© Media Watch 10 (3) 550-567, 2019
ISSN 0976-0911 E-ISSN 2249-8818
DOI: 10.15655/mw/2019/v10i3/49699
Why Do They Post?
Motivations and Uses
of Snapchat, Instagram and
Twitter among Kuwait
College Students
Fatima Alsalem
Kuwait
University, Kuwait
This
study explores the differences between Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter in
terms of intensity of use and use motivations. Grounded in the theory of Uses
and Gratifications, the current research compares the three platforms with
exploratory factor analysis. A cross-sectional survey methodology of college
students in Kuwait (N=692) asked respondents to identify the time they spend
using social media, satisfaction with social media content, the intensity of
using Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter as well as seven use motivations. The
analysis of the data indicated that Instagram is the most popular platform among
social media users, while Snapchat intensity of use is the highest. Based on
the factor analysis results, motivations to use Snapchat are passing the time,
self-expression, self-presentation, and entertainment. While the motivations to
use Twitter are self-presentation, entertainment, and social interaction.
Finally, passing time, social interaction, self-presentation, and entertainment
are the motivations to use Instagram.
Keywords: Uses and Gratifications,
motivations, social media, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter
Social media are defined as “a group of
Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological
functions of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated
content” (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). In other words, social media is an Internet-based
human communication that allows the creation and exchange of User-Generated
Content (USG) on a particular platform. Social media services allow users to
create content, connect with other users, and browse through the network (Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Zuniga, Jung, & Valenzuela,
2012). These platforms have attracted millions of users and became part of
their daily lives (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).
Statistics show
that 97% of the population of Kuwait have access to the Internet which ranks the
country third in terms of Internet penetration in the Middle East (after the United
Arab Emirates and Qatar) (Internet World Stats, 2017). Research shows that
after Kuwait led the world and the region with the highest penetration rate of
Twitter (85%) between 2012 and 2014, Kuwait as of 2017 has the second highest
Twitter penetration rate in the region (12.6%) after Bahrain (Rashid, 2012
& Dubai School of Government, 2017). Thus, Twitter’s popularity has
decreased in recent years as newer social media platforms such as Snapchat and
Instagram are rising in popularity (Alajmi, A., Alharbi, A., & Ghuloum, H,
2016; Dubai School of Government, 2013; & Kamal, 2016). The social media
report by the Dubai School of Government (2017) indicated that 11.9% of users
had abandoned their Twitter accounts during the past year.
The revolving
nature of social media and different ways people use it makes for a noteworthy
comparative analysis of the three leading platforms in the region. This study
investigates differences in Uses and Gratifications (U&G) among Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat, and in doing so, aims to better understand the
uniqueness of each platform. This study applies the Uses and Gratifications
approach across platforms to predict information seeking, self-documentation,
convenience, entertainment, passing time, social interaction, and personal
presentation. Before providing the theoretical framework, the next section
introduces each of the platforms examined in the study.
Literature Review
Twitter. Founded in 2006, Twitter is one of
the biggest social networks in the world. The popular social network has seen a
lot of growth since it launched, with an average of 326 million active users as
of 2018 (Statista, 2019). Twitter started
by allowing users to interact in “real time” using 140 character tweets but
increased the number to 280 in early 2018 permitting users to express more of
their thoughts without running out of the room. Twitter users can tweet (write) about any
topic and follow others to receive their tweets. (Kwak, H., Hosung, C. L.,
& Moon, S., 2010). Nobody can deny that Twitter has infused itself into
daily life around the world, and its impact is increasingly evident. In Kuwait,
Twitter has gained great popularity and become an integral platform for
political discussions and debate. According to a report by Northeastern
University, Kuwait has the most active Twitter users per capita in the world (Saleh,
2016 January 28). Although Kuwait led the world in terms of Twitter penetration
rate, it has been affected by government restrictions and electronic criminal
laws. Nevertheless, Kuwait has been one of the leading Arab countries in terms
of Twitter use and outranked its neighbors in permitting greater space for freedom
of expression. While Twitter has become one the most popular social networks
around the world, the greater task for analysts and academics is understanding
why and how people use it and what are their motivations (Walck, 2013).
Instagram. Instagram is the
most popular social platform of communication where users can easily share
their updates by taking photos (and videos) and stream live videos. It was
launched in 2010 and became the fastest growing social network site globally
(Sheldon & Bryant, 2016). Instagram has attracted one billion monthly active
users as of 2018 (Statista, 2019) with an average of 95 million photos and
videos uploaded by users per day (Lister, 2018). In Kuwait, Instagram has 1.7
million users as per September 2018, and the penetration rate is 40.5% of the
entire population. Also, statistics show that nearly 70% of all Instagram users
who live in Kuwait are aged 18 to 34 (Kowalcyzk, 2017 May 28). Kuwait’s booming Instagram economy has
changed the way people shop and advertise their products. People use it as an
electronic storefront where they advertise their businesses selling anything
and everything (Greenfield, 2013).
