Uses and adoption of Web 2.0: A study of the next generation of the Internet

This thesis examines the uses and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies using a theoretical framework of uses and gratifications theory and diffusion of innovations theory. It examines the uses and gratifications of Web 2.0 technologies and how those compare to the uses and gratifications of the Internet. In addition, it addresses the connection between uses and perceived ease of use and levels of adoption. Using a modified replication of a study conducted by Stafford, Stafford, and Schkade (2004) to determine the uses and gratifications of the Internet, this study examined the uses and gratifications of Web 2.0 technologies and the levels of adoption and ease of use for six Web 2.0 technologies.;This study found that the uses of Web 2.0 technologies are similar to those identified as uses of the Internet in the original study but with additional use terms that reflect the social and user-oriented nature of these new types of technologies. This study also found that the length and frequency of use of Web 2.0 technologies were positively correlated with the uses identified and perceived ease of use.