Resumen
This article reports the results of a survey of online consumers in the U.S. The survey was executed with the assistance of America Online Inc. (AOL) and HotWired.com to determine the types of gratifications that drive consumer use of the Internet. The most powerful gratifications might be considered utilitarian, related to what the Internet provides in content and experience, while the more moderate gratifications are social. The comparison between factors of gratification for Internet use is strictly relative, offered for purposes of suggesting optimization strategies for ISP operators. The dimensions of enjoyment for Internet use described here are broadly and generally descriptive of what users seek in the online experience. This study identifies the uses and gratifications of Internet use most prized by heavy AOL users; it is a simple manner to concentrate managerial attention on maximizing the customer experience related to these variables to ensure more extensive use of the Internet service, in the expectation that shopping profits will rise with online experience and over time with satisfied and repeated use of the interface.