a proposed research plan to fill the gaps identified

Sharing health risk behaviors on social media

2021 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.The popularity of social media platforms has provided an outlet for young adults to display risky health behaviors. Previous research has shown sites, such as Facebook provide the perfect platform to share drinking, drug use and sexual behaviors. With the creation of Snapchat and its unique disappearing content affordance, it is the perfect platform to examine how and why young adults display risk health behaviors on social media. A uses and gratifications theoretical framework was used to help understand how and why college students use Snapchat to display risky health behaviors, specifically alcohol and marijuana use. Particularly the researcher was interested gratifications from sharing risky health behaviors on Snapchat, affordances of the platform, if there was a relationship between content sent and received on Snapchat versus Instagram, and if there was a relationship between age and sharing risky health behaviors on Snapchat. Instagram was included as a comparison to Snapchat since the platforms share some affordances and Instagram, like Snapchat, is popular with the age group studied. For this study, 194 participants were recruited from undergraduate journalism classes at Colorado State University to complete an online survey. This population was chosen because it was reasonable to assume that participants were members of Gen-Z, who make up 82% of Snapchat users ("21 Snapchat Stats That Matter to Social Media Marketers," 2020). This sample also included participants who had not reached the legal age for consuming alcohol and marijuana in Colorado, as well as participants who had reached the legal age. The results showed that, when alcohol-related and marijuana-related content were analyzed together, social sharing was the most highly rated gratification from sharing risky health behaviors on Snapchat. When examining affordances, the researcher thought the disappearing content affordance would be the most highly rated reason for using Snapchat. However, it was found that selectivity when sharing content with a few friends was the most highly rated reason for using Snapchat. Results also indicated that participants sent and received alcohol-related and marijuana-related content more often on Snapchat than Instagram. Last, while no relationship was found between age and sending alcohol-related and marijuana-related content, there was a relationship between age and receiving alcohol-related and marijuana-related content. Limitations, practical applications, and recommendations for future research were also discussed

Young users' social media addiction: causes, consequences and preventions

Purpose Social media addiction has been an ongoing topic of debate for platform developers, well-being and mental health experts. There is a limited understanding of the factors leading to the addiction of young social media users, the consequences of experiencing addiction, and the measures/mechanisms used by parents and platform providers to limit/prevent problematic social media use amongst young users. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature concerning these issues. Design/methodology/approach The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) protocol was used to evaluate and present the results. A total of 45 studies were screened and independently reviewed against predetermined criteria for eligibility. Findings The results revealed four categories of young users' addiction to social media networks (social, technological, behavioural and mental). Several prevention approaches directed at parents and platform providers were discussed. Originality/value This study offers important insights for health policy makers, platform providers, parents and researchers on designing interventions addressing social media addiction amongst young users. It also provides an in-depth understanding of the conceptualization of social media addiction and suggestions on possible actions to prevent it

PERBEDAAN PEMENUHAN KEBUTUHAN MEDIA PENGIKUT CHANNEL YOUTOBE “NARASI NEWSROOM” BERDASARKAN GENDER YANG DIMILIKINYA : Studi Korelasi Mahasiswa di Kota Bandung

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh peralihan media berita mainstream menuju new media yang menyebabkan para pemilik media berpacu untuk menyajikan konten berita, dengan adanya peralihan ini menyebabkan munculnya kebutuhan dan keinginan konsumen akan hal baru dalam new media. Oleh karena itu penelitian ini dimaksudkan memahami motif konsumen dalam penggunaan media yang berubah di era new media untuk memenuhi kebutuhan konsumen. Untuk dapat memahami hal tersebut didalam penelitian ini akan menggunakan “gender” dalam pengkategorian konsumen didalam new media, dikarenakan “gender” merupakan faktor sosiologis terkuat yang dapat mewakili seluruh wujud masyarakat. Tujuan dilakukannya penelitian ini untuk mengetahui perbedaan kebutuhan dan pola penggunaan gender didalam new media dapat berpengaruh terhadap pemenuhan kebutuhan media, oleh karena itu penulis menggunakan teori uses and gratification yang dapat mengkaji bagaimana motif dan motivasi seseorang di new media. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan pendekaatan kuantitatif dengan metode survei dengan mengambil sampel sebanyak 100 orang dari populasi mahasiswa di Kota Bandung. Berdasarkan hasil temuan penelitian, gender terbukti memiliki pengaruh dalam kebutuhan media seseorang serta memiliki pengaruh positif terhadap pemenuhan kebutuhan media. Kata Kunci: Gender, Kebutuhan media, New Media. This research is motivated by the transition of mainstream news media to new media which causes media owners to race to present news content, with this shift causing the emergence of consumer needs and desires for new things in new media. Therefore, this study is intended to understand consumer motives in the use of changing media in the new media era to meet consumer needs. To be able to understand this in this study, we will use "gender" in categorizing consumers in new media, because "gender" is the Lstrongest sociological factor that can represent all forms of society. The purpose of this research is to find out differences in needs and patterns of gender use in new media that can affect the fulfillment of media needs, therefore the author uses the uses and gratification theory which can examine how a person's motives and motivations in new media. This research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a survey method by taking a sample of 100 people from the student population in the city of Bandung. Based on the research findings, gender is proven to have an influence on one's media needs and has a positive influence on meeting media needs. Keywords: Gender, Media needs, New Media