Information Media Use

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>This study sought to argue the assumptions of the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) in information media selection and use among iGenerations undergraduate students. One of the propositions of UGT is that audiences </span><span>consciously interact with media with the determination to satisfy a number of information needs. Taking into perspective </span><span>of the library and the Internet as information media, the limitations of UGT in illustrating the gratifications sought and gratifications obtained in the use of the Internet as well as the library as information media is highlighted. </span><span>Empirical data were collected from undergraduate students who were mainly iGenerations at two universities in South Africa. Two media were evaluated: The Internet and the library. Although the Internet was the preferred media by the majority of the respondents, the purpose why undergraduate students predominantly use the Internet is not in sync with their primary information needs as students. Also, the Internet was not revealed to be an alternative media to the library although the library sometimes failed in meeting the information needs of users. The study </span><span>concluded that the assumption that users seek out other media when gratifications obtained from media use does not equate gratifications sought, is not always correct. An integrated model for information media use supplemented by the expectation confirmation theory was therefore conceptualised to justify the preference in information media </span><span>by iGeneration undergraduate students. </span></p></div></div></div>

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Guilty Pleasure No More

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000223 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 126-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Robin L. Nabi ◽

Debora Pérez Torres ◽

Abby Prestin

Keyword(s):

Stress Management ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Media Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Positive Role ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Relative Value ◽

Management Techniques ◽

Managing Stress

Abstract. Despite the substantial attention paid to stress management in the extant coping literature, media use has been surprisingly overlooked as a strategy worthy of close examination. Although media scholars have suggested media use may be driven by a need to relax, related research has been sporadic and, until recently, disconnected from the larger conversation about stress management. The present research aimed to determine the relative value of media use within the broader range of coping strategies. Based on surveys of both students and breast cancer patients, media use emerged as one of the most frequently selected strategies for managing stress across a range of personality and individual difference variables. Further, heavier television consumers and those with higher perceived stress were also more likely to use media for coping purposes. Finally, those who choose media for stress management reported it to be an effective tool, although perhaps not as effective as other popular strategies. This research not only documents the centrality of media use in the corpus of stress management techniques, thus highlighting the value of academic inquiry into media-based coping, but it also offers evidence supporting the positive role media use can play in promoting psychological well-being.

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