With the advancement of digital technology and network, media become expanded quantitatively. Although media increase continuously, the ultimate number of users of media market is limited and therefore the importance of users cannot but increase. In a...
With the advancement of digital technology and network, media become expanded quantitatively. Although media increase continuously, the ultimate number of users of media market is limited and therefore the importance of users cannot but increase. In addition, the selection of media and consumption of contents are carried out in a naturally-linked single consumption principle. As one content can cross many media, such a consumption behavior as media users select desiring contents from a variety of media has become a common practice. At this point of time when users can approach to diverse media, studies on users' behavior of how they are dealing with diverse media become important all the more. This kind of discussion must be started from users and the organic relations between users and media & contents must be examined. On this account, the investigator examined whether or not users use diverse media universally or selectively and what are the reason and method of users' media use. In addition, the investigator examined which media users use to acquire contents they want and how to use it.
With the appearance of multimedia, users' media selectivity has expanded and with technological advancement, two-way communication has become possible. In this vein, users' stand changes from a passive receiver to an active selector who freely selects a medium they want. Media users select such media which are appropriate for their preference or convenience and this phenomenon constitutes a certain combination of media, namely 'media repertoire'. In addition, with the digitalization of media, same contents can be used in a variety of media and therefore users use the contents via their preferred or convenient media. With the formation of media repertoire, they repetitively use such contents which they used before and therefore 'contents repertoire' is established. In this vein, the purpose of this study was to examine the selective process of media and the media repertoire-based difference of users' multimedia use motives under the multimedia environment, in order to more concretely understand media users' media use behavior from the aspect of use gratifications.
In the era of fusion media, use motives are different by used media. And media use is different by the difference of use motives. Under a multimedia environment, users' adoption of media and contents seems to be a rational and active behavior for them to satisfy their desires. That can explain audience's psychological process of selection for a certain medium is the theory of reasoned action. Therefore, based on the theories of 'use and gratifications', 'expectancy value' and 'reasoned action', the investigator established an integrated gratification model in order to examine users' gratification for media use and their media use combination for their gratification.
Based on the above discussion, the investigator carried out following analyses:
First, users' active and rational behavior for media selection and contents consumption under a fusion environment was examined, together with the examination of the composition of users' gratification obtained (GO) from media use. In addition, different from preceding studies' linear model, this study separated media use behavior from contents use behavior in use intention and again media GO from contents GO in order to analyze gratification obtained from media use.
Second, media use behavior and media GO and contents GO under a multimedia and multiple contents environment were examined in detail. On the assumption that users will use several specific media continuously among a variety of media, the composition of media use was examined. As a result of analysis, 7 types of media repertoire and 7 types of contents repertoire were worked out.
Third, on the assumption that the use quantity and extent of specific media and the gusto and immersion in it will be different by times and places, the environmental and structural factor-oriented media use behavior was comparatively analyzed. As a result of analysis, the use quantity and extent of media were different by times and spaces. And media GO and contents Go were different by spatial changes.
Fourth, the modality of mosaic composition gratification-based integrated gratification was examined. In order to examine this study's integrated gratification, path model-based analysis was carried out. As a result of analysis, in the relationship between components, media integrated gratification consisted of TV GO, Internet GO and mobile GO. In addition, integrated gratification of media consisted of media GO and contents GO and media GO and contents GO had a significant influence upon integrated gratification.