Snapchat. Snapchat was
launched in 2011 and has become one of the most popular social networking and
photo sharing apps worldwide with an estimation of 186 million users as per
2018 (Piwek & Joison, 2016; Zephoria, 2018). Snapchat allows users to send
images, videos, and text with limited time for the receiver to view the content
before it becomes inaccessible. A lot of of Snapchat’s popularity comes from
the camera filters which users can utilize to edit and filter their pictures
and videos before publication. The majority of Snapchat users are 18 to 34
years old. In Kuwait, there are 1.5 million users of Snapchat, which constitutes
more than a third (36.5%) of the total population in Kuwait (Doyle, 2017).
However, statistics show that 71% of Kuwaiti nationals use Snapchat compared to
only 3% of the Asian expat's population living
in Kuwait.
Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat are the top three leading social media platforms in the
world. Research has shown that youths and young adults are the heaviest users
of social media (Alhabash & Ma, 2017). In Kuwait, over 90% of those 15 to
44 years old use social media(Kamal, 2016). Social media is used for a mix of
social and informational purposes. It is mainly used for entertainment,
personal utility, information seeking, convenience, and altruism (Almenayes,
2015).
This study explores
differences in the uses and gratifications of the three leading social media
platforms in Kuwait. The following section provides an overview of the U&G
approach as a theoretical framework of this study.
Uses and Gratifications: A Theoretical Framework
The
main objective of the U&G theory for mass communication research is to
explain the psychological needs that shape why people use specific media and
what motivates them to engage in certain media use behaviors that fulfill those
needs (Ko, Cho, & Roberts, 2005). The theory does not ask what the media does
to people. Instead, it asks what does an active audience do with the media, why
and with what effects (Lasswell, 1948). It mainly focuses on the fact that
people are different and use mediated communication for a variety of purposes
(Almenayes, 2015). U&G theory has five major assumptions related to media
and their users: (i) audience are active consumers of the media and goal
oriented; (ii) audience gratify certain needs when they consume the media; (iii)
media satisfy needs; (iv) media users are aware of their interests and motives
and have certain expectations of media that help them with media selection; and
(v) media users are the ones capable of judging the quality of media (Katz,
1959; Alhabash & Ma, 2017). The theory takes into consideration that media
users are goal-directed in their behaviors and are active media users.
Consequently, audiences are aware of their needs and select the appropriate
media to gratify these needs; they are gratification seekers interacting with
the media rather than passive recipients of its content.
While U&G theory is one of the most used theories
to understand media use motivations, nonetheless it has been the topic of
criticism. Researchers criticize the U&G theoretical framework for its
ambiguity of motivations, uses, and needs. The theory is also criticized for
its lack of measurement of media exposure and heavily rely on self-reports
(Alhabash & Ma, 2017). Another major drawback of the U&G theory is the
problematic assertion that participants are cognizant of their motivations for
their actions while disregarding contextual and cultural influences (Almenayas,
2015). However, researchers have attempted to overcome these limitations by
examining communication behavior by looking into audiences’ ability to assign
meanings to media content, which in turn satisfy their needs.
Modern
society is moving away from traditional exposure of mass media, towards an
interactive collection of communication media represented by the Internet
(Stafford, Stafford, & Schkade, 2004). Researchers (Ahmed, I., Elkasim, M.
& Mustapha, L., 2017) have argued that the usefulness and ease of use of
new technology have changed the way we cosume information. Uses and
gratification theory is considered as an axiomatic theory (Lin, 1999), in that
its principles are applicable and accepted to various situations involving
mediated communications (Ko, Cho, & Roberts, 2005). The growth of Internet
use has led to the emergence of a new set of motivations and uses.
Stafford
et al. (2004) argue that there are two general types of media uses and
gratifications, people use media either for the content (social media or
websites) carried by the medium, or the experience of the media usage, i.e. the
process (browsing). Therefore, some Internet users may be motivated by the
process of random browsing and website surfing, while others may be motivated
by the desire of visiting a specific website for its content that fulfills
certain needs.
The
Internet as a medium has strengthened the potency of U&G theory because it
requires a higher level of interactivity from its users and it has been
suggested that the Internet is intentionally consumed, as audience make some
effort to choose a specific social media platform or website (Ko, Cho &
Roberts, 2005). However, the diversity of options offered by the Internet
creates a challenge for academics and media scholars. On the one hand, the
Internet has a set of unifying characteristics such as interactivity,
asynchronicity, and multimedia. On the other hand, Alhabash and Ma (2017) argue
that the Internet cannot be considered as a homogeneous channel that conveys
uniform messages.
Uses and Gratification: The Case of Social Media
In recent years, there has been a growing
number of research on social media which emphasizes on the motivations for
using these sites and their impact on the society (Almenayes, 2015; Alkandari
A., Alsumait, F. & Alhunaiyyan, A., 2017; Alajimi, 2016; & Whiting, A., Williams, D., 2013). U&G theory
has proven to be effective in understanding motivations and needs for using the
Internet (Ko, Cho & Roberts, 2005). However, researchers have argued that
the uniqueness of social media has changed the gratifications and motivations
sought from other types of media. The following section reviews past studies
that used the U&G theory to examine social media and users’ motivations.
