General Media Use Research Articