Students' uses and gratifications for using computer-mediated communication media in learning contexts

Despite a growing stream of research into the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) media in higher education, there remains limited understanding about the students‘ motivations for using CMC alongside non-CMC media within a learning context. This article identifies seven dimensions of motivation from the perspective of uses and gratifications (U&G), including information seeking, convenience, connectivity, problem solving, content management, social presence, and social context cues. It was found that each CMC satisfied different motivations for its use, and that overall CMC best fulfilled information seeking, convenience, connectivity, and content management motivations. This study also identifies a number of similarities and differences between CMC and non- CMC media in terms of the motivations for their use. Finally, the study concludes with a discussion of the implications for Information Systems (IS) researchers, higher education, and organizations

Patients’ Computer-Mediated Communication Media Uses and Gratifications in Healthcare

The proliferation of the Internet and the number of devices connected to it has resulted in widespread use of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) media in healthcare. According to a 2011 Pew Internet Study, more than 59 percent of adults have searched online for health information (Fox, 2011). What is not clear in literature is why patients seek health information online and why patients share health information online. This study informs the academic and practitioner community on the motivations and barriers for seeking and/or sharing health information online by providing a rich explanation of such behavior through an interpretive exploration involving patients who engage in such behavior

Why Do People Stick with a Specific Social Networking Site? An Integrated Relationship and Uses Gratification Perspective

Since their inception, social networking sites (SNSs) have experienced exponential growth. While substantial research has been dedicated to users’ initial adoption of SNSs, the fall of MySpace reminds us that the long-term success of SNSs depends on users’ post adoption staying power. Inspired by this, this work-in-progress investigates users’ “stickiness” with a specific SNS. Based on Li et al. (2006)’s Commitment-Trust Model of Website Stickiness (CTM), this paper focuses on the relationships between SNSs and users. To refine CTM in the new context, we further borrow the Uses and Gratifications Theory from the Communication field to propose an integrated model

Disclose Intimately, Honesty, Heavily, Positively and Intentionally: An Exploration of Self-Disclosure in Social Networking Sites

The present paper applies the relationship perspective of IT to propose a theoretical framework that explains the five dimensions of self-disclosure, namely intimacy, honesty, amount, valence, and intentionality

Opinion Mining from Online Reviews: Consumer Satisfaction Analysis with B&B Hotels

Given the enormous growth and significant impact of user generated content in online hotel reviews, this study aims to mining the determinants of consumer satisfaction with B&Bs and build a hierarchical structure of these determinants. Content analysis was conducted based on the consumer review data from two well-known hotel booking websites. Ten determinants of customer satisfaction were identified. The interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique was then used to develop a five-level hierarchical structural model based on these determinants to illustrate the influencing paths. Finally, the cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) technique was used to analyze the driver and dependence power for each determinant. This study has the potential to make significant contributions from both the theoretical and practical perspectives in this research area

Does the Source Matter? How Referral Channels and Personal Communication Tools Affect Consumers’ Referral Propensity

Many companies are using social sharing buttons to make it easier for consumers to refer a website or app to other potential consumers. Although these buttons are ubiquitous online, it remains unclear whether consumer referral propensity (i.e. the likelihood of consumers referring other consumers) varies across the channels through which consumers arrive at the website. In particular, we test whether referral propensity is higher for consumers themselves acquired through social referrals and compare them with consumers accessing the website through other commonly used channels, such as search engines and online advertisements. In addition, we examine whether the communication tool (i.e. social networking websites or instant messaging clients) through which the referral is transmitted affects consumers’ referral decisions. Our results indicate that consumers acquired through social referrals are more likely to make a referral and that the communication tools do not differ in their influence on consumers’ referral propensity.

A Typology and Hierarchical Framework of Technology Use in Digital Natives’ Learning

The technological capability of digital natives is thought to have considerable implications on the way they communicate, socialize, think and learn. Some researchers have even suggested that fundamental changes to the educational system are required to cater for the needs of this new cohort of learner, although such claims have little empirical support. In this study, we adopt a structural approach to the investigation of the digital natives’ motivations for using technologies in learning. Based on in-depth interviews with 16 digital natives, a cluster analysis was used to segment respondents into two distinct groups: independent learners and traditional learners. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) was used to develop a hierarchical structural model of technology use motivations for each group. The results show that these two groups are driven to achieve the same learning goals by different paths. Implications are drawn for both educators and managers from both research and practical perspectives

Hedonic Information Systems Quality

Hedonic Information Systems (HIS) are an entertainment-oriented IS used in nonoffice environments in which a user does not have specific goals to achieve. It is fundamentally different from the traditional IS designed for goal-oriented users in either individual or organisational work settings. Despite of the importance in improving HIS, there is a lack of academic exploration in context-specific HIS quality in a comprehensive manner. Drawing from a balanced thinking-feeling model and a theory of flow and telepresence theory, we explore the attributes of HIS quality. The Repertory Grid Interview technique (RGT) is used to interview 20 participants who have online gaming experience and 12 factors are identified. Our results show that HIS quality is a multifaceted concept that consists of not only utilitarian, but also hedonic and social features. This study is among the first to use a qualitative approach to comprehensively explore the attributes of HIS from user perspectives

Understanding Technology Mediated Learning in Higher Education: A Repertory Grid Approach

Given the considerable opportunities that Web 2.0 technologies are seen to present for the enhancement of learning and teaching, understanding what motivates today’s students to use this technology in their learning is crucial. Drawing from technology mediated learning (TML) and Uses and Gratifications (U&G) perspectives, this study investigates university students’ motivations for using Web 2.0 technologies in learning. The Repertory Grid Interview technique (RGT) is used to interview 16 participants and capture their technology use motivations. A grounded approach was used to resolve eleven categories of motivations: Access and Content Control, Accessibility, Communication Efficiency, Communication Mode, Communication Quality, Course Management, Information Seeking, Interaction, Learning Capability, Managing Contents, and Self-Disclosure. The findings suggest that today’s students have different motivations for using technologies when it comes to learning

Twittermania: Understanding How Social Media Technologies Impact Engagement and Academic Performance of a New Generation of Learners

Twitter, a popular micro-blogging service, is increasingly evolving from being a mere chatting platform to a tool that is instrumental in affecting a desired learning and social change among individuals and organizations. Although using Twitter for learning while socializing represents a significant departure from its intended initial function, information systems (IS) researchers should further explore the impact and implications of social media technologies such as Twitter in the educational context. We draws on engagement theory and social impact theory to assess how social media technologies tools can support learning and improve students’ academic outcomes. We present an experiment in which we compared Twitter and a traditional discussion board to academically engage students over a 14-week period. The results show that actively using both Twitter and traditional discussion boards for engagement is related to student performance in the course. Social network analysis suggests that, by using Twitter, the students possibly created shared mental models that led them to engage with the class more, and therefore, better their performance