Title: Gamification, socialisation, or self-purpose? Who is using the Swarm app and why?

Authors: Haldun Çolak; Tahsin Perçin Batum

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey

Abstract: The study looks at how and why users use Swarm app with Foursquare combining hedonistic and utilitarian benefits with gratification factors in terms of gamer types. Swarm is the best location-based social media (LBSM) because it satisfies all the factors. Since the app is mostly used by young people, data from 195 university students was collected and analysed using least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The empirical findings show strong correlations between gratification factors (gamification, socialisation, and self-purpose) and hedonic and utilitarian benefits. The results also indicate that hedonic benefit fully mediates the relation between gratification factors and intention. The results of multigroup analysis (MGA) show that different user types moderate a large portion of the overall model, implying that user characteristics are important explanatory factors because they explain why and how different user types use Swarm. By focusing on gratification, the study expands knowledge and provides new insights.

Keywords: uses and gratifications; U&G; user types; social networks; PLS-MGA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2025.147601

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2025 Vol.26 No.1, pp.1 - 27

Received: 29 Aug 2022
Accepted: 07 Oct 2023
Published online: 24 Jul 2025 *

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