Using a quantitative survey distributed to regular players of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) (N = 777), the current study employed a correlation matrix and a parallel mediation model to assess the relationship between play frequency, motivating factors, and video game addiction. The results demonstrated that each of these elements were related to one another to varying degrees (p < .001). The motivating factors identified by Yee (2006) included achievement, immersion, and social interaction, which were tested as mediators and indicated that achievement (a1 = 0.2817, p < 0.001; b1 = 0.4073, p < 0.001) and immersion (a2 = 0.3217, p < 0.001; b2 = 0.2574, p < 0.001) are mediators in the relationship of play frequency and addiction. Social interaction was not significant as a mediator (a3 = 0.3217, p < 0.001; b3 = -0.0235, p = 0.6753). Higher levels of addiction were present for those who were motivated by achievement (rewards) and immersion (storyline/diversion) to play more frequently per week. However, those who were motivated by social interaction to play frequently did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship with higher levels of addiction. Findings suggest that motivating factors of gameplay may have a mediating effect on the relationship between play frequency and addiction.

Digital technologies such as televisions, touch screen tablets, smartphones, and smart speakers are now frequently encountered and used by young children even before the age of one. These devices facilitate modern parents in their care-giving of young children due to their prevalence in the home environment. The use of these devices is especially common by international student mothers of young children who subscribe to a multiplicity of roles such as being a productive student, efficient mother, and dutiful partner in a new country. This dissertation summarizes four studies exploring the role of technology in international student mothers' life as a parent of young children, and the implications of design and research of technologies for parents based on the transferable learning from these studies. The first and second studies employ auto ethnographic and collaborative approach to involve these mothers as equal stakeholders and collaborators to understand their context of use of technology. The third and fourth studies explore the various uses of technology by caregivers and young children, to obtain certain gratifications. By engaging primary caregivers in in-depth efforts of understanding of their motivations and perceptions about early childhood media exposure, I set forth the praxis between the professional recommendations and their actual lived experiences with technology and young children. Building on these insights, I present a conceptual framework for research which considers the dyadic use of technology due to the close relationship between primary caregivers and young children. Based on the various roles of technology in international student mothers' parenting, I present implications for designing technologies which can assist parents in their care giving duties. / Doctor of Philosophy / Digital technologies such as televisions, touch screen tablets, smartphones, and smart speakers are now frequently encountered and used by young children even before the age of one, and facilitate modern parents in their care-giving of young children due to their prevalence in the home environment. The use of these devices is especially common by international student mothers of young children who subscribe to a multiplicity of roles such as being a productive student, efficient mother, and dutiful partner in a new country. I employ auto ethnographic and collaborative asset-based approaches to involve these mothers as equal stakeholders and collaborators to have an in-depth understanding of their context of use of technology. I explore the various gratifications sought by caregivers and children through their uses of technology, and illustrate how current technologies succeed in delivering those gratifications, and where they do not come up to scratch due to their unique living circumstances. By engaging primary caregivers in in-depth efforts of understanding of their motivations and perceptions about early childhood media exposure, I set forth the praxis between the professional recommendations and their actual lived experiences with technology and young children. Building on these insights, I present a conceptual framework for research which considers the dyadic use of technology by primary caregivers and young children due to their close relationship. Based on the various roles of technology in international student mothers' lives, I then present implications for designing technologies including screen-based digital childcare assistants and interactive shows, conversational user interfaces as bilingual language learning partners, and mobile applications to support young children's incidental learning, which can assist parents in their care giving duties.