Previous
research that examined InternetU&Gsuggests that much of the activity on the
Internet involves entertainment and exploratory behavior (Eighmey & McCord,
1998). While Lin (1999), found five classic mass media motivations that
predicted Internet motivations, which are surveillance, escape, companionship,
identity; and entertainment.
Charney and
Greenberg (2001) established eight gratification factors for the Internet use:
to keep informed, diversion and entertainment, peer identity, good feelings,
communications, sight and sound, career, and coolness. However, Papacharissi (2008)
has added a measure of interpersonal communication motives and developed a
scale of five primary motives for using the Internet: interpersonal utility,
pass time, information seeking, convenience, and entertainment.
Whiting A. (2013)
suggests that there are ten uses and gratifications for using social media and
they are: social interaction, information seeking, pass time, entertainment,
relaxation, communicatory utility, convenience utility, expression of opinion,
information sharing, and surveillance/knowledge about others.
While Quan-Haase,
A. & Young, A. (2010) found that there are six gratifications obtained from
Facebook: pastime, affection, fashion, share problems, sociability, and social
information.
Alkandari, A.,
Melkote, S., and Sharif, A. (2016) found that the use of social media can help
university students gratify needs such as self-expression, social interaction,
entertainment, and opinion exchange.
Continuing with the
theme of socialization, Park, N., Kee, K., and Valenzuela, S. (2009) found that
university students join Facebook to fulfill their need for social interaction
with their friends. Also, Alhabash & Ma (2017) argue that early studies of U&G
of social media have focused on the social value of social media and its
relation to interacting and connecting with friends and family.
Other studies of university
students found that students use social media to seek information,
entertainment, personal utility, convenience, and altruism features (Almenayes,
2015). Also, research showed that experience with social media use was
correlated with communication-related variables. Almenayes (2015) found that
the more experience students have with social media use, the more likely they
will use it for entertainment and personal utility.
Alkandari et al.
(2017) study of university students’ use of Instagram suggests that personal-presentation
and entertainment were the main motives for using Instagram.
The nature of live
posting on Twitter with 280 characters led it to be a source of valuable
information (Alrajehi, M., 2016; Kircaburun et al., 2018). According to
research, Twitter has been used for social interaction, information sharing,
mobilization, and new technology gratification ( Kircaburun et al., 2018). Alrajehi
(2016) found that young adults use Twitter 3 to 4 hours per day to meet new
people, follow the local news, and engage in discussions.
Although research
on Instagram is still developing due to its recent increase in adoption rates
(Alhabash & Ma, 2017), however, the research found that Instagram allows
self-presentation due to its unique features that allow users to take, filter, share
photos, and allows live broadcast and story creation (Kircaburun et al., 2018).
Studies that investigated uses and gratification of Instagram use have reported
different motivations such as entertainment, convenience, self-presentation,
medium appeal, interpersonal interaction, surveillance, documentation, coolness,
and creativity (Alhabash & Ma, 2017; Kircaburun et al., 2018; Alkandari et
al., 2017).
About snapshot, Kircaburun
et al. (2018) suggested that Snapchat is often seen for entertainment, and it
is used to communicate with the immediate community. Past research that
examined Snapchat from U&G perspective found different motivations such as
entertainment, convenience, medium appeal, self-expression, modality, agency,
interactivity, navigability, and privacy (Alhabash & Ma, 2017; Kircaburun
et al., 2018). Joe, P., Jin, S., and Kim, J. (2015) found that passing time,
sharing problems, and improving social knowledge were the highest motivations
to use Snapchat.
Previous research
on the U&G of social media platforms noticed several observations. First,
past literature suggests that the functionality of each platform leads to a
unique set of motivations obtained from each platform use. Second, audience activity
is an essential part of the U&G perspective. Third, although each platform
has its unique functions and motivations for using it, there could be some
uniform motivations and similarities across platforms.
Building on
previous research in which investigators measured motivations to use different
social media platforms, this study aims to explore cross-platform differences
in use intensity and motivations for using each platform. The main objective is
to investigate Kuwaiti youths’ social media behavior and motivations since
there is a lack of quantitative data and empirical research about social media
use in Kuwait. The study objective is to understand why do youths use each
social media platform and what are their main motivations. The second objective
is to understand social media use behavior among youths in Kuwait in terms of
time spent on social media and what platforms do they use. Advancements in
communication technologies and the growing popularity of social media in Kuwait
have had an impact on the Kuwaiti society. Therefore, the study aims to explore
how and why do youths use social media.
Past research has
operationalized social media use by employing various scales that assess the
level of an individual’s engagement and time spent (Olufadi, 2016). In this
study, we define social media use by looking at the average time spent using
social media. Also, we define social media intensity from a cognitive and
affective perspective (Alhabash & Ma, 2017). This study addresses the
motivations behind using different social media platforms and asks the following
questions:
RQ1: What are the
motivations behind using Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat?
