Digital, Hybrid and Traditional Media Consumption and Religious Reflection

The implications of digital visual media for human–nature relationships

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to investigate digital literacy and media consumption among different age groups. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to digital literacy and media consumption among different age groups. The study found significant disparities in digital literacy levels that affected media consumption behaviors. Younger generations, with higher digital literacy, preferred dynamic, interactive digital media, while older adults relied more on traditional media due to lower digital literacy and difficulties navigating digital platforms. Socio-economic status, educational background, and access to technology influenced these disparities. The study emphasized the need for targeted digital literacy initiatives to bridge this divide and promote inclusive media consumption, ensuring all age groups could benefit from digital resources. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Theory of Diffusion of Innovations, Uses and Gratification Theory and Media Richness Theory may be used to anchor future studies on digital literacy and media consumption among different age groups. The study recommended targeted educational programs to address varying digital literacy levels, suggesting advanced digital skills training for younger generations and user-friendly basic skills training for older adults. It contributed to theory by emphasizing the role of age in digital literacy research and urged the expansion of theoretical frameworks to include socio-economic and educational influences. Practically, it called for age-appropriate digital content and school curricula integration, while policy recommendations included investing in digital infrastructure, supporting public digital literacy programs, and addressing digital privacy and cybersecurity issues to foster an inclusive digital environment.

Digital media has become an indispensable facet of adolescents' everyday lives, playing a crucial role in their daily routines, encompassing various activities such as accessing information, accomplishing academic tasks, and facilitating interpersonal communication. Literature evidence on the effects of digital media on cognitive health is bi-directional, having both positive and negative impacts. The present research aimed to explore the perceptions of digital media consumption on cognitive health in late adolescents between the age of 17 and 21 years. A self-reported online survey was administered to 173 adolescents, and the data were analysed using statistical software (SPSS 17). The findings revealed that some late adolescents recognize the importance of cognition in their daily activities and health, particularly for activities focused on cognitive, academic, personal, and social skills. Mobile phones, laptops, and television were the most commonly preferred gadgets, while e-pads, Alexa, smartwatches, Kindle, tablets, and play stations were less preferred. Interestingly, a high proportion of participants reported neutral perceptions of digital media's influence on cognitive health, highlighting the need to create awareness and educate late adolescents on healthy digital media consumption. The findings hold significant implications for the development of comprehensive guidelines and evidence-based recommendations for digital media usage among late adolescents. Additionally, the research sheds light on the strategies adopted by adolescents to regulate and optimize their consumption of digital media, thereby providing valuable insights into effective practices and potential areas for improvement.

La confianza de las personas, interpersonal o institucional, ayuda a explicar interacciones entre individuos y otros fenómenos sociales, resulta clave tratar de entender por qué la gente confía. El consumo de medios de comunicación ha sido considerado como un factor importante para entender en el comportamiento de los individuos. Pero el efecto entre el consumo de medios tradicionales sobre la confianza de las personas es considerada positiva por algunos y negativa por otros. Además, existe menos evidencia sobre el efecto del consumo de medios de comunicación digitales sobre la confianza de las personas. Utilizando la encuesta del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – Índice de Desarrollo Humano 2015 (PNUD-IDH 2015), evalúo el efecto del consumo de medios tradicionales y digitales sobre la confianza interpersonal e institucional de los chilenos en 2015. Reporto que consumir distintos tipos de medios de comunicación motiva diferentes tipos de confianza. Así, mientras el consumo de medios tradicionales aumenta la confianza en las instituciones, el consumo de medios digitales fomenta la confianza interpersonal de los chilenos en 2015

Subscription to multiple subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, known as multi-homing, is increasingly prevalent. This research explores the relationship between multi-homing and traditional media consumption and identifies the key factors that predict multi-homing tendencies among SVOD users. We analyzed data from 2019 to 2021 across the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, Germany, and France to investigate the impact of SVOD usage on legacy media viewing time, and then explored the predictors of multi-homing behaviors. Our findings indicate that multi-homing users are more inclined to consume content on legacy media platforms, such as terrestrial or cable television, compared with single-homing users. Critical differentiators between multi-homing and single-homing users include demographic profiles, lifestyle preferences, content expectations, and usage habits, particularly in terms of account sharing and primary devices for content consumption. These results are crucial for both SVOD and traditional media providers, as they offer strategic guidance for companies to effectively operate in various international markets. Such a comprehensive analysis of multi-homing behavior also offers a new perspective on the dynamics of global media consumption.

ABSTRACTObjectiveThis study examines how Israel's unprecedented political instability, characterized by five general elections between 2019 and 2022, impacted voter behavior, specifically patterns of media consumption, social media political engagement, and changes in vote intention across consecutive election cycles.MethodsSurvey data from 2000 Israeli respondents, collected across four election periods, assessed their consumption of traditional, digital, and social media, the frequency of their engagement with political figures online (political tracking) and their shifts in voting intention relative to previous elections. Logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of changes in voting preferences.ResultsTraditional media consumption peaked during the initial 2019 election and subsequently declined, while digital media use showed modest growth. Social media political tracking declined initially (2019–2021) but rebounded in 2022, with Facebook consistently emerging as the dominant platform. Logistic regression indicated that higher social media consumption correlated negatively with changes in vote intention, whereas actively tracking politicians across multiple platforms significantly increased the likelihood of changing electoral preferences.ConclusionDespite frequent electoral disruptions and political uncertainty, Israeli voters sustained robust political information‐seeking behaviors and exhibited considerable electoral stability. These findings underscore the evolving yet critical role of social media as a driver of voter engagement, decision‐making, and electoral volatility in fragmented parliamentary democracies.

Several academic studies have confirmed that young university students are using social media to get information about what is happening with their communities. This article explores what are the levels of consumption of traditional media, as well as digital media of young Mexican students from different regions of this country. The research was carried out in the context of the presidential elections of 2018. More than 1200 questionnaires were applied on line. The main objective of the research is to understand both traditional and digital media consumption and how these factors affect the political participation of this group of the population, inside and outside the internet. Among the main results expected to find a growing trend in the use of digital media to the detriment of the traditional, as well as a close relationship between political participation and media consumption.

The popularity of video gaming and eSports is increasing rapidly. However, most research focuses on the economical features and psychological consequences of gaming and only little is known about the health behavior of the players. Therefore, this study is a follow-up of the eSports Study 2019 and further investigates the health and health behavior of video game and eSports players in Germany. This cross-sectional study, conducted between April and September 2019, includes 1038 players (91.2% male; 23.0 ± 5.4 years; body mass index: 24.8 ± 5.0 kg/m2) who provided data regarding their health status, physical activity, sleep, media consumption, stress and wellbeing via a web-based survey. Descriptive statistics were performed on all questions. Linear regressions were used to examine the relation between media consumption, wellbeing and stress. Almost all respondents classified their health status as “good” or better (92.5%). The average sedentary and physical activity time was 7.2 ± 3.5 h/day and 8.8 ± 10.7 h/week, respectively. Respondents slept for 7.5 ± 1.3 h/night on weekdays and for 8.5 ± 1.5 h/night on weekends, but many were “sometimes” or more frequently overtired (53.1%). Daily duration of playing video games (230.4 ± 159.3 min/day) and watching livestreams and videos with (102.6 ± 101.7 min/day) and without gaming content (72.9 ± 88.5 min/day) were much higher than watching regular television (18.9 ± 49.1 min/day) or reading analog media (32.1 ± 53.5 min/day). In terms of stress and wellbeing, most players reported low stress levels (13.8 ± 5.7) and reached a moderate average score of 60.1 ± 16.4 out of 100 points in the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Linear regressions revealed no relevant significant associations. The results indicate good subjective health and health behavior of the target group. However, the high amounts of screen-based media-consumption, as well as the moderate stress and wellbeing levels show potential for improvement. In addition, the target group consumed high amounts of digital media in reference to gaming, while traditional media consumption was distinctly low. Consequently, media campaigns that address health promotion in this target group should use the platforms of digital media instead.

El objetivo este estudio es conocer los patrones de uso de los medios digitales, las plataformas más usadas y entender los controles parentales que se ejercen sobre niños de entre 7 y 10 años y preadolescentes de entre 11 y 12 años, los grupos que serán influenciados a medio plazo por las nuevas tendencias. Los resultados muestran que los medios digitales están presentes en la vida cotidiana de los niños, que consumen regularmente sus contenidos preferidos. Estos resultados pueden ser de gran alcance si es posible reconocer y utilizar su poder como usuarios en esta cultura de la convergencia digital.

Es habitual encontrar en buena parte de los países democráticos cada vez más ciudadanos alejados de la política, con desconfianza en las instituciones y que incluso llegan a deslegitimar el sistema. Son diversos los factores que determinan esta desafección política, presente a través de manifestaciones de cinismo, apatía y escepticismo. Entre ellos, se ha apuntado a la posible influencia de los hábitos comunicativos, es decir consumo de medios y conversación sobre política, tanto en el ámbito offline como en el online. Para determinar este posible efecto, se realizó una encuesta panel en el transcurso de las pasadas elecciones presidenciales de México de 2018. Tomando el modelo O-S-R-O-R como referencia, los resultados muestran una nula influencia de los hábitos comunicativos en el desarrollo de cinismo y más limitado en el de escepticismo. Sin embargo, se observa un aumento de la apatía derivado del consumo de medios tradicionales y del desarrollo de conversación interactiva.

BackgroundCable news makes it possible for consumers to avoid information that challenges their predispositions, and the Internet makes it even easier. Cable news consumption is related to attitude extremity, but the extant literature is absent empirical examination of how the two may work together.ObjectivesThis study aims to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between media consumption and policy attitude extremity. In particular,, it asks how digital media consumption may combine with cable or traditional mass media to drive higher levels of polarization and attitude extremity.MethodsWe use American National Election Studies and data reduction methods to model and measure the gathering of political information to compare the relationship between different forms of media consumption and policy attitude extremity.ResultsOur results indicate that, independently, the consumption of both “partisan” cable news and “non‐partisan” political digital information have the same positive relationship to attitude extremity across four major issue domains (economy, federal spending, social issues, and foreign affairs) and that when combined into a single index, the relationship is stronger than their independent relationships. Finally, the results suggest that the combined effect is strongest among those who consume more liberal cable news.ConclusionOur high choice media environment contributes to the polarized climate in the United States today.

The unprecedented lockdown recently occurred due the COVID-19 pandemic has irrupted globally exposing entire population and affecting all areas in our living: politics, economy, entertainment, work, markets, education. According to OECD data young people felt lonelier and sadder during this period increasing their exposure to technology and the consumption of digital media. In this regard the aim of the research presented is study and describe the usage of digital media among university students during the COVID-19 lockdown. A comparative study between Spain, Italy and Ecuador focuses on the usage of smartphones and content consumption during March-May 2020. Data gathering was made with the design of a questionnaire applied to a sample of 3oo undergraduate students of Journalism, Communication and Education from three public universities. Quantitative methodology was used for this descriptive-comparative study among three different countries. Results obtained show high access to technological equipment in general, with specific increase in smartphones and laptops usage being the two devices that have experienced a greater increase in use. Regarding the consumption of information, informative contents on the COVID-19, news data about the virus, as well as the statistics of progress of the contagions occupy first place. It is worth mentioning that, in the opinion of the young people surveyed, they have been able to recognize fake news and have avoided its spread, thus understanding the notion of Infodemic, established by the World Health Organization. Conclusions allow us saying that online news channels and media were the most consumed, as were social networks, which grew among youngest as channels of communication, and verified consumption of news on official channels and government spokespersons.

Consumption of traditional and social media markedly increased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as new information about the virus and safety guidelines evolved. Much of the information concerned restrictions on daily living activities and the risk posed by the virus. The term doomscrolling is used to describe the phenomenon of elevated negative affect after viewing pandemic-related media. The magnitude and duration of this effect, however, is unclear. Furthermore, the effect of doomscrolling likely varies based on prior vulnerabilities for psychopathology, such as a history of childhood maltreatment. It was hypothesized that social and traditional media exposure were related to an increase in depression and PTSD and that this increase was moderated by childhood maltreatment severity. Participants completed a baseline assessment for psychopathology and 30 days of daily assessments of depression, PTSD, and pandemic-related media use. Using multilevel modeling, social media exposure was associated with increased depression and PTSD. This association was stronger for those with more severe maltreatment histories. Furthermore, those with more severe baseline psychopathology used more social media during this period. These relations were not observed for traditional media sources. These results suggest that regular viewing of pandemic-related social media is associated with increases in psychopathology for those with existing vulnerabilities. Those with such vulnerabilities should adopt strategies to limit social media consumption. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

With the development of technology, media channels have found themselves in the digital environment and continue to reach their target audience digitally. Media consumption is distributed according to age. In the digital world, young people and children make up a large part of this distribution. In addition to this, consumption of digital media has been reflected in many scenarios. The authors examine digital media consumption of children characters in the series by conversation analysis technique. Basic problems of this article are children characters' use of language as a result of the digital media consumption frequency and the language differences that the child and family television series have shown over the years in this context. For this purpose, the relevant old and new episodes of Çocuklar Duymasın series are selected randomly and the children characters are discussed in terms of the language they use during digital media consumption.

RESUMEN: El crecimiento de las redes sociales ha alimentado la percepción de que su uso influye positivamente en la participación política. Con encuestas nacionales, evalua mos el efecto del consumo de medios tra dicionales y el uso de redes sociales sobre la participación electoral en Chile entre 2009 y 2013. Aunque los determinantes más fuertes de la participación electoral son institucionales, socioeconómicos y sociodemográficos, el consumo de medios también afecta la disponibilidad a parti cipar. Al analizarlos por separado, el con sumo de medios tradicionales y el uso de redes sociales tienen efectos positivos sobre la predisposición a votar. Pero cuando se evalúa en conjunto el consumo de medios tradicionales y el uso de redes sociales, desaparece el efecto del uso de redes sobre la participación electoral de los chilenos y sobre la predisposición a votar.