Untangling International Sport Social Media Use: Contrasting U.S. and Chinese Uses and Gratifications Across Four Platforms

Abstract

This study of 409 sports fans from the United States and China contrasts uses sought and gratifications obtained within four different social media platforms: Facebook and Twitter (in the United States) and WeChat and Weibo (in China). Results indicated that each of the platforms function in starkly contrasting manners. In the United States, Facebook scored higher than Twitter on every motivational measure; in China, WeChat was found to be better at fostering camaraderie, entertainment, habitual use, and maintaining relationships, while Weibo was found to be better for arousal. Moreover, Chinese respondents reported higher gratifications obtained than American respondent on all 12 factors. Implications are offered for uses and gratifications research as well as sports media scholarship.

Keywords

social media survey China uses and gratifications media

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Atkin

D. J.

Hunt

D. S.

Lin

C. A.

(2015). Diffusion theory in the new media environment: Toward an integrated technology adoption model. Mass Communication and Society, 18, 623–650.

Bauer

H. H.

Stokburger-Sauer

N. E.

Exler

(2008). Brand image and fan loyalty in professional team sport: A refined model and empirical assessment. Journal of Sport Management, 22, 205–226.

Benzjian-Avery

Calder

Iacobucci

(1998). New media interactive advertising vs. traditional advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 38, 23–32.

Billings

A. C.

Hardin

M. H.

(Eds.). (2014). The Routledge handbook of sport and new media. New York, NY: Routledge.

Billings

A. C.

Qiao

Conlin

Nie

(2017). Permanently desiring the temporary? Snapchat, social media, and the shifting motivations of sports fans. Communication & Sport, 5, 10–26.

Blumler

J. G.

(1979). The role of theory in uses and gratifications studies. Communication Research, 6, 9–36.

boyd

D. M.

Ellison

N. B.

(2008). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 210–230.

Bryant

Miron

(2004). Theory and research in mass communication. Journal of Communication, 54, 662–704.

Buhrmester

Kwang

Gosling

S. D.

(2011). Amazon’s mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5.

10.

Chen

G. M.

(2011). Tweet this: A uses and gratifications perspective on how active Twitter use gratifies a need to connect with others. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 755–762.

11.

Clavio

Kian

E. M.

(2010). Uses and gratifications of a retired female athlete’s Twitter followers. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3, 485–500.

12.

Deagon

(2018, 8 5). Weibo earnings, revenue top, but stock falls. Investor’s Business Daily. Retrieved from https://www.investors.com/news/technology/weibo-reports-first-quarter-earnings/

13.

Gantz

Wang

Paul

Potter

R. F.

(2006). Sports versus all comers: Comparing TV sports fans with fans of other programming genres. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50, 95–118.

14.

Gibbs

O’Reilly

Brunette

(2014). Professional team sport and Twitter: Gratifications sought and obtained by followers. International Journal of Sport Communication, 7, 188–213.

15.

Haugh

B. R.

Watkins

(2016). Tag me, tweet me if you want to reach me: An investigation into how sports fans use social media. International Journal of Sport Communication, 9, 278–293.

16.

Haught

M. J.

Willis

Furrow

Morris

D. L.

III Freberg

(2016). From tweets to seats: How does social networking site use affect commuter university students’ football fandom? Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 9, 17–38.

17.

Hur

Y. J.

Valacich

(2007). Motivation and concerns for online sport consumption. Journal of Sport Management, 21, 521–539.

18.

Hwang

Lim

J. S.

(2015). The impact of engagement motives for social TV on social presence and sports channel commitment. Telematics and Informatics, 32, 755–765.

19.

Jackson

L. A.

Wang

J. L.

(2013). Cultural differences in social networking site use: A comparative study of China and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 910–921.

20.

Kutz

(2016). NFL took in $13 billion in revenue last season—See how it stacks up against other pro sports leagues. Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-nfl-made-13-billion-last-season-see-how-it-stacks-up-against-other-leagues-2016-07-01

21.

Katz

Blumler

J. G.

Gurevitch

(1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37, 509–523.

22.

Lewis

Brown

K. A.

Billings

A. C.

(2017). Social media becomes traditional: Sport media consumption and the blending of modern information pathways. Journal of Global Sport Management, 2, 111–127.

23.

Dittmore

S. W.

Scott

O. K.

W. J.

Stokowski

(2019). Why we follow: Examining motivational differences in following sport organizations on Twitter and Weibo. Sport Management Review, 22, 335–347. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1441352318301402

24.

