| This study aimed to investigate how and why people use the Internet and World Wide Web. The investigation covered the Internet and Web use from two perspectives: (a) psychological (i.e., cognitive needs, affective needs, personal integrative needs, social integrative needs, and escapist needs) and (b) technological (i.e., interactivity, multimedia, hypertextuality, and synchronicity).;Three-hundred nine Internet users randomly selected from newsgroups served as a sampling for the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The data analysis utilized two steps: (a) the measurement model for assessing overall data quality and validities, and (b) the structural model for evaluating the overall model fit.;The results indicate that both motivational needs and technologically defined features of the Web are stable and interdependent: The Internet has a pattern/process that generates expectations, leading to patterns of Web selections that resulted in gratifications obtained. As a result, the Internet serves as a predictable means of acquiring information, a means of communicating with others, a means of finding entertainment, and a means of shopping. These findings can be very helpful in facilitating a better understanding of the Internet, to use what we know about people and this new medium, to predict how people use the Internet, and to determine what effects the Internet has on users.;The findings suggest that the Internet alters the relationship between the audience and traditional providers of education, information, entertainment, and commerce. Some implications in political campaigns, public relations, Web advertising, and the field of e-commerce were addressed exploring the model generated. |
