Unpacking the uses and gratifications of Facebook: A study among college teachers in India

Abstract

Although Facebook is increasingly popular among college teachers, very few empirical studies have investigated college teachers’ motives behind the usage of Facebook. In order to address this gap, the current study examines college teacher’s gratification motives behind the usage of Facebook by applying uses and gratifications theory (UGT). Pilot study revealed six dimensions of gratifications which were rated in importance by survey respondents (N ​= ​645). Factor analysis revealed four different gratifications, namely Social interaction, Information seeking, Affection seeking and Escape. Some of the important findings of the study were: Male teachers tend to use Facebook more for information seeking compared to their female counterparts; Younger college teachers spent more time on Facebook than their older counterparts; affection seeking and escape gratifications successfully predicted the time spend on Facebook by college teachers; advancement in communication technology blurred the boundary between personal and professional use of Facebook. The study’s implications can be utilized to refine and develop new features services on Facebook to cater the gratifications of academicians.

Keywords

• Facebook
• College teachers
• Uses and gratifications theory