RQ2: What is the
correlation between motivations to use Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram and
time spent on social media?
Method
Sample
To answer the study’s research questions, a
self-administered survey questionnaire was conducted for this study. A
cross-sectional survey of Kuwait University college students was conducted with
a sample of 692. Kuwait University students were chosen because it is the only
state university in the country and has the highest number of students. The
second reason is that Kuwait University only accepts Kuwaiti nationals, unlike
private universities that are open for expats, so it provides a clear view of
Kuwaiti students’ social media behavior which fits the Study’s main objective.
Lastly, since Kuwait University is the only state university in the country, it
is more representative of the total population in terms of area of living and
major.
The study focused
on young people because they constitute the highest percentage of social media
users (Kamal, 2017). Therefore the data were collected from a purposive sample
of university students because of their characteristics as young adults, which
meets the objective. This sampling method was adapted from Almenayes (2015).
University students enrolled in Kuwait University were asked to participate in
this study. The total number of students enrolled in Kuwait University is 35797,
while the study recruited 692 participants through a purposive (convenient)
sample of undergraduate students. The surveys were completed via face-to-face
methodology and were distributed over two months (March 1 to May 1, 2018) to
all Kuwait University students. Participants were assured of confidentiality
and anonymity, and participation was voluntary. The questionnaires were
administered in Arabic. After the data collection, the study used SPSS for data
entry and analysis.
The larger
proportion of the sample identified between 18 and 28 years of age (81.6%,
N=416), while 8.8% (N=45) is less than 18 years old. Participants who reported
their ages between 29 and 39 years old constituted 8.2% (N=42) and 1.4% (N=7) are
between 40 and 50 years old. The results show that there were no respondents
above 50 years old. The reason the study included age groups over 28 although
it was measuring Kuwait University students is that some students in the
university are above 28 years old as part of the university’s plan to serve the
whole community and continuous learning program. Respondents were 40.9% (N=166)
male and 59.1% (N=240) female. This gender distribution reflects the enrollment
profile of the university student body, which is 70% female (Almenayes, 2015).
As per participants’ majors, the analysis revealed that 38.8% (N=267) are
studying science and engineering, 34.1% (N=235) are enrolled in the College of
Arts, 9.1% (N=63) are medicine students, Islamic Sharia and College of life
sciences both constitute 8.7% (N=60) of the sample, and only 0.4% (N=3) and
0.1% (N=1) of the sample are enrolled in the College of Human Sciences and
College of law respectively. In terms of area of living, the sample is
diversified and represent the total population. The results show that 25.3%
(174) are from Aljahra district, 20.2% (N=139) are from Alasima, 18.6% (N=128)
are from Alfarwaniya, 16.6% (N=114), 12.9% (N=89) are from Mubarak Alkabeer,
and 6.4% (N=44) are from Alahmadi.
Table
1. Age distribution in the sample
Age
group (years) |
N |
% |
Less
than 18 |
45 |
8.8% |
18-28 |
416 |
81.6% |
29-39 |
42 |
8.2% |
40-50 |
7 |
1.4% |
Table
2. Participants area of living
District |
N |
% |
Alasima |
139 |
20.2% |
Hawally |
114 |
16.6% |
Farwaniya |
128 |
18.6% |
Mubarak
Alkabeer |
89 |
12.9% |
Alahmidi |
44 |
6.4% |
Aljahra |
174 |
25.3% |
Measures and Procedures
To measure the intensity of using Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat, this study used six items adapted from Alhabash &
Ma, 2017. Participants were asked to rate, on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly
disagree, 5 = strongly agree) their agreement or disagreement of statements
regarding the intensity of use for each platform. These statements are: “(social media
platform) is part of my everyday activity,” “I am proud to tell people I’m on
(social media platform),” “(social media platform) has become part of my daily
routine”, “I feel out of touch when I haven’t logged onto (social media
platform) for a while,” “I feel I am part of the “(social media platform)
community,”
“I would be disappointed if “(social media
platform) shut down.”
The study also asked respondents to
specify the amount of time on average they spent on social media. Respondents
were asked a single question about the total number of hours spent using social
media daily on a six-point scale: (1) a few hours per month, (2) few hours per
week, (3) few hours per day, (4) from 1 to 3 hours per day, (5) from 3 to 5
hours per day, (6) more than 5 hours per day.
As for motivations
to use each platform, the study adapted to Liu, B., Cheung, K., & Lee, O. (2010)
list of motivations. Respondents were asked on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly
disagree, 5 = strongly agree) to express their agreement or disagreement with
statements pertaining to the following motivations for information sharing
(three items), social interaction (three items), self-documentation (three
items), entertainment (two items), passing time (three items), personal-expression
(two items), and convenience (two items) (see Appendix
for details).
Similar to Almenayes’s (2015), the
study used a single-item to measure satisfaction with social media use.
Respondents were asked to indicate: “overall, how satisfied are you with social
media in what it does in providing you with the things you are seeking?”
