An improved way to characterize internet users

Kennon M. Sheldon and Shelly Rodgers

This article describes the development of a measure to assess four primary motives for using the internet - researching, communicating, surfing, and shopping.

An Improved Way To Characterize Internet Users

Shelly RodgersUniversity of Minnesota andKennon M. SheldonUniversity of Missouri

There is a small but growing area of research in mass communication that focuses on the motivations for web use, rather than demographic patterns affecting such use. Implicit in this new approach is the assumption that if we understand why people use the internet, better predictions about their web-related attitudes and behaviors can be made (Rodgers and Cannon, 2000). Given the struggle to capture repeat visits and virtual sales (Gaw, 1999), the utility of such information should be obvious. However,...

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