Why Taiwanese students use Instant Messaging: a uses and gratifications approach

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2008-01-01
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Chen, Ko-Jung
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Daniela V. Dimitrova
Suman Lee
Brian E. Mennecke
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Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication offers two majors: Advertising (instructing students in applied communication for work in business or industry), and Journalism and Mass Communication (instructing students in various aspects of news and information organizing, writing, editing, and presentation on various topics and in various platforms). The Department of Agricultural Journalism was formed in 1905 in the Division of Agriculture. In 1925 its name was changed to the Department of Technical Journalism. In 1969 its name changed to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications; from 1969 to 1989 the department was directed by all four colleges, and in 1989 was placed under the direction of the College of Sciences and Humanities (later College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). In 1998 its name was changed to the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.
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Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the gratifications Taiwanese students sought and obtained from Instant Messaging use (IM). This study also examined the relationship among gratifications Taiwanese students obtained, gender, and their frequency of IM use. A 13-motivation with 37 statements scale derived from previous uses and gratifications studies is presented along with the demographic information as an instrument to determine Taiwanese students' gratifications from IM use. The participants were 406 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral college students, who are the primary users of this new interactive communication technology. The results indicated there were 10 gratifications sought (Flexibility, Escape, Convenience, Companionship, Socialization, Control, Habit, Identity, Utility, and Surveillance) and nine gratifications obtained (Convenience, Escape, Companionship, Socialization, Mobility, Identity, Surveillance, Control, and Utility) from IM use. Gratifications obtained were positively associated with the frequency of IM use. Gender differences that lead to different gratifications obtained and frequency of IM use per week were also found.

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Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2008