You’re browsing your Facebook news feed when something catches your eye. It might be a juicy story about a celebrity break up, or how the local theatre is closing down due to code regulations. Either way, you might find it interesting or entertaining, and you hit “share”. Beyond the interest or entertainment factor, why do we share what we share on social media?
In Chei Sian Lee and Long Ma’s article “News Sharing in Social Media: The Effect of Gratifications and Prior Experience”, a research survey was completed to find an answer to their research question – How do gratification and experiential factors influence users’ intention to share news in social media? In a survey of 203 people, the authors found that the most salient reasons for sharing news on social media include the need to socialize and prior social media sharing experience. Evidently, much of social media sharing comes from wanting to interact with people, keep in touch, and encourage brainstorming through posting content online. In addition, people who blog or share pictures and videos on social media are much more likely to share news online; which is not a surprising finding considering the State of the News Media 2012 Research Report.
Some of the other reasons that Lee and Ma confirmed are for entertainment, status-seeking (as in, you feel more powerful or intellectual by sharing news) and information-seeking (as in helps users be aware of current events and feel better informed). Do any of these reasons sound like why you share news on social media? Discuss.
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