This thesis examines one magazine's transition from print to digital media in order to shine a spotlight on one successful magazine brand and its attempts to navigate the digital revolution while also maintaining a successful magazine. Through a systematic descriptive analysis of communication strategies, a case analysis of Bon Appétit magazine is the focus of this thesis. Guided by the uses and gratifications theoretical perspective and informed by a systematic descriptive analysis, this thesis offers a rich examination of the Bon Appétit magazine brand and the ways the brand has been extended in the evolving digital media environment. The unique approach implemented in this thesis provides the opportunity to observe uses and gratifications from the organization's standpoint, instead of the consumer's. This unique approach was designed to reveal how Bon Appétit is attempting to fulfill consumer needs and gratifications through the digital media brand extensions, specifically its website, social media, and podcast. Analysis of Bon Appétit brand extensions indicate that six of Parham Santana's ten brand extension strategies are being implemented by Bon Appétit, including shift the form, transfer a component, transfer a benefit, leverage a special expertise, leverage your consumer base, and leverage a lifestyle. Another significant finding indicates that Bon Appétit implemented communication strategies centered on accessibility and convenience, surveillance, diversion, and interaction gratifications on its digital media platforms. Findings from this study suggest that future researchers would benefit from adding convenience and accessibility as gratifications considered in the uses and gratifications theoretical approach when researching digital media. Additionally, replication of the systematic method in this thesis, especially if applied to other magazine brands, could help reveal the types of brand extensions at play in digital platforms and whether other magazines use similar strategies to build and maintain relationships with consumers. / Master of Arts / This study explores how one magazine has added a website, social media, and a podcast to its content delivery strategy. Since consumer’s use of the internet, social media, and podcasts is rapidly increasing, they are no longer turning to magazines and other print publications for entertainment and information. In order for magazines to adapt to this trend, they need to take advantage of these digital media platforms. This study examines the communication strategies implemented on Bon Appétit’s website, social media, and podcast to determine how they are attempting to satisfy the desires consumers now have because of the new digital media. Results of this study indicate that consumers want to be able to have convenient and immediate access to the media and brand of their choice.

The rise of conversational generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini is revolutionizing online interactions. Previous research has identified five categories of uses and gratifications (U&amp;G) for users engaging with these chatbots: information seeking, task efficiency, social interaction, entertainment, and personalization. Despite the wide range of use cases, most chatbots provide one-size-fits-all text-based interactions, neglecting user preferences. Recent advancements are progressively introducing interactive features that empower users to control their interactions, such as choosing a preferred conversational style. However, despite these improvements in the industry, the interactivity in gen AI chatbots remains underexplored. This thesis serves as a user-centric foundational study of user engagement with gen AI chatbots by understanding users’ context of use across the five U&amp;G dimensions, analyzing the limitations of text-based interactions, and proposing practical suggestions for desired interactive features.

In a world driven by social media, the portrayal of femininity is often curated, shaping societal gender norms and individual self-perception. This timely study investigates the use and impact of boudoir photography on the self-perception of Slovak adult women and their sharing practices, exploring how they negotiate gender expectations through this medium employing gender theory and uses and gratifications theory. By exploring this intersection, I provide insights into contemporary feminist movements, linking this discourse to boudoir photography and sharing practices on social media networks as an act of feminism. The research reveals the complexities and tensions inherent in this process as participants navigate gender pressures and societal expectations of femininity. Despite boudoir photography's empowering potential for self-expression, women struggle with ingrained heteronormative ideals, on the journey toward self-perception within visual culture. By bridging theoretical frameworks with empirical findings, this study underscores the significance of boudoir photography within the realm of feminist discourse, offering insights into the dynamic interplay between gender norms, agency, and visual representation in online spaces.

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In this study the aim was to investigate the area of non-celebrity people with a popular Instagram account, and indentify their motives to being active on Instagram, whether or not they maintained an online image and what consequences they could see as results of Instagram activity. Through six interviews with women between 17 and 28 years of age, the results showed the following patterns. The identified motives to Instagram use matched Whiting and Williams (2013) ten ways to apply Uses and Gratificatios Theory, and also identified three new ones: professional use, friendship and validation of oneself. Use of an online image was confirmed, as the interviewees stated how constructed to show ones best sides an Instagram account usually is, both theirs and others. Consequences and effects as result of Instagram use was stated to be both positive and negative, positive as inspiration, affirmation and easing contact with friends. Negative effects such as envy, comparisons, anxiety, a normalised view of unhealthy bodies, and the risk of addiction to Instagram use was noted.

