Attitudes and Purposes of Internet Use: Mediating Effects of Gratification and the Moderating Role of Gender

Author: Malaysia

Abstract

The Internet has become a cornerstone of modern communication, transforming daily life and social interactions worldwide. Among youth, online engagement spans entertainment, education, business, and social connection. This study, grounded in Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), investigates how Internet gratification mediates the relationship between students' attitudes toward Internet use and their purposes for engagement, with gender as a moderator. Using structural equation modeling on data from 440 Malaysian university students, the study reveals significant mediation but no moderating effect of gender. The findings indicate that students hold predominantly positive attitudes toward Internet use, with primary purposes including academic information seeking and social networking. Cognitive and affective gratifications emerged as the most significant dimensions. The study confirms that Internet gratification significantly mediates the relationship between attitudes and purposes of use, while gender does not show a moderating effect. These results advance UGT by highlighting how gratifications bridge attitudinal and behavioral aspects of Internet use in collectivist cultural contexts. The study underscores the importance of understanding the motivational underlying youth Internet use, offering implications for digital literacy and educational interventions in Malaysia and similar societies.