Det är svårt att undgå de återkommande diskussionerna om artificiell intelligens (AI), specifikt generativ AI och dess allt mer utbredda användning. Utvecklingen av exempelvis chatbotar, såsom ChatGPT, markerar en övergång mot teknik som anpassar sig efter människan och inte tvärtom, vilket väckt frågor kring användarupplevelser och design. Därför ämnar den här undersökningen att skapa djupare förståelse för vad som motiverar människor att börja och fortsätta använda ChatGPT, den senaste generationen av chatbot. För att göra det används Uses and gratification theory som ramverk för undersökningen då den kan identifiera bakomliggande motivation och vilka tillfredsställelser användaren får vid användandet av ett visst medium. I motsats till tidigare forskning som huvudsakligen använt enkäter och frågeformulär, använder denna studie semistrukturerade intervjuer för att få insikt i användarnas perspektiv och upplevelser. För att sortera den empiri som samlats in gjordes ett affinitetsdiagram. Den sorterade datan har sedan analyserats genom linsen av Uses and gratification theory.  Resultatet från undersökningen visar att det finns fyra primära motivationer för att börja och fortsätta sin användning av ChatGPT: tidseffektivitet, produktivitet, nyfikenhet och tillit. Det framgår att nyfikenhet initierar användningen medan tidseffektivitet och produktivitet är de primära motivationerna till fortsatt användning. Vidare anses tillit vara den kritiska motivationen som behöver tillfredsställas för att bibehålla användares engagemang. Slutsatsen är att framtida forskning och designprocesser kan med fördel inkludera personer som idag inte använder den här typen av tjänster för att kunna identifiera fler bakomliggande orsaker till bristande tillit och motivation. Det finns även ett behov av att utöka eller ta fram nya ramverk för att undersöka och identifiera nya motivationsfaktorer och tillfredsställelser i det föränderliga landskapet av digitala tjänster. Slutligen anses det kritiskt att den fortsatta utvecklingen av ChatGPT och liknande tjänster antar en användarcentrerad approach för att säkerställa en positiv användarupplevelse. / It is difficult to avoid the recurring discussions about artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI and its increasingly widespread use. The development of chatbots, such as ChatGPT, marks a transition toward technology that adapts to humans rather than the other way around, raising questions about user experiences and design. Therefore, this study aims to create a deeper understanding of what motivates people to start and continue using ChatGPT, the latest generation of chatbots. To achieve this, the Uses and Gratifications Theory is used as the framework for the study, as it can identify underlying motivations and the gratifications users derive from using a particular medium. In contrast to previous research that mainly used surveys and questionnaires, this study employs semi-structured interviews to gain insights into users' perspectives and experiences. Affinity diagrams were used to sort the collected empirical data. The sorted data has then been analyzed through the lens of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. The results of the study show that there are four primary motivations for starting and continuing the use of ChatGPT: time efficiency, productivity, curiosity, and trust. It appears that curiosity initiates usage, while time efficiency and productivity are the primary motivations for continued use. Furthermore, trust is considered the critical motivation that needs to be satisfied to maintain user engagement. The conclusion is that future research and design processes could benefit from including people who do not currently use this type of service to identify more underlying causes of lack of trust and motivation. There is also a need to expand or develop new frameworks to explore and identify new motivational factors and gratifications in the evolving landscape of digital services. Finally, it is deemed critical that the continued development of ChatGPT and similar services adopts a user-centered approach to ensure a positive user experience.

Social media today constitute a big part of everyday life for adolescents, but we believe that there is an inadequate knowledge of how young people in everyday contexts go about evaluating and reflecting upon the information mediated through Facebook. This study aims to examine how adolescents in their everyday life judge the credibility of information mediated through Facebook. In order to attain the aim the study also seeks to answer how adolescents reflect upon information on Facebook, what is their own role in the production of content and also to identify their cognitive resources and the practical doings which they apply in order to judge the credibility of the information. The theoretical framework on which the study is based are Patrick Wilson's theory of Cognitive authority and the theory of Uses and Gratifications. The data was accumulated by conducting two focus group interviews with a total of eight respondents, each focus group comprising four respondents. The study found that the content the respondents are exposed to is dependent on their own actions and that it is also a result of a wider range of age groups being more active on Facebook. Many of the respondents do not put much trust in the information and most of them are also passive in the production of it. The study also identified the following methods the respondents use when they evaluate the credibility of the information: to examine the sources, determine if there is any underlying political interest, reputation, how it is expressed, their attitude towards the information, compare sources, common sense and experience.

