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This chapter investigates how the UG approach can be applied to the study of social media, describing its potential for yielding new insights as well as its methodological challenges. It starts with a general overview of the approach that includes definitions of key concepts, an outline of central tenets, and an overview of the historical context in which it developed. Then the chapter provides an extensive review of the scholarly work that has integrated U&G into the study of how social media are being used in society as well as what gratifications are sought and obtained from their use. It also discusses findings that compare these gratifications across social media sites and services, contrasting Facebook with instant messaging directly; and there is also a discussion of how privacy issues associated with the use of social media affect the types of gratifications that users obtain from their visits to the sites.