Adolescents and Music Videos: A Uses and Gratifications Analysis of the Influence of Sociability, Loneliness and Self-Esteem on Music Video Use

This study examined 435 responses to a survey questionnaire from high school students in three Catholic schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Thomas More, St. Joan Antida, Dominican), and employs Pearson product-moment correlation tests and factor analysis. Utilizing the uses and gratifications tradition, it proved that, like other forms of media, exposure to music videos is related to four common needs: for social interaction, relaxation, learning, and relief from loneliness. Present research also found the social interaction motivation correlating with the frequency with which respondents talk about videos with friends and watch them with friends. The influence of sociability, loneliness and self-esteem on gratifications sought from music videos was examined by using a Sociability Scale devised by the researcher, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. There was no statistical evidence to show that those who were less sociable would watch music videos for social interaction motives, nor that those with less self-esteem or were more lonely watch to relieve their feelings of loneliness. Also , present study did not prove that blacks, more than whites, would watch for learning purposes