Uses and Gratifications, Journalists’ Twitter Use, and Relational Satisfaction with the Public

Abstract

This study employed the uses and gratification approach to investigate how journalists perceive relational satisfaction with the public on Twitter, specifically the associations between journalists’ motivations to use Twitter, their Twitter use, and their relational satisfaction with the public. Through a survey of South Korean journalists, this study revealed that journalists’ motivations for Twitter use are positively related to their job-related activities on Twitter (e.g., posting/sharing their news and interacting with audience), which consequently influences perceived relational satisfaction with the public. The findings provide new insight into an increasingly important part of the public’s engagement and news/information flows in the digital media environment. This study expands upon the literature by analyzing how journalists’ motivations for using Twitter and their job-related activities on Twitter are associated with relational satisfaction with the public.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yonghwan Kim

Yonghwan Kim (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. His research interests include emerging information communication technologies (ICTs) such as digital/social media, media convergence, public opinion, and media psychology.

Youngju Kim

Youngju Kim (M.A., University of California-Davis) is a doctoral candidate in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. Her research areas include media psychology, media effects, and political communication.

Yuan Wang

Yuan Wang (M.A., University of Alabama) is a doctoral student in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. His research interests include public relations, digital media, and media effects.

Na Yeon Lee

Na Yeon Lee (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor in the Department of Media Communication at the Sungshin Women’s University in South Korea. Her research interests include journalism, political communication, and media psychology.