Responses ranged from “not at all satisfied” (1) to “extremely satisfied”(5). In
addition, the study included a demographic control variable, where respondents
were asked to indicate their sex (1) male, and (2) female and age by indicating
their age group (1) below 18 years, (2) 18 to 28 years, (3) 29 to 39 years, (4)
40 to 50 years, (5) 51 to 61 years, and (6) more than 62 years. The demographic
variables also included questions related to the area of living based on Kuwait’s
six main districts and university major.
Results
Descriptive Statistics of
Social Media Use Patterns
Before discussing the analysis, the
next section will present some descriptive statistical findings of the sample
relevant to the research questions. Figure 1 shows respondents’ answers to the
social media platforms they currently use. Instagram is by far is the most
popular (89%) followed by Snapchat (78%), Twitter (67%), and lastly Facebook
(32%) (see Figure 1).
Results show that 21.9% of
respondents spend more than five hours per day on social media, 16.4% spend
between one to three hours per week and 14.2% spend between three to five hours
per day. Results are shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1. Penetration rates of
Social media platforms (N=688)
Figure 2. Time spend on Social
Media, N=690
As for intensity to use each
platform, respondents expressed their highest intensity to use Snapchat (M=3.35,
SD=0.88), followed by intensity to use Twitter (M=3.24, SD=0.95) and intensity
to use Instagram showed the lowest mean (M=3.29, SD=1.00) (Figure 2).
Figure 3. Means differences in
intensity to use Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, N=655.
Motivations for Using
Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram
RQ1 asks about the motives
for using Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Eighteen Likert-scale items were
used in the questionnaire to examine each social media platform’s use
motivations. Exploratory analysis with varimax rotation was performed on each
platform to study their underlying factors. As a result of the analysis, two
items were discarded from the Snapchat factor analysis due to eigenvalue under
1.
Table 3 shows the results of
Snapchat factor analysis. As we can see, four factors are representing the
underlying dimensions of the motivation behind the utilization of Snapchat.
They are self- presentation, entertainment, self-expression, and passing the
time.
The results of the Twitter factor
analysis are presented in Table 4. Three factors are representing the
underlying dimensions of motivation for using Twitter: self-presentation,
entertainment, and passing the time. While the analysis of Instagram shows that
there are four dimensions of the motivation behind using it, they are
self-documentation, entertainment, social interaction, and passing the time.
The results are presented in Table 5. Below is the discussion of these factors
in more detail.
Snapchat Motivations
The first-factor self-presentation
accounted for 37.19% of the variance after rotation. It contained six items
related to sharing information and recording daily activities (Cronbach’s Alpha=.70). Entertainment consisted
of 4 items, compromised of statements related to enjoyment, passing time and
entertainment. It accounted for 9.15% of the variance (Cronbach a=.78). Personal
utility also contained four items: “to show my personality,” “to tell
others about myself,” “to meet new people” and “it is easy to use” categories
(Cronbach a=.75). This factor explained 7.3% of the variance. Finally, passing
time contained two items “I have nothing to do,” “it relaxes me” (Cronbach’s Alpha =.73). It explained 5.17% of the variance
after rotation.
Passing the time (M=3.04, SD=1.13)
and self-expression (M=2.55, SD=0.96) had the highest mean scores. None of the
other factors were as salient as the previous two. Snapchat users in this
sample primarily regarded the platform as a source of passing the time and
self-expression.
Table
3. Factor analysis of gratification obtained from Snapchat
Factors
|
Mean |
SD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Self-presentation |
2.41 |
0.93 |
|
|
|
|
Share
information |
2.48 |
1.21 |
0.66 |
|
|
|
Share
information useful to people |
2.40 |
1.21 |
0.72 |
|
|
|
Present
information on my interest |
2.40 |
1.68 |
0.51 |
|
|
|
To
record where I have been |
2.27 |
1.42 |
0.59 |
|
|
|
To
record what I have learned |
2.44 |
1.18 |
0.66 |
|
|
|
To
record what I do in life |
2.45 |
1.23 |
0.59 |
|
|
|
Entertainment
|
2.27 |
0.91 |
|
|
|
|
It
is enjoyable |
2.04 |
1.07 |
|
0.71 |
|
|
It
entertains me |
2.23 |
1.18 |
|
0.84 |
|
|
It
helps pass the time |
2.48 |
1.28 |
|
0.73 |
|
|
It
is convenient |
2.27 |
1.15 |
|
0.59 |
|
|
Self-expression |
2.55 |
0.96 |
|
|
|
|
To
show my personality |
2.80 |
1.31 |
|
|
0.70 |
|
To
tell others about myself |
2.65 |
1.31 |
|
|
0.77 |
|
To
meet new people |
2.50 |
1.26 |
|
|
0.65 |
|
It
is easy to use |
2.26 |
1.17 |
|
|
0.52 |
|
Passing
time |
3.04 |
1.13 |
|
|
|
|
I
have nothing better to do |
2.98 |
1.28 |
|
|
|
0.80 |
It
relaxes me |
3.11 |
1.26 |
|
|
|
0.74 |
Eigenvalue |
|
|
6.69 |
1.64 |
1.32 |
1.06 |
%
of variance explained |
|
|
37.19 |
9.15 |
7.3 |
5.17 |
Cronbach’s
alpha |
|
|
0.70 |
0.78 |
0.75 |
0.73 |
Note.
