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Life in a small world: Applicability of gratification theory to information‐seeking behavior

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  • Elfreda A. Chatman

Abstract

This research reports a study in which gratification theory (essentially, that certain populations live in an environment in which the emphasis is on immediate gratifications and satisfaction of needs) was applied to an information‐seeking behavior of a lower‐class population. The focus of the study was an investigation of the information‐seeking behaviors of a lower‐working class population. Respondents were janitorial workers at a southern university. Results show that, although members of this lower‐working class population expressed a number of areas in which they needed information (e.g., employment, everyday coping advice, etc.), they were not active seekers of information outside of their most familiar social milieu. The findings indicate that a possible explanation for this was the perception that outside sources were not capable of responding to their concern. Thus, there was little motivation in exploring the relevance of these sources. Moreover, items of most interest to them were those things that were accessible, had a firm footing in everyday reality, and responded to some immediate, practical concern. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Suggested Citation

  • Elfreda A. Chatman, 1991. "Life in a small world: Applicability of gratification theory to information‐seeking behavior," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 42(6), pages 438-449, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jamest:v:42:y:1991:i:6:p:438-449
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(199107)42:63.0.CO;2-B
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhang Gang & Wang Zongshui & Zhao Hong, 2020. "Relationships Among Perceived Value, Satisfaction, and e-Trust: An e-CRM View of Online Restaurant Consumption," Journal of Systems Science and Information, De Gruyter, vol. 8(5), pages 458-475, October.
    2. Abdul Waheed & Jianhua Yang, 2019. "Effect of Prejudice and References on Employee Selection Process: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 20(6), pages 1344-1360, December.
    3. Manuela Macinati & Marco Giovanni Rizzo, 2018. "Il ruolo di moderazione dell?identit? professionale medica nella relazione tra partecipazione al processo di budget e performance dei medici responsabili di struttura," MECOSAN, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(106), pages 11-36.
    4. Franklin Riley & David K. Allen & Thomas Daniel Wilson, 2022. "When politicians and the experts collide: Organization and the creation of information spheres," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(8), pages 1127-1139, August.
    5. Vanessa L. Kitzie & Travis L. Wagner & Valerie Lookingbill & Nicolas Vera, 2022. "Advancing information practices theoretical discourses centered on marginality, community, and embodiment: Learning from the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and as," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(4), pages 494-510, April.
    6. Xin Bao & Ping Ke, 2023. "Chaos, expansion, and contraction: The information worlds of depression patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(8), pages 971-989, August.
    7. Nicole A. Cooke & Vanessa L. Kitzie, 2021. "Outsiders‐within‐Library and Information Science: Reprioritizing the marginalized in critical sociocultural work," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(10), pages 1285-1294, October.
    8. Lin Wang & Murad Ali & Hyun Jeong Kim & Sareum Lee & Felipe Hernández Perlines, 2021. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation, value congruence, and individual outcomes: Does the institutional entrepreneurial environment matter?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2293-2312, July.
    9. Natalie Pang & Stan Karanasios & Misita Anwar, 2020. "Exploring the Information Worlds of Older Persons During Disasters," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 71(6), pages 619-631, June.
    10. Ari Haasio, 2019. "What is Disnormative Information?," Information and Communication Sciences Research, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Letters, Department of Communication Sciences, issue 23, pages 9-16, November.

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