USES AND GRATIFICATIONS OF FACEBOOK AMONG ROMANIAN GRADUATE STUDENTS

This paper investigates the "uses and gratifications" of Facebook among Romanian graduate students by identifying specific motivations, uses and benefits of this social networking site with a focus on online image construction. Although the uses and gratifications theory was developed in relation to traditional media, as the use of social media has spread widely in society, recent studies applied the theoretical framework to new media. Reference communication and media studies advance the idea that each medium offers a different set of gratifications according to their features and characteristics. The uses and gratifications theory suggests that audiences actively seek out media through a goal-oriented approach in order to gratify theirtheir needs. Research regarding Facebook usage patterns shows that this social network is used primarily to maintain contact with others, to keep up-to-date on friends' activities, to learn more about someone or about social events. This paper focuses on identifying what drives individuals to use Facebook and what are the main usage patterns in the case of Romanian graduate students, as well as their perspectives on Facebook use and online image construction. The study is based on a qualitative research consisting of 21 in-depth interviews, conducted in January 2016 with master's students in the broad area of communication. The research questions guiding the analysis focused on Facebook use and types of gratifications, and on how much students engage in constructing an online image.