Using YouTube for News

Ninety-one percent of the students in the sample indicated they had watched at least one video on the YouTube Web site. The median amount of time spent watching YouTube is just under 15 minutes per typical week. Of the sample, 69% said they had watched at least some traditional-format news clips on YouTube; 74% indicated they had watched at least some comedy-format news. Many students shared what they watched: 42% said they shared traditional news stories; 57% said they shared comedy news. Fewer than 16% indicated they had uploaded original video clips to the YouTube site; fewer than 7% said they had uploaded clips that someone else had produced. The median number of clips viewed during a single visit to the site is between 1 and 2 irrespective of the content. The highest was 100. One subject reported sharing as many as 30 video clips in a week.

Motivation for Watching and Sharing YouTube

We used multiple regression analysis to assess the relevant contribution of motives and the other antecedent variables to predict the viewing and sharing of YouTube’s news content. The uses and gratifications model suggests that an individual’s background characteristics can influence motives for media use. Accordingly, variables were entered into the equations in the following conceptual order: first, user background characteristics, and second, user motives. We entered age and gender on a first step in the regression equations for purposes of control. Final results of the hierarchical regression analyses are summarized in table 2.

Watching Traditional News Videos

Demographic variables entered on the first step (age and gender) accounted for less than 1% of the variance in watching traditional news videos. Neither age nor gender was a predictor. Background characteristics (social activities, interpersonal interaction, locus of control, and sensation seeking) on step 2 increased the explained variance by 4.7%. The F change was not significant (p = .058). The only predictor was locus of control (β = −.16, p < .05). Entering the viewing motives on the third step added an additional 9% to the variance. The F change was significant (p < .001). Information-seeking motivation was a significant predictor of watching traditional news videos. Locus of control ceased to be a predictor at this step.

Accordingly, after all variables were entered, information-seeking motivation was the only significant contributor to the final equation (β = .25, p < .01). These results suggest, not surprisingly, that those who were seeking information were more likely than their counterparts to watch traditional news content on YouTube.

Watching Comedy News Videos

Age and gender accounted for 6.5% of the variance when entered on the first step. Male gender (β = −.25, p < .001) was a significant predictor.

Social activities, interpersonal interaction, locus of control, and sensation seeking, entered on the second step, increased the explained variance by 8%. The F change was significant (p < .01). Locus of control (β = −.14, p < .05) and social activities (β = .14, p < .05) were significant predictors.

Entering viewing motives on the third step added an additional 15.1% to the explained variance. The F change was significant (p < .001). Leisure entertainment motivation (β = .32, p < .001) was the only motive that predicted watching comedy news. Both locus of control and social activity ceased to be predictors.

Accordingly, significant contributors to the final equation were leisure entertainment motivation (β = .32, p < .001) and male gender (β = −.18, p < .01). These results suggest that males motivated by a desire for leisure entertainment were more likely than their counterparts in the study to watch comedy news videos on YouTube.

Sharing Traditional News Videos

Age and gender entered on the first step accounted for less than 1% of the variance in sharing traditional news video content. Neither was a predictor. Background variables entered on step 2 accounted for an additional 5.6% of the variance. The change in F was significant (p < .05). External locus of control (β = −.15, p < .05) was the only significant predictor.

Entering motives increased explained variance by 5.5%. The F change was significant (p < .01), and sharing for interpersonal expression (β = .22, p < .01) was a significant predictor. Locus of control ceased to be a predictor. These results suggest that YouTube users who shared traditional news videos tended to do so for purposes of interpersonal expression.

Sharing Comedy News Videos

Age and gender accounted for 1.9% of the variance in comedy news video sharing. Male gender (β = −.13, p < .05) was a predictor. Social activities, interpersonal interaction, locus of control, and sensation seeking increased explained variance by 7%. Two sensation-seeking variables—disinhibition (β = −.21, p < .01) and experience seeking (β = .20, p < .01)—were predictors.

Entry of motivation factors (third step) increased explained variance by 23%, with a significant F change (p < .001). Leisure entertainment motivation (β = .30, p < .001) and interpersonal expression motivation (β = .28, p < .01) were significant predictors of sharing comedy news content. Thrill seeking (β = −.12, p < .05) also emerged as a predictor.

Accordingly, two motives (leisure entertainment and interpersonal expression) and one background characteristic (experience seeking) were significant positive contributors to the final equation. Two background characteristics (thrill seeking and disinhibition) were significant negative predictors.

Thus, participants most likely to share comedy news content were less disinhibited and less willing to engage in thrilling behavior (but more willing to engage in experience seeking) and tended to share this content for purposes of leisure entertainment and interpersonal expression.