Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity

INTRODUCTION: The study explores how during COVID-19 pandemic online apps helped people applying uses gratification paradigm to identify needs, usages and gratification of users.OBJECTIVES: The paper investigates how COVID-19 pandemic has affected the usage pattern of online ap...

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Main Authors: Surhita Basu, Baby Gharami
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) 2021-04-01
Series:EAI Endorsed Transactions on Smart Cities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.19-1-2021.168222
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author Surhita Basu
Baby Gharami
author_facet Surhita Basu
Baby Gharami
author_sort Surhita Basu
collection DOAJ
description INTRODUCTION: The study explores how during COVID-19 pandemic online apps helped people applying uses gratification paradigm to identify needs, usages and gratification of users.OBJECTIVES: The paper investigates how COVID-19 pandemic has affected the usage pattern of online apps? What is the gratification level of using online apps during COVID-19 pandemic? How users perceive the use of online apps during COVID-19 pandemic?METHODS: The study employs small scale snowball sampling survey across major cities of India addressing questions on comparative usage pattern of online apps before and during the pandemic, users’ gratification and users’ opinion of using online apps. RESULTS: Usage of few apps like news, video, health increased during the pandemic with frequency and intensity of usage. Users are concerned with misinformation spread through social media, demeaning family bonding due to high usage of apps, digital divide failing to provide enough job opportunities. CONCLUSION: Specific apps to deal with health emergencies should be developed along with mechanism against spread of misinformation and strategic attempts for digital inclusion.
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spelling doaj.art-47aa5901442b43e3ab4f6913827dd1ce2022-12-22T04:03:36ZengEuropean Alliance for Innovation (EAI)EAI Endorsed Transactions on Smart Cities2518-38932021-04-0151410.4108/eai.19-1-2021.168222Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCitySurhita Basu0Baby Gharami1Asst. Professor, Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication, Women’s College, Calcutta, Baghbazar, Kolkata, India, Pin: 700003PG Scholar, Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication, Women’s College, Calcutta, Baghbazar, Kolkata, India, Pin: 700003INTRODUCTION: The study explores how during COVID-19 pandemic online apps helped people applying uses gratification paradigm to identify needs, usages and gratification of users.OBJECTIVES: The paper investigates how COVID-19 pandemic has affected the usage pattern of online apps? What is the gratification level of using online apps during COVID-19 pandemic? How users perceive the use of online apps during COVID-19 pandemic?METHODS: The study employs small scale snowball sampling survey across major cities of India addressing questions on comparative usage pattern of online apps before and during the pandemic, users’ gratification and users’ opinion of using online apps. RESULTS: Usage of few apps like news, video, health increased during the pandemic with frequency and intensity of usage. Users are concerned with misinformation spread through social media, demeaning family bonding due to high usage of apps, digital divide failing to provide enough job opportunities. CONCLUSION: Specific apps to deal with health emergencies should be developed along with mechanism against spread of misinformation and strategic attempts for digital inclusion.https://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.19-1-2021.168222appssocial mediauses gratificationpandemicindiapost-humanismsmart cityrisk society
spellingShingle Surhita Basu
Baby Gharami
Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
EAI Endorsed Transactions on Smart Cities
apps
social media
uses gratification
pandemic
india
post-humanism
smart city
risk society
title Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
title_full Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
title_fullStr Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
title_full_unstemmed Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
title_short Apps in Time of Pandemic: Digital Usage and Gratifications in Transition towards #SmartCity
title_sort apps in time of pandemic digital usage and gratifications in transition towards smartcity
topic apps
social media
uses gratification
pandemic
india
post-humanism
smart city
risk society
url https://eudl.eu/pdf/10.4108/eai.19-1-2021.168222
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AT babygharami appsintimeofpandemicdigitalusageandgratificationsintransitiontowardssmartcity