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48 J. Broad. & Elec. Media 358 (2004)
A Social Cognitive Theory of Internet Uses and Gratifications: Toward a New Model of Media Attendance

handle is hein.journals/jbem48 and id is 368 raw text is: A Social Cognitive Theory of Internet Uses and Gratifications: Toward a New Model of Media Attendance Robert LaRose and Matthew S. Eastin Recent research explaining Internet usage has both extended and chal- lenged the uses and gratifications approach to understanding media attendance by discovering new gratifications and introducing powerful new explanatory variables. The present research integrates these develop- ments into a theory of media attendance within the framework of Ban- dura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory. Respondents from 2 Midwestern states were recruited by mail to complete an online questionnaire. Struc- tural equation modeling techniques were used to test a new model of media attendance in which active consideration of Internet uses and gratifications, moderated by Internet self-efficacy, joins habitual behavior and deficient self-regulation as determinants of media behavior. The model explained 42% of the variance in Internet usage. The addition of the Internet to the electronic media environment has renewed interest in the question of media attendance: the factors that explain and predict individual exposure to the media. Much of the research has been carried out by followers of the uses and gratifications tradition, who anticipated the medium as an exemplar of active media selection that could further validate the core tenets of that paradigm (Morris & Ogan, 1996; Newhagen & Rafaeli, 1996; Ruggerio, 2000). Instead, Internet research has introduced new conceptual and operational ap- proaches and new variables that now challenge some of the basic assumptions, procedures, and findings of uses and gratifications. However, these findings have yet to be integrated into a comprehensive model of media attendance. Moreover, these relationships have been explored among college student samples and must now be extended to the general online population. The present research proposes and tests Robert LaRose (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is a Professor in the Department of Telecommuni- cation, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University. His research interest is the uses and effects of the Internet. Matthew S. Eastin (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communi- cation at Ohio State University. His research focuses on the social and psychological mechanisms that influence the uses and effects of new media. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the following students in collecting the data for this project: Mike Mackert, Sri Sukotjo, Yu-Chieh Lin, Jinhee Hong, Songyi Park, Wen-Ya Wu, Li-An Liu, Charintip Tungkittisuwan, Kuang-Chiu Huang. 0 2004 Broadcast Education Association Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 48(3), 2004, pp. 358-377

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