| Mobile devices, Internet websites and print newspapers and magazines supply a veritable feast of options for finding and reading editorial content. Like any meal, however, readers can only consume so much in any given day. Through the combined constructs of uses and gratifications theory and the technology acceptance model, this study examined why focus group participants engaged with one platform versus another, the extent to which social gratifications existed for print products and how gratifications obtained from print, online and mobile media compared to the technology acceptance model factors. Findings showed that focus group respondents preferred to read print but actually engaged the most with online content. No manifest social gratifications appeared for print products on a personal level, but people in this study held a sense of social awareness when talking about reading printed products versus mobile products in a public space. Finally, navigation, distraction, media brand reputation and the personal curation of online content sharing connected with technology acceptance model factors. The study concluded that print, online and mobile platforms can be thought of in some senses as exhibiting a three-of-a-kind existence for reader engagement. |
