Uses and Gratifications of digital photo sharing on Facebook

•Applying Uses and Gratification theory, the current study examines gratifications for sharing photos on Facebook.•An online survey completed by 368 respondents identified six gratifications.•Affection, attention seeking, disclosure, information sharing, habit, and social influence are identified.•Age was in positive correlation with disclosure and social influence gratifications.•Gender differences are identified in habit and disclosure gratifications.•Number of photos shared are negatively correlated with habit and information sharing gratifications.

Despite the rapid adoption of Facebook as a means of photo sharing, minimal research has been conducted to understand user gratification behind this activity. In order to address this gap, the current study examines users’ gratifications in sharing photos on Facebook by applying Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory. An online survey completed by 368 respondents identified six different gratifications, namely, affection, attention seeking, disclosure, habit, information sharing, and social influence, behind sharing digital photos on Facebook. Some of the study’s prominent findings were: age was in positive correlation with disclosure and social influence gratifications; gender differences were identified among habit and disclosure gratifications; number of photos shared was negatively correlated with habit and information sharing gratifications. The study’s implications can be utilized to refine existing and develop new features and services bridging digital photos and social networking services.