Abstract
This article discusses why households in Germany use the Internet and content distributed online instead of classic broadcasting or a printed paper for customising ideal media repertoires that match with their media-related interests in the domestic sphere. Following the domestication approach, home is understood as a relevant field for research on online-based media use because it is the place where people traditionally negotiate the meaning of media technologies and content against the background of an existing media repertoire. The article refers to empirical findings from qualitative ethnographic research on 16 German households. It was undertaken between 2015 and 2017. In summarising, the empirical research emphasises three distinct reasons why people choose the Internet for domestic media reception over classic mass media: a better integration of media use in everyday life, particular demands and interests in specific content, and the politics of identity and the moral economy of the household.
Highlights
This article discusses why households use the Internet and content distributed online instead of classic1 broadcasting or a printed paper for customising ideal media repertoires (Hasebrink and Domeyer, 2012) that match with their media-related interests in the domestic sphere.2 Home is regarded as the ideal context for understanding the rationale and conditioning which preferences Internet usage as the primary source of mediaEuropean Journal of Communication 36(1)reception over the recognised formats of classic analogous, mass media technologies, as both are potentially available and used there
The article analyses meaning production as an outcome of appropriating digital technologies and services (Silverstone et al, 1992: 21). It assumes that their objectification and incorporation is strongly intertwined (Silverstone et al, 1992: 22–24) as media content distributed online is often – but not exclusively – used through mobile technologies. It argues that mobile media use supports the usage of media content distributed online and vice versa – and asks if practices of onlinebased media reception (Couldry, 2012) lead to conversions concerning the domestic communication culture (Silverstone et al, 1992)
This article refers to empirical findings from qualitative ethnographic research on 16 German households
Summary
This article discusses why households use the Internet and content distributed online instead of classic broadcasting or a printed paper for customising ideal media repertoires (Hasebrink and Domeyer, 2012) that match with their media-related interests in the domestic sphere. Home is regarded as the ideal context for understanding the rationale and conditioning which preferences Internet usage as the primary source of media. Compared to other German media users, they form a special group, despite the growing importance of online media usage still not being taken up by the majority of German households (Koch and Frees, 2017: 419), because the usage of established media repertoires and the functions of classic media persists, as they still make sense behind the background of domestic everyday life (Müller and Röser, 2017: 66) The way they have domesticated and appropriated the Internet is specific and reveals new behaviours of media consumption that are expected to be an outcome of the incorporation of (mobile) online-based media technologies and a larger spectrum of options regarding streaming services and digital journalism. Both aspects are important for understanding why media users utilise the Internet for displaying moving images, radio or music at home and reading journalistic texts In this context, we can refine the research question further by asking the following: Do people prefer the Internet for media reception in the domestic sphere because of specific technological characteristics? We can refine the research question further by asking the following: Do people prefer the Internet for media reception in the domestic sphere because of specific technological characteristics? which kind of content do media users use online and is there differentiation in the content that classic mass media offer?
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