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44 J. Broad. & Elec. Media 175 (2000)
Predictors of Internet Use

handle is hein.journals/jbem44 and id is 185 raw text is: Predictors of Internet Use Zizi Papacharissi and Alan M. Rubin We examined audience uses of the Internet from a uses-and-gratifications perspective. We expected contextual age, unwillingness to communicate, social presence, and Internet motives to predict outcomes of Internet exposure, affinity, and satisfaction. The analyses identified five motives for using the Internet and multivariate links among the antecedents and motives. The results suggested distinctions between instrumental and ritualized Internet use, as well as Internet use serving as a functional alternative to face-to-face interaction. Access to computer-mediated technologies, such as the Internet, has extended our informational and interactive capabilities. These technologies are highly publicized, debated, and regulated media. With the widespread use of such technologies, we require greater understanding of the personal and social attributes that affect why people use computer-mediated communication (CMC) and the outcomes of CMC- related behavior. Computer-mediated communication is communication facilitated by computer technologies, and is defined as synchronous or asynchronous electronic mail and computer conferencing, by which senders encode in text messages that are relayed from senders' computers to receivers' (Walther, 1992, p. 52). Considering the widespread use of the World Wide Web, CMC-related activities would also include web browsing. Some researchers have focused on the interactive and informational dimensions of new technologies, exploring how these newer media might differ from traditional face-to-face communication, and how they might provide additional communication channels. Several attributes of CMC are thought to distinguish CMC from face-to-face communication. These include: problems in coordination owing to the lack of informational feedback, the absence of social influence cues in discussion, and depersonalization due to the lack of nonverbal involvement (Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984). CMC provides users with a massive information resource and a Zizi Papacharissi (M.A., Kent State University, 1997) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are new media and political communication. Alan M. Rubin (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is Professor in the School of Communica- tion Studies at Kent State University. His research interests are media uses and effects. The paper is based on Ms. Papacharissi's M.A. thesis directed by Dr Rubin. An earlier version of the paper was presented at the National Communication Association annual meeting in New York City, November 1998. 0 2000 Broadcast Education Association Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 44(2), 2000, pp. 175-196

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