Title : Internet User Types in Terms of Uses and Gratifications
Since reasons for using the Internet vary among people and there are user habits, it might be expected that there are several distinct Internet user types. In this study, three user types were found by applying a "uses and gratifications" methodology to web usage.
The first type may be named the Web Community group, and has about 20% of the total number of Internet users in this study; the second Information Convenience group has three groups, use patterns of the Internet and degree of satisfaction obtained from the Internet differs greatly.
Reduction of television viewing time related to Internet use was also investigated. While a reduction was found in the Web Community group, it was small in the other two groups. Since there is no community function or interactive communication in television viewing, this shows that shifts between media do not always require the same function in both media. It is considered that the Internet is revolutionary because shift to Internet use occcurs with different uses or functions.
Finally, correlation between user personality and web use was investigated.