Barbara K. Kaye

Online and in the Know: Uses and Gratifications of the Web for Political Information

The uses and gratifications approach is well suited for studying the World Wide Web as a whole and for examining specific types of sites within the Web. This study, therefore, examines the uses and gratifications of accessing online sources for political information. A factor analysis revealed 4 primary motivations for connecting to online political information: guidance information-seeking surveillance, entertainment, and social utility. Additionally, significant correlations emerged between the 4 motivations and amount of use, trust in government, feelings of efficacy, interest in politics, and the likelihood of voting.

Research methodology: Taming the cyber frontier: Techniques for improving online surveys

The World Wide Web and other new electronic technologies might soon become prime survey vehicles due to convenient, verifiable, low-cost delivery and return systems as well as easy access and feedback mechanisms. However, along with the benefits of this new technology come new experiences and lessons to be learned and shared by researchers. The authors created and posted a survey on the Web to examine the uses of the Web for political information. The purpose of the article, however, is not to report on the political survey’s findings but rather to address issues concerning online research, discuss the implications of an online environment for traditional survey techniques, share Web survey experiences from an ex post facto perspective, and present recommendations for future online research, specifically in the areas of Web survey design, sampling, data collection and responses, and publicity.

A web for all reasons: uses and gratifications of internet components for political information

This study surveyed politically interested Internet users online during the 2000 presidential election to examine their motives for using Web, bulletin boards/electronic mailing lists and chat forums for political information and to determine whether political attitudes, Internet experience and personal characteristics predict Internet use motivations. The findings indicate that each Internet component satisfies slightly different needs, which can be predicted by some political attitudes and demographics, and Internet experience. Additionally, results from this study are compared to findings from an earlier study of politically interested Web users during the 1996 presidential election.

A Boost or Bust for Democracy? How the Web Influenced Political Attitudes and Behaviors in the 1996 and 2000 Presidential Elections

This study employed an online survey of 442 politically interested Web users during the 2000 presidential election to examine the extent to which relying on the Web for political information influences political interest, campaign interest, political involvement, likelihood of voting, and voting behavior after controlling for demographics, political attitudes and use of the traditional media. Results from this study are compared to a similar one conducted during the 1996 presidential campaign. The respondents were highly interested in politics in general, were very interested in the 2000 campaign, expressed a high likelihood to vote, and almost all did vote. The Internet appears to engage people politically as almost two-thirds claim that their involvement in politics has increased or greatly increased since they first became online users. Politically interested Internet users were more likely to report in 2000 than 1996 that they felt they had power to bring about political change, that they were very interested in the presidential campaign, and that they were more likely to vote. The Web appears to be at least partially responsible for this increase in civic engagement as reliance on the Web was the strongest predictor of political attitudes.

In blog we trust? Deciphering credibility of components of the internet among politically interested internet users

This study employed an online survey of politically interested Internet users during the two weeks before and the two weeks after the 2004 presidential election to compare how they judge five components of the Internet in terms of credibility for political information. Blogs were judged as the most credible with issue-oriented Web sites also judged as highly credible. Candidate Web sites and bulletin boards were only judged moderately credible while chat rooms were rated not very credible. This study also explored whether reliance on the Internet resource or motivations for visiting the source significantly predict Internet component credibility after controlling for demographic and political variables.

Around the world wide web in 80 ways: how motives for going online are linked to internet activities among politically interested internet users

This study examines what online activities politically interested Internet users regularly engage in and how online activities are linked to motivations for using the Internet. This study found that politically interested web users were motivated to go online for different reasons than the general public and therefore they participated in different activities online. However, only for entertainment sites did audience activity serve as an important intervening variable between gratifications sought and obtained.

Choosing Is Believing? How Web Gratifications and Reliance Affect Internet Credibility Among Politically Interested Users

This study relied on an online survey of politically interested Web users during the 2004 presidential election to examine the degree to which people judged online information as credible. All online media were seen as only moderately credible, with blogs and online newspapers being rated higher than online broadcast and cable news. Reliance on the online source proved to be the strongest predictor of whether it was judged as credible.

Going to the Blogs: Toward the Development of a Uses and Gratifications Measurement Scale for Blogs

This article investigates the uses and motivations for connecting to blogs. Rather than relying on motivations from preexisting scales measuring traditional media or Internet use that must be adapted for blogs, motivations are derived from open-ended questions about blog use from a preliminary survey. The current study is based on a follow-up survey conducted in 2007 to quantitatively investigate blog use. Factor analysis of 56 motivational items resulted in nine motivational factors: Convenient Information Seeking, Anti-Traditional Media Sentiment, Expression/Affiliation, Guidance/Opinion Seeking, Blog Ambiance, Personal Fulfillment, Political Debate, Variety of Opinion, and Specific Inquiry. This article also offers suggestions for reducing the number of motivational variables.

Hot Diggity Blog: A Cluster Analysis Examining Motivations and Other Factors for Why People Judge Different Types of Blogs as Credible

Using two-step cluster analysis this study identifies four groups of users who deem seven types of blogs (general information, media/journalism, war, military, political, corporate, and personal blogs) as highly credible. The four groups are each motivated to turn to blogs for many of the same reasons; however, some differences emerged among the groups. In addition, the four user clusters differ on demographic and political characteristics.

Credibility of Social Network Sites for Political Information Among Politically Interested Internet Users

Scholars have confirmed that political candidates are increasingly turning to social network sites SNS to persuade voters to vote for them, and that these sites have become prominent sources of political information. But a fundamental question arises about the sustainability of social networks as a campaign tool: How much do users trust the information they find there? This study employed an online survey to examine the degree to which politically interested online users view SNS as credible. SNS were ranked the least credible among the nine traditional and online sources examined. Reliance on social networks proved the strongest predictor of SNS credibility.