Loading <0.50 were suspended.
Twitter Motivations
As seen in Table 4, the first factor
for Twitter motivations itself-presentation accounted for 47.32% of the
variance after rotation. It contained seven items related to keeping a record
of daily life and sharing personal information (Cronbach’s
Alpha =.88). Entertainment consisted of 7 items, compromised of
statements related to enjoyment, entertainment and passing the time. It accounted
for 8.65% of the variance (Cronbach’s Alpha =.87).
Finally, social interaction contained five items: “to share information,”
“to meet new people,” “to connect with people similar to me” and “to connect
with people who share some of my values” (Cronbach’s
Alpha =.78). This factor explained 6.08% of the variance.
The analysis shows that self-presentation
(M=2.81, SD=1.00) had the highest mean score of all factors. None of the other
factors were as relevant as a personal utility. Mainly, Twitter users in this
sample regarded Twitter as a source of self-presentation and utility.
Table
4. Factor analysis of gratification obtained from Twitter
Factors
|
Mean |
SD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Self-presentation |
2.81 |
1.00 |
|
|
|
To
tell others about myself |
2.67 |
1.35 |
0.78 |
|
|
It
relaxes me |
3.04 |
1.35 |
0.74 |
|
|
I
have nothing better to do |
3.02 |
1.35 |
0.72 |
|
|
To
show my personality |
2.68 |
1.35 |
0.71 |
|
|
To
record where I have been |
2.83 |
1.34 |
0.67 |
|
|
To
record what I have learned |
2.77 |
1.37 |
0.63 |
|
|
To
record what I do in life |
3.03 |
1.34 |
0.60 |
|
|
Entertainment
|
2.51 |
1.05 |
|
|
|
It
entertains me |
2.45 |
1.27 |
|
0.77 |
|
It
helps pass the time |
2.74 |
1.35 |
|
0.77 |
|
It
relaxes me |
3.04 |
1.35 |
|
0.71 |
|
It
is easy to use |
2.36 |
1.25 |
|
0.67 |
|
Present
information on my interest |
2.33 |
1.30 |
|
0.66 |
|
Share
information useful to people |
2.40 |
1.32 |
|
0.66 |
|
It
is enjoyable |
2.24 |
1.19 |
|
0.60 |
|
Social-interaction |
2.41 |
1.05 |
|
|
|
It
is enjoyable |
2.24 |
1.19 |
|
|
0.52 |
Share
information |
2.23 |
2.00 |
|
|
0.71 |
To
meet new people |
2.52 |
1.31 |
|
|
0.58 |
To
connect with people who are similar to me |
2.52 |
1.25 |
|
|
0.52 |
To
connect with people what share some of my values |
2.52 |
1.23 |
|
|
0.52 |
Eigenvalue |
|
|
8.51 |
1.55 |
1.09 |
%
of variance explained |
|
|
47.32 |
8.65 |
6.08 |
Cronbach’s
alpha |
|
|
0.88 |
0.87 |
0.78 |
Note.
Loading <0.50 were suspended.
Instagram
motivations
Instagram’s first-factor self-presentation
accounted for 45.97% of the variance after rotation (See Table 5). It
contained seven items related to sharing information and presenting and
self-recording (Cronbach’s Alpha =.89). Entertainment
consisted of 5 items, compromised of statements related to enjoyment,
entertainment, passing the time and convenience. It accounted for 8.47% of the
variance (Cronbach’s Alpha =.79). Social-interaction
accounted for 7.48% of the variance and consisted of 4 items related to meeting
new people and connecting with others (Cronbach’s Alpha
=.80). Finally, passing time contained two items: “I have nothing better
to do” and “it relaxes me” (Cronbach’s Alpha =.80).
This factor explained 5.59% of the variance.
Passing the time (M=3.06, SD=1.20)
had the highest mean score, followed by social interaction (M=2.66, SD=1.03)
and self-documentation (M=2.61, SD=1.00). The results show that Instagram users
in the sample use it to pass the time and communicate with people.