As the growing of social media and user-generated content phenomena, SNSs (Social Networking Sites) become a critical platform for people to join the virtual community to communicate and interact with each other. In addition to the positive virtual groups, there are also negative-bias counterparts - Anti-fans groups. The main purpose of Anti-fans groups is to oppose and attack particular celebrities they hate. The influence of such groups on the Internet cannot be underestimated. Based on the Use and Gratification Theory, the study proposes both environmental and psychological factors have the effect on motives, behaviors and attitudes. The research hypothesizes that both Computer-mediated Communication characteristics (CMC) and Big Five Personality traits do influence the motives, behaviors and attitudes of participating in Anti-fans groups. This research adopted Internet surveys and took samples from members from Anti-fans groups on Facebook. Results showed that high levels of Disinhibition and Self-disclosure of CMC characteristics and significantly predicted the motives, behaviors and attitudes of participating in Anti-fans groups, and so do Extraversion and Neuroticism of Big Five Personality traits. Furthermore, individuals with different motivations have diversity of behaviors and gratifications of participating in Anti-fans group

This work takes off in earlier studies concerning motivational factors to interact in various social media in relation to societal and political discussions. The aim for this study is to garner a deeper understanding about how users on Twitter are motivated to take part in debates beneath the hashtag #svpol. Also, this work contributes with the personal experience of entering the Twittersphere as a new user without the capital of trust or knowledge prerequisite to the participation in the community of #svpol. Through semi-structured interviews six respondents shared their experiences of political dialogue on Twitter. Further, this study presents a new form of gathering data by using Twitter as a channel for textual responses through the function of Direct Messages where 3 respondents answered in text. The results presented confirms earlier theory in some respects regarding motivational factors to engage in political commentary and debate on Twitter. Also, this study presents nuances which can be recognized as pre-dispositioning motivational factors addressed in earlier research. The respondents in this work show differences in their social orientation displaying both relation orientation and antagonistic features in the community of #svpol. Their motivation and gratifications differ, and the result are discussed and concluded in the final chapter. This study does not generalize by the findings presented, rather it describes a small window of the community of #svpol and political commentary on Twitter. Rather than posing any absolute truths or widely held conceptions, this study contributes by giving some depth to the notion of nine Twitter users and their perception of the activity beneath #svpol on the Twitter platform. This work also shines light hardships which a researcher might encounter on the way to a qualitative approach to Twitter users in a general, largely anonymous, network within a national setting.

The present study explored Swedish students’ motives for using Facebook and how those motives were influenced by various factors. By employing a uses and gratifications (U&G) approach, students’ motives, use intensity and network size were examined and assessed through quantitative measures. Data collected from university students (N = 139) via a web-based survey revealed that students’ primary motives for using Facebook are relationship maintenance, passing time, entertainment and social information which suggests that Facebook is about social interactions, having fun and knowing about the activities and events taking place among one’s peers. Additionally, the results showed no major differences between males and females in their motives. Data analysis of students’ use intensity showed that high-intensity users were generally more motivated to use Facebook regardless of motive, than low-intensity users. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed no significant correlations between motives for using Facebook and network size. Findings are discussed within the framework of uses and gratifications and in relation to prior U&G research of Facebook and social media.

The popularity of Taylor Swift has been growing rapidly on social media after the release of her ‘Midnights’ album on 21 October 2022. The lead single of the album, ‘Anti- Hero’ and the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ initiated by the singer inspired 17 thousand fans (Swifties) to share their own anti-heroic stories inspired by the song. The aim of the study is to examine the contribution of the Swifties online fan community to the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ on YouTube Shorts. The research interests revolve around Swifties’ prosumption practices in a dialogical relationship with the original music media material, the fan community, the platform, and the artist. The goal of the analysis is to demonstrate how Swifties use YouTube Shorts for both personal and communal expression by means of prosumption. Prosumption refers to the synchronous production and consumption of media content in the field of Media and Communication Studies (Zajc 2015:29). The thesis illustrates how online performances, interactions, and discussions nurtured by prosumption practices shape and maintain the Swifties fan community on YouTube Shorts. The study applies the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Netnography to scrutinize how Swifties reuse Taylor Swift’s song ‘Anti-Hero’ to make their own media products, and give each other feedback. The findings indicate that online fan prosumption and discussion practices not only foster entertaining, humorous, creative, and challenging self-expression but also provide pathways for communal exchange.  Swifties fan community members play a dual role in not only being active audiences and critics of ‘Anti-Hero’ but also of fellow fan prosumers. Swiftie prosumers and commenters of the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ videos also draw attention to controversial societal problems and call for change. The findings indicate the beginning of an era where the boundaries between music production and consumption dissolve. The thesis calls for further scientific inquiry into music fan communities’ prosumption practices online and offline.

