User Ratings of Google Sites in Nigerian Languages on Selected Gratification Indexes

This paper undertakes a composite evaluation of the local varieties of www.google.com in Nigeria – Google Hausa, Google Igbo and Google Yoruba – to determine their usefulness to those who visit them. It assesses the level of awareness, in terms of actual visits to the sites. A survey of the satisfaction from five expectation variables – contextual, personal, fundamental, conventional and training - was carried out, across literate, Web-experienced members of five age categories. The findings on the three sites, which correlate, showed that awareness and satisfaction of expectations were unimpressive. These findings came as a result of limited service offerings at the sites and an audience challenge which owes much to colonial legacy interference. Google should strive hard to ensure that its local varieties do not fritter away. Key Words: Audience, Expectation, Google Hausa, Google Igbo, Google Yoruba. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, October 2011, 145 – 154.