Lin

C. A.

(2002). Perceived gratifications of online media service use among potential users. Telematics and Informatics, 19, 3–19.

25.

Madrigal

(2001). Social identity effects in a belief–attitude–intentions hierarchy: Implications for corporate sponsorship. Psychology & Marketing, 18, 145–165.

26.

Mudrick

Miller

Atkin

(2016). The influence of social media on fan reactionary behaviors. Telematics and Informatics, 33, 896–903.

27.

Papacharissi

(2014). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

28.

Papacharissi

Rubin

A. M.

(2000). Predictors of Internet use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44, 175–196.

29.

Park

Kee

K. F.

Valenzuela

(2009). Being immersed in social networking environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications, and social outcomes. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12, 729–733.

30.

Park

J. A.

Dittmore

S. W.

(2015). What motivates Chinese sports fans to subscribe to athletes’ social networking service accounts? Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society, 16, 1064–1072.

31.

Pegoraro

(2010). Look who’s talking—Athletes on Twitter: A case study. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3, 501–514.

32.

Perrin

(2015). Social media usage. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/

33.

Phua

(2010). Sports fans and media use: Influence on sports fan identification and collective self-esteem. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3, 190–206.

34.

Phua

(2012). Use of social networking sites by sports fans: Implications for the creation and maintenance of social capital. Journal of Sports Media, 7, 109–132.

35.

Raacke

Bonds-Raacke

(2008). MySpace and Facebook: Applying the uses and gratifications theory to exploring friend-networking sites. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 11, 169–174.

36.

Raney

A. A

. (2006). Why we watch and enjoy mediated sports. In Raney

Bryant

(Eds.), Handbook of sport and media (pp. 313–329). Mahwah, NJ: LEA.

37.

Rubin

A. M.

(2009). Uses-and-gratifications perspective on media effects. In Bryant

Oliver

M.B.

(Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (pp. 165–184). New York, NY: Routledge.

38.

Ruggiero

T. E.

(2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st Century. Mass Communication & Society, 3, 3–37.

39.

Schaedel

Clement

(2010). Managing the online crowd: Motivations for engagement in user-generated content. Journal of Media Business Studies, 7, 17–36.

40.

Seo

W. J.

Green

B. C.

(2008). Development of the motivation scale for sport online consumption. Journal of Sport Management, 22, 82–109.

41.

Sheffer

M. L.

Schultz

(2010). Paradigm shift or passing fad? Twitter and sports journalism. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3, 472–484.

42.

Sheldon

(2008). Student favorite: Facebook and motives for its use. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 23, 39–53.

43.

Smith

L. R.

Sanderson

(2015). ‘I’m going to Instagram it’: An analysis of athlete self-presentation on Instagram. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59, 342–358.

44.

Smith

S. E.

Grieve

F. G.

Zapalac

R. K.

Derryberry

W. P.

Pope

(2012). How does sport team identification compare to identification with other social institutions? Journal of Contemporary Athletics, 6, 69.

45.

Statista. (2018a). Distribution of Facebook users in the United States as of January 2018, by gender. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/266879/facebook-users-in-the-us-by-gender/

46.

Stavros

Meng

M. D.

Westberg

Farrelly

(2014). Understanding fan motivation for interacting on social media. Sport Management Review, 17, 455–469.

47.

Sundar

S. S.

Limperos

A. M.

(2013). Uses and grats 2.0: New gratifications for new media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57, 504–525.

48.

Wann

D. L.

(1995). Preliminary validation of the sport fan motivation scale. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 19, 377–396.

49.

Wann

D. L.

(2006). The causes and consequences of sport team identification. In Raney

Bryant

(Eds.), Handbook of sport and media (pp. 331–352). Mahwah, NJ: LEA.

50.

Wann

D. L.

Pierce

(2003). Measuring sport team identification and commitment: An empirical comparison of the sport spectator identification scale and the psychological commitment to team scale. North American Journal of Psychology, 5, 365.

51.

Whiting

Williams

(2013). Why people use social media: A uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16, 362–369.

52.

Witkemper

Lim

C. H.

Waldburger

(2012). Social media and sports marketing: Examining the motivations and constraints of Twitter users. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 21, 170.

53.

Yang

Wang

Billings

A. C.

(2016). Online Chinese discussions of the 2014 world cup. Online Information Review, 40, 834–848.