| Since it was first introduced in 1940 s, the theory of Uses and Gratifications has always been actively discussed throughout the years,which is closely related to the development of society with times. As a “consensus”theory, it requires its researchers to consistently extend and enrich it. In the era of Web 2.0, the pivot to validate the theory of Uses and Gratifications seems to be found. At the same time, the “born-digitized” generation, which was the first batch of people grown up with internet, has composed the mainstream of the society. Their motivation, behaviour and effect of employing media will also represent the medium access and habits of media's main audiences.In addition, “Danmu”(barrage), a technique from Japan which allows the comments to fly over the video like a bullet curtain, has seemingly brought new vigour to the well-developed UGC(User Generated Content) applications. At first glance, this technique only added a new feature to a certain type of UGC applications, which is video sharing websites. However, the addition of this new feature has offered a turning point for the development of UGC applications, which is not only a technological change, but also a “retroaction” of technology to the change of social environment and audiences.This research focuses on the field of Gratifications, discussing the validity of the theory of Uses and Gratifications on UGC applications which emerged in the era of Web 2.0, and the inherent propagation characteristics of Danmu in the video sharing websites which support this new form of UGC technology, whose causes of formation,current situation, and effects of acceptance by the new generation of “born digitized” media audiences are then studied. The objective of this research is to continue enriching the content of this classic theory in communication studies to make it more adaptable to the brand-new era of internet. |
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