Can research results about television viewing movitation be applied to use of the World Wide Web? The survey instrument is adapted to find out. In the rapid growth of the Web in Japan, how has student motivation changed in the last five years? A time-series study will answer the question.

As the World Wide Web continues to attract users, scholars are beginning to question how and why people access it. As wide use of Web technology spreads in more countries, serious questions also arise about the changes in the nature of Web use within cultures. The purpose of this paper is to address both issues.

Researchers are beginning to apply uses and gratifications theory to new communication technologies. This survey study explores the applicability of Rubin's five television viewing motivations (to pass time or out of habit, for information, for entertainment, for companionship, and for escape) to Web users across time. It examines psychological and functional uses of the World Wide Web among about 200 Japanese users in 2000 and in 2005, and asks them how and why they use the Web, their attitudes toward it, and the extent to which their use of other media has changed since they started using the Web.