Students on Facebook Through Uses and Gratification Perspectives

Students on social network sites have dramatically increased in recent years. Online media such as Facebook, Twitter and My Space allows Millions of students to create their personal profiles and also learn about acquaintances. Using the uses and gratification theory approach, the thesis was written with the intent of discovering study about common reason for Facebook use based on Uses and Gratifications Perspective (McQuail, 1983). The study purposed to find out the important activities on Facebook, reasons, and the processes of students used Facebook to satisfy their needs and wants. This exploratory study examined students through survey and in depth interview on Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia -University Sains of Malaysia (PPI – USM). This theory is expected to help communication researchers enhance a better understanding of the powerful influence social networking sites have on students. Many students shared that they used Facebook to inform their friends about information and events quickly.