Audience Use of New Media Technologies on NPR.Org: An
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2011 Audience Use of New Media Applications on npr.org: An Exploratory Study Kristine Johnson Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION AUDIENCE USE OF NEW MEDIA APPLICATIONS ON NPR.ORG: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY By KRISTINE JOHNSON A Dissertation submitted to the School of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011 The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Kristine Johnson defended on November 12, 2010. _______________________________________ Dr. Steven McClung Professor Co-Directing Dissertation _______________________________________ Dr. Jennifer Proffitt Professor Co-Directing Dissertation _______________________________________ Dr. Jeanine Turner University Representative _______________________________________ Dr. Jay Rayburn Committee Member Approved: _____________________________________ Stephen McDowell, Chair, School of Communication _____________________________________ Larry Dennis, Dean, College of Communication and Information The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my loving parents, Dale and Monica. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Dr. Steven McClung for being such a dedicated, insightful, and practical mentor. He helped me in ways that I can only describe as being well above and beyond any expectations. Dr. McClung continued to work with me after pursuing an opportunity at another university, and he always made sure I was on track to ultimately ―find a job.‖ Plus, I also enjoyed our meetings at the ―lunchbox‖ office during the summer months. Thank you, Dr. McClung. I am also greatly indebted to my committee co-chair, Dr. Jennifer Proffitt. I admire her as both a professor and academic researcher, and I feel fortunate to have worked with Dr. Proffitt since the beginning of my time at Florida State University. Her keen attention to detail and profound editing skills proved to be invaluable. I also view Dr. Proffitt as an overall good, kind person. Next, it is difficult to imagine the completion of this dissertation without the input of Dr. Jay Rayburn. Thanks to his direct and practical feedback, I will have ample research material with which to begin my career as a university faculty member. Dr. Jeannine Turner, my outside committee member, was kind enough to assist with this process, and I appreciate her insightful comments. I also value what I learned from Dr. Turner in the classroom. The knowledge she introduced me to will help me be an efficient and effective professor. Aside from the guidance I received from my committee members, I am also grateful to have worked with a disciplined, dedicated, and fun group of graduate students. Many of us started on this path together, and I know that rewarding opportunities lie ahead for all of us. I am also indebted to the professors whose courses have made my time as a doctoral student a prosperous and valuable learning experience. Finally, I feel fortunate to have a loving family who has stood by me through thick and thin. This includes my perfect partner and best friend, Bill. iv TABLE OF CONENTS List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 Background ..............................................................................................................2 Problem Statement and Purpose of Study ................................................................4 II. REVIEW OF LITERATRE ............................................................................................6 Radio and the Web ...................................................................................................6 Evolution of Uses and Gratifications .....................................................................11 Uses and Gratifications and New Technologies ....................................................13 Uses and Gratifications and the Internet ................................................................14 Uses and Gratifications and New Media Applications ..........................................15 Addressing Criticisms ............................................................................................17 Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained ................................................17 Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained in the New Century ...............20 Uses and Gratifications Summary .........................................................................21 NPR (Formerly Known as National Public Radio)................................................22 Research Questions ................................................................................................23 III. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................26 The Instrument .......................................................................................................26 Survey Design and Construction ...........................................................................26 Measurement ..........................................................................................................33 Supplemental Findings...........................................................................................34 Participants .............................................................................................................34 IV. RESULTS ....................................................................................................................37 Respondent Overview ............................................................................................37 Research Question #1 ............................................................................................37 Research Question #2 ............................................................................................38 Research Question #3 ............................................................................................38 v Research Question #4 ............................................................................................42 Research Questions #5 ...........................................................................................43 Research Questions #6 ...........................................................................................43 Research Questions #7 ...........................................................................................44 Additional Findings ...............................................................................................44 Qualitative Thematic Responses ............................................................................51 V. DISCUSSION ...............................................................................................................55 Conclusions Concerning Who is Using NPR.org ..................................................55 Conclusions Concerning Which Applications People Most Often Use.................56 Conclusions Concerning Why People Use New Media Applications ...................58 Predictors for Use of New Media on NPR.org ......................................................59 Expectations of NPR.org .......................................................................................61 Industry Implications .............................................................................................62 Theoretical Implications ........................................................................................63 Future Research .....................................................................................................64 Recommendations for Study Replication and Limitations ....................................64 Conclusion .............................................................................................................65 APPENDICES A. Additional Tables ..............................................................................................66 B. Internal Review Board (IRB) Approval ............................................................91 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................92 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...........................................................................................102 vi LIST OF TABLES 3.1 Gratifications Sought for Users and Non-Users Example ...........................................29 3.2 Gratifications Obtained for Users Example .................................................................29 3.3 Gratifications Obtained for Non-Users Example .........................................................29 3.4 Beliefs and Attitudes about NPR.org ...........................................................................29 4.1 Varimax Rotation Based on GO from NPR.org ...................................................................... 40 1 Introduction Page .........................................................................................................67