Ce mémoire examine l'adoption des téléphones mobiles et l'utilisation des messages texte (SMS) par les adolescents chinois, selon la théorie des usages et gratifications et de la recherche sur la communication par ordinateur. Certains champs particuliers de l'utilisation des messages textes par les adolescents chinois, comme le contrôle parental, la circulation des chaînes de messages, la popularité des messages de salutations et l'utilisation répandue des émoticônes ont été étudiés. La fonction sociale des SMS, plus particulièrement des pratiques sociales et des relations émotionnelles des adolescents chinois, a également été explorée. Cette étude est basée sur un sondage réalisé sur le terrain auprès de 100 adolescents chinois. Elle révèle que chez les adolescents chinois, les deux principales raisons pour l'adoption du téléphone mobile sont l'influence parentale et le besoin de communication sociale. Quant à l'utilisation des messages texte, elle répond à sept usages et gratifications : la flexibilité, le coût modique, l’intimité, éviter l'embarras, le divertissement, l'engouement et l'évasion. Il a également été observé que les messages texte jouent un rôle positif dans la construction et l'entretien des relations sociales des adolescents chinois. / This thesis examined the adoption of mobile phones and use of SMS among Chinese teenagers based on the uses and gratification theory and computer-mediated communication research. Specific areas of Chinese teenagers’ SMS use, such as parental control, the circulation of chain messages, the popularity of greeting messages and the wide use of emoticons were studied. The social functions of SMS, especially in Chinese teenagers’ social-emotional practice, were explored as well. This study is based on a field survey conducted among one hundred Chinese teenagers. It reveals that, for Chinese teenagers, the two main reasons for the adoption of mobile phones are parental influence and the need for social communication; the use of SMS corresponds to seven uses and gratifications: flexibility, low cost, privacy, embarrassment avoidance, entertainment, fad and escape. SMS is also used by Chinese teenagers to build and maintain their social relationships.

Ce mémoire examine l'adoption des téléphones mobiles et l'utilisation des messages texte (SMS) par les adolescents chinois, selon la théorie des usages et gratifications et de la recherche sur la communication par ordinateur. Certains champs particuliers de l'utilisation des messages textes par les adolescents chinois, comme le contrôle parental, la circulation des chaînes de messages, la popularité des messages de salutations et l'utilisation répandue des émoticônes ont été étudiés. La fonction sociale des SMS, plus particulièrement des pratiques sociales et des relations émotionnelles des adolescents chinois, a également été explorée. Cette étude est basée sur un sondage réalisé sur le terrain auprès de 100 adolescents chinois. Elle révèle que chez les adolescents chinois, les deux principales raisons pour l'adoption du téléphone mobile sont l'influence parentale et le besoin de communication sociale. Quant à l'utilisation des messages texte, elle répond à sept usages et gratifications : la flexibilité, le coût modique, l’intimité, éviter l'embarras, le divertissement, l'engouement et l'évasion. Il a également été observé que les messages texte jouent un rôle positif dans la construction et l'entretien des relations sociales des adolescents chinois. / This thesis examined the adoption of mobile phones and use of SMS among Chinese teenagers based on the uses and gratification theory and computer-mediated communication research. Specific areas of Chinese teenagers’ SMS use, such as parental control, the circulation of chain messages, the popularity of greeting messages and the wide use of emoticons were studied. The social functions of SMS, especially in Chinese teenagers’ social-emotional practice, were explored as well. This study is based on a field survey conducted among one hundred Chinese teenagers. It reveals that, for Chinese teenagers, the two main reasons for the adoption of mobile phones are parental influence and the need for social communication; the use of SMS corresponds to seven uses and gratifications: flexibility, low cost, privacy, embarrassment avoidance, entertainment, fad and escape. SMS is also used by Chinese teenagers to build and maintain their social relationships.