#10

I found this article very interesting. The author is attempting to make a connection between social media use and the psychological media perspective of uses and gratification (both through creation and acquisition of material).

We definitely live in an age where online communication is almost vital to our everyday life. Most of our research in this class has shown how interconnected we are as a result of the online world. The article argues that gratification can be achieved through online social media through the use of email and chat rooms. In these programs, we are receiving information. We are receiving human feedback in a quick, simple, and private way. This theory can be supported by the fact that many relationships are formed online, as simply a way for individuals to have human contact that they might not receive offline.

The researchers chose to follow up their theory with actual research. They used a group of Southern California Students as the sample, then asked them questions regarding their social media experience. They found many common themes, such as the use of social media for popularity, and the formation and continuation of relationships. While I believe that the researchers theorys and findings are relevant and true, part of me does not like the way they conducted the study. As a communications major who has studied surveying, there sample is not very good. A group of Southern California college students is a very bad sample population for avery broad study, and the research team should have really attempted to get a more diverse sample size.