Table
5. Factor analysis of gratification obtained from Instagram
Factors
|
Mean |
SD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Self-presentation |
2.61 |
1.00 |
|
|
|
|
Share
information useful to people |
2.59 |
1.29 |
0.78 |
|
|
|
To
record what I do in life |
2.78 |
1.29 |
0.73 |
|
|
|
Present
information on my interest |
2.48 |
1.28 |
0.73 |
|
|
|
To
record what I have learned |
2.75 |
1.26 |
0.71 |
|
|
|
Share
information |
2.50 |
1.32 |
0.69 |
|
|
|
To
record where I have been |
2.62 |
1.27 |
0.61 |
|
|
|
To
connect with people who are similar to me |
2.56 |
1.24 |
0.60 |
|
|
|
Entertainment
|
2.37 |
1.00 |
|
|
|
|
It
entertains me |
2.34 |
1.31 |
|
0.81 |
|
|
It
helps pass the time |
2.61 |
1.33 |
|
0.67 |
|
|
It
is enjoyable |
2.34 |
1.31 |
|
0.64 |
|
|
It
is easy to use |
2.29 |
1.22 |
|
0.63 |
|
|
convenience |
2.42 |
1.46 |
|
0.58 |
|
|
Social-interaction |
2.66 |
1.03 |
|
|
|
|
To
meet new people |
2.55 |
1.26 |
|
|
0.78 |
|
To
tell others about myself |
2.63 |
1.34 |
|
|
0.71 |
|
To
show my personality |
2.78 |
1.35 |
|
|
0.67 |
|
To
connect with people what share some of my values |
2.68 |
1.25 |
|
|
0.58 |
|
Passing
time |
3.06 |
1.20 |
|
|
|
|
I
have nothing better to do |
3.04 |
1.32 |
|
|
|
0.77 |
It
relaxes me |
3.08 |
1.31 |
|
|
|
0.74 |
Eigenvalue |
|
|
8.27 |
1.52 |
1.34 |
1.00 |
%
of variance explained |
|
|
45.97 |
8.47 |
7.48 |
5.59 |
Cronbach’s
alpha |
|
|
0.89 |
0.79 |
0.80 |
0.80 |
Note.
Loading <0.50 were suspended.
In terms of mean scores, results
show that motivations vary across each platform. Results are summarized in
Figure 4. However, the findings indicate that there is a trend in the
prevalence of motivations related to entertainment and self-presentation across
all platform, while other motivations varied in their existence. Twitter takes
the lead in entertainment motivation, followed by Instagram, and Snapchat,
respectively. About self-presentation, as shown in Figure 4that, Twitter leads,
followed by Instagram, then Snapchat, respectively. Social interaction
motivation emerged in both Instagram and Twitter but was not found in Snapchat
due to the nature of the platform, which is based on presentation and
self-documentation.
Figure 4. Mean differences in
motivations to use Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram (N=640).
Correlates of motivations
for using Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram
RQ2 asked about the
relationship between motivations for using Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram and
time spent on social media. Table 4 shows the results of the statistical
analysis used to examine these relationships. Pearson coefficient was
calculated for each platform’s motivations with the “time spent on social
media” variable. This variable was measured using a quantitative scale ranging
from 1(the least score) to 6 (the highest score).
Table 5 shows the results of this
analysis. As shown below, the more time a respondent spends on social media,
the more likely he or she will utilize it for Snapchat self-expression and
passing the time (r=.25, r=.95, p<.01, respectively). Also, the more time a
respondent spends on social media, the more likely he or she will use it for
Instagram social interaction (r=.18, p<.01). However, the findings suggest
that users who spent more time using social media are less likely to use it for
entertainment on Snapchat and Instagram (r= -.28, r=-.41, p<.01,
respectively) and Instagram self-presentation (r = -.40, p< .01).
Table
5. Pearson correlation between motivation factors and social media platforms’
variables.
Motivations |
Time
spent on social media |
Snapchat
|
|
Self-presentation |
.00 |
Entertainment
|
-.28** |
Self-expression |
.25** |
Passing
time |
.95** |
Twitter |
|
Social
interaction |
-.04 |
Entertainment
|
-.25** |
Self-presentation |
.02 |
Instagram |
|
Passing
time |
.02 |
Social
interaction |
.18** |
Entertainment
|
-.41** |
Self-presentation |
-.40** |
*P<.05.
**P<.01*
Discussion
This study is one of the few studies that
examined how Kuwaiti university students use social media and their motivations
to use each platform. The study compared the U&G of three leading social
media platforms among youths in Kuwait. The most significant value of this
study is the examination of the similarities and differences across the three
platforms about motivations and usage. This study proves that each platform is
distinct and has its features and usage patterns, which were prevalent in the
findings. Although social media penetration rate is high, all cross the three platforms,
the motivations to use each platform are different.
This study showed
that more than third (36.1%) of the respondents spend 3 hours and more on
social media every day. In terms of popularity, Instagram had the highest
number of users with nearly 90% of the respondents stated that they use the
platform, followed by Snapchat with more than three-thirds of the respondents
(78.6%) indicating that the use it. Twitter, on the other hand, showed a 67%
penetration rate, while 32% of respondents reported using Facebook. These
findings are consistent with a previous study by Kircaburun et al.,( 2018), which
suggests Instagram and Snapchat were the most
commonly used social media platforms among students. However, the
results show that the intensity of using Snapchat was the highest among all
three platforms, followed by Instagram and Twitter, respectively. These results
indicate that although Instagram is the most popular platform among the
respondents, however, results show a greater intensity to use Snapchat. In
other words, more favorable affective and cognitive attitudes toward Snapchat
and Twitter than Instagram.
