A Facebook uses and gratifications study: How different generations use, perceive of and evaluate their Facebook experiences

Abstract

It is now undeniable that the new media have revolutionized the flow of information. New platforms allow for the one-to-many system of communication to be gradually replaced by the many-to-many, a structure which enables users to also be producers of content and has led to new concepts, like produsage, interconnectivity and co-creation. This seemingly endless structure of information exchange offers the users the opportunity to share information, but also to represent themselves and - at least partly – satisfy needs of socialization, belongingness and self-presentation. Young users of SNSs are technologically literate and have integrated the new media to their lifestyles in an active and dynamic way, and over the last years older users have showed an interest in them as well. Facebook is arguably the largest social platform with the greatest diversity of users in terms of age. This research paper aims to explore how different generations use, perceive of and evaluate their Facebook experiences. Through the spectrum of Uses and Gratifications analysis and primary collection of data through an online survey this paper examines the different needs different age groups may have and indicates possible causes which may motivate users to seek satisfactions of those needs through Facebook.