MySpace, Facebook, and the Uses and Gratification Model

For our second scholarly article critique, we studies the article “Explaining why young adults use Myspace and Facebook through Uses and Gratifications theory” by Mark Urista, Qingwen Dong, and Kenneth Day. The article explored what made Social Networking Sites (SNS) so appealing to young adults. SNS allow individuals to have an active role in the socialization process as well as a hand in creating their own identity through a convenient medium of communicating with others. The researches set out to find out how members of these SNS use the sites to fulfill their wants and needs and thus give us a better understanding of why young adults are appearing so addicted to these SNS. The researchers conducted their study by separating 50 students into small focus groups and having them discuss their views of MySpace and/or Facebook (since all participants had accounts). The article proved 5 ways in which people use Social Networking Sites to fulfill their needs: efficient communication, convenient communication, curiosity of others, popularity, and relationship forming/ reinforcement.
This article was very interesting and easy to relate to as a fellow college student. I enjoyed reading and learning but wish that the researchers would have found more in their study because I feel that there is still SO SO much more we can learn from Social Networking Sites!