Concerning the
motivations to use social media platforms, all respondents reported using
Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter for entertainment and self- presentation. The
findings indicate that respondents are using social media platforms for their
motives to present and manage their identities, online persona, and document
their lives. Results show that passing time motive was the highest rated
motivation across Snapchat and Instagram. This finding indicates that the
nature of Instagram and Snapchat is built around sharing and posting photos and
videos, which makes browsing these platforms more enjoyable than others.
The analysis shows
that each platform has its unique motivations to use it. For example, in
addition to self-presentation and entertainment, respondents reported that they
use Snapchat for passing the time and self-expression. As for Twitter
motivations, social interaction was found to be one of the motives apart from
self-presentation and entertainment. Finally, the study shows that Instagram
motivations include passing the time and social interaction in addition to self-presentation
and entertainment (see Figure 4). This is consistent with Alkandari, et al.,
(2016)’s a study that suggests Instagram provides categories of needs and motives similar in
nature to those of other social media such as self-expression, social
interaction, entertainment, and opinion exchange.
These motives were
subsequently correlated with time spent on social media. Results show that the
more time a user spends on social media, the more likely he or she will use it
for Snapchat self-expression and passing the time. In terms of Twitter, the
more time a user spends on social media, the more likely he or she will use it
for entertainment and social interaction
Conclusion
This study was inspired by the
limited research on social media in the Middle East, specifically in Kuwait
(Alajimi et al., 2016). Despite the reported high penetration rates of the
Internet and social media platforms, statistics and quantitative data are very
limited. This study was conducted to provide descriptive statistics and
understand the motivations that influence social media use in Kuwait. This
study identified factors that are influential for motivating Snapchat (passing
the time, self-expression, self-presentation, entertainment), Twitter
(self-presentation, entertainment, social interaction) and Instagram use (passing
the time, social interaction, self-presentation, entertainment). Although information
seeking is the most important predictor for social media usage in previous
research (Alajimi et al., 2016, Alkandari et al., 2014),
our study yielded different results. The surprising conclusions regarding entertainment
and self-presentation being the motivations for using all three social media
platforms suggests that youths use these platforms for different reasons.
Youths use social media especially the new photo-sharing networking sites for
self-documnetations and presentation because they feel that taking photos and
capturing events is fun and exciting (Alfailawai, 2018). This may also suggest
that the increase in fake news and disinformation social media have led to the
decline of social media use for news. Youths use social media for personal
utility and self-expression. The results reveal that social media have become a
platform for self-presentation were users use it to post and document their
lives and share it with their followers.
Limitations and Future Research
Although this research has reported
interesting findings in the context of social media platforms, some limitations
were identified and needed to be discussed for future studies. First, this
study investigates U&G for using Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram by
applying motivations that were previously studied in other cultures. Future
studies need to identify the motivations of social media use in the Gulf and
Arab countries.
Second, the current
study applied a quantitative method (questionnaire) to analyze U&G of
social media platforms, a future study that uses qualitative approach needs to
be carried out to discover the underlying motivations and user behavior. In-depth
interviews with youths about their usage behavior would be a suggestion to
understand their behaviors and attitudes.
Third, the
definition of some variables might limit the scope of the study. The main
variables were based on self-reports and measured the overall use of social
media. For example, the variable “time spent using social media” was measured
by asking respondents about the time they spend using social media in general.
Although this question measures time on social media, it is general and does
not measure the time spent using each platform specifically.
Finally, although
this study provides a clear explanation for social media platforms’ usage among
college students in Kuwait, it does not wholly explain social media behavior in
general. Even though youths are the heaviest users of social media platforms,
our results cannot be generalized to the whole public. Future research should
expand the scope of research to diverse demographic groups.
Appendix
Motivations
of social media use
Statements
|
Information sharing: I use ___ to …. share information
Share information useful to people Present information on my interest |
Self-documentation: I use ___ to ... To record what I do in life
To record what I have learned To record
where I have been |
Social interaction: I use ___ to ... To connect with people who share some of my values
To connect with people who are similar to me
To meet new people |
Entertainment: I use ___
to ... It is
enjoyable It entertains me
|
Passing time: I use ___ to .. It helps pass the time
I have nothing better to do It relaxes
me |
Self-expression: I use ___
to ... To show my personality To tell others about myself |
Convenience: I use ___ to ... It is easy to use It is convenient |
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Correspondence to:
Fatima Alsalem, College of Arts, Mass communication
Department, Kuwait university, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060,
Kuwait.
Biography
Fatima
Alsalem (Ph.D., Indiana University, USA, 2015) is
an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Kuwait University, where she is
committed to supporting students and trying to boost tolerance and acceptance
of others among Kuwaiti youth. Dr. Fatima has participated in the media tech
camp by the United States Mission to the United Nations and State Department in
New York, 2012 and the International Visiting Leadership Program (IVLP)
sponsored by the State Department in the United States “Women Preventing
Violent Extremism” in 2015. Dr. Alsalem has participated in Voices for Reason
Program on Combating Terrorism by Hollings Center and the State Department in
2016.