Denna uppsats ämnar studera människors användning av olika nätdejtingtjänster i avseende att kartlägga motiv och tillfredsställelser kring fenomenet nätdejting. Studien syftar även till att blotta samband mellan ålder, kön och typ av dejtingtjänst för att jämföra och dra slutsatser till vad skillnader i beteende kan bero på. De teorier som använts genomgående och som uppsatsen bottnar i är den positivistiska medieteorin Uses &amp; Gratifications, samt den modernare påbyggnadsteorin Uses &amp; Grats 2.0 som fokuserarar på dagens framväxande medier. I undersökningen har en kvantitativ forskningsmetod i form av en enkätundersökning valts, där urvalet består av 222 personer från uppsatsförfattarnas bekantskapskretsar och 515 personer som svarat på enkäten via nätdejtingtjänster som publicerat undersökningen. I fokus ligger de 656 personer som svarat att de någon gång har nätdejtat. Insamlad data har lagts in i statistikprogrammet SPSS och analyserats. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att majoriteten av alla respondenter nätdejtar för att hitta kärleken. Variabeln kön blottar inte särskilt många nämnvärda skillnader, men avvikelserna är däremot större mellan åldrarna. Personer över 30 år tenderar nämligen i högre grad att nätdejta med avsikt att hitta kärleken än vad de under 30 gör. De respondenter som är under 20 år nätdejtar främst i syfte att fördriva tiden. Majoriteten av de som nätdejtat har träffat någon från en nätdejtingtjänst i verkligheten. Omkring hälften av dessa har blivit tillsammans med någon de nätdejtat och lika många har någon gång träffat en tillfällig sexpartner. Resultaten tyder också på att det finns skillnader mellan nätdejtingtjänsterna, främst i hur gamla medlemmarna är men också hur många de träffar i verkligheten och vad dessa möten leder till.

Skulle du kunna leva utan din mobiltelefon? Det var en av frågorna som ställdes när denna studie genomfördes. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka hur individer reflekterar över sin aktivitet på sociala medier och hur beroende individer är av att uppdatera sig. Detta gjordes i en kvalitativ forskningsstudie. Studien tittade närmare på sociala mediers inverkan på individers liv. I studien diskuterades vilka för- och nackdelar sociala medier har bidragit med, hur stort behov individer känner för att ständigt vara uppkopplade på sociala medier. Känslan ”fear of missing out” var signifikant för vad studiens respondenter känner när det kommer till uppdatering på sociala medier. Studien utgick från teorin uses and gratifications, utifrån den reflekterades det över hur den kan kopplas till dagens sociala medier-samhälle. För att ha möjligheten att se samband och diskutera ett fenomen användes fenomenologi som teoretiskt angreppssätt. Den generella slutsatsen blev att individernas huvudsakliga syfte för att använda sociala medier är för att kommunicera. Det kom inte direkt som en chockande nyhet. Studien bekräftar det tidigare studier sagt men klargör ännu tydligare att mobiltelefonen på många sätt den viktigaste pryl vi äger. Den här studien handlar om livet med mobiltelefonen fastklistrad i handen och varför vi är beroende av den.

The Master's thesis is focused on the Slovakian TV show Nákupné maniačky and its' audience. The purpose of the thesis is to reveal the motivations leading to watching this show and to explore, whether the viewers perceive the show as a fashion show which allows them to draw inspiration, or rather as a reality show that should entertain them. The theoretical part introduces the concepts as audience, uses and gratifications and reality show genre. The final analysis of the acquired data is based on these terms but it aims to invent a new hypothesis. The second part is devoted to the research that is based on a qualitative method of a grounded theory. Required data was collected by the semi-structured interviews with viewers divided into two age categories. The result of categorizing data indicates that for all viewers the main motivation for watching the show is to have fun. Participants reported enjoying the program because of its' humour, while fashion plays an irrelevant role. The findings also show that participants are aware of interventions of production and they explained manipulating competitors as a strategy of the broadcasters to entertain audience and attract more viewers. This assumption was confirmed by an informant interview with one of the creators of the show.