Audience Activity Among Users of the World Wide Web: Selectivity and Involvement

This study looks at two aspects of audience activity: selectivity and involvement. Drawing upon uses and gratifications theory, the study was designed to determine whether the concept of audience activity is still valid when applied to a new medium of mass communication. The study also considers the motivation of users of the Web¿the purposes behind their choice of medium. An online survey collected data from a volunteer sample of 288 Web users. Survey questions were similar to those used in previous uses and gratifications studies of audience activity among television viewers. The study found that Web users, like television viewers, exhibit two broad types of motivation: instrumental and ritualistic media consumption. Generally, a user with instrumental motivations wants to gain something from exposure to media content, while ritualistic users use media to escape or pass time. The study also found that instrumental Web users are somewhat selective before their time online, but so are ritualistic users¿a surprising finding. Overall, the study showed that the idea of an active audience does hold when applied to a new communications medium.