ABSTRACT
The ability for media to satisfy needs is often described by communication researchers as its uses and gratifications (U&G). The audience-centered approach to understanding media focuses on individual users of media, instead of the message or its medium, and specifically examines users’ motivations and goals. The relationship between media use and satisfaction was noted early in communication research. Communication scholars recognize that individuals select and use media in a variety of ways and for a myriad of purposes. U&G postulates that media gratifications originate in an individual’s social environment. Applying the U&G lens to social media can be useful in understanding inequalities that are reified or challenged in the new information environment, including those along race and gender lines. Social media are used less frequently for companionship and professional networking. Most surprisingly, the use of social media for professional networking defies traditional understandings of the third-level digital divide.
