Someone should really do some uses and gratifications research on social media!
Also the notion of parasocial relationships is quite intereresting. Interestingly people can use the same medium (Twitter) in completely different ways (their motives being differen too, I suppose). That is not the case with traditional mass media.
Jussi
· 9 months ago
I tried to dig up some research done on this field, but it seems there hasn't been much activity. On late 90s there has been some uses and gratifications research done for webpages, but web has come a long way after that.
Constantine
· 9 months ago
thanks for getting into the physoclogical reasons people use Twitter, and for the sources on the bottom so i can look up some more information about these new terms i learned today.
Jussi
· 9 months ago
Happy to hear that you found it interesting. It is also quite interesting to see how people are using social media services. like Twitter, for totally different purposes. The new use cases are usually also a surprise for the developers.
Constantine
· 9 months ago
that's always the case with any technology, the unintended uses.
you think the guy who invented SMS expected people in Africa to setup bank accounts with it?
you think the guy who invented the combustion engine expected it to power airplanes?
the most interesting twitter usage, to this day, for me personally at least, was that woman who wore a device while she was pregnant so that every time the baby inside her kicked, he tweeted.
DaGood
· 9 months ago
Great stuff. Definitely Twitter is being used by many celebrities as a push medium with little real interactivity.
I think it is somewhat the same in mass media: The most successful show of recent times has been American Idol. It is part passive experience and part user-engagement voting thing.
Jussi
· 9 months ago
I like your analogue with Idols and other similar reality show where people can have limited interaction, like SMS-voting.
Henri Weijo
· 9 months ago
good read, and will definitely spy on those studies you posted =)
This is rich, JP --- the academic made real and applicable. As in our tweet exchange today, dunderhead poseurs at Forrester need to stop listening to themselves long enough to check back into the constantly evolving fabric of media with all of its meanings, applications, nuance & expressions.
All Comments
Also the notion of parasocial relationships is quite intereresting. Interestingly people can use the same medium (Twitter) in completely different ways (their motives being differen too, I suppose). That is not the case with traditional mass media.
you think the guy who invented SMS expected people in Africa to setup bank accounts with it?
you think the guy who invented the combustion engine expected it to power airplanes?
the most interesting twitter usage, to this day, for me personally at least, was that woman who wore a device while she was pregnant so that every time the baby inside her kicked, he tweeted.
I think it is somewhat the same in mass media: The most successful show of recent times has been American Idol. It is part passive experience and part user-engagement voting thing.