Gratifications, Collective Self-Esteem, Online Emotional Openness, and Traitlike Communication Apprehension as Predictors of Facebook Uses

This study explores whether and how gratifications and psychological traits impact people's Facebook use. First, a factor analysis of an online survey (N = 437) outlined a unique set of gratifications obtained from the use of Facebook. Six aspects of gratifications (i.e., social surveillance, entertainment, recognition, emotional support, network extension, and maintenance) were identified. Results from regression analyses showed that psychological traits (i.e., collective self-esteem, online emotional openness, and traitlike communication apprehension) were strong predictors of most Facebook gratifications. Additionally, gratifications and, to a lesser extent, psychological traits significantly predicted Facebook usage, both in perceived importance and different indicators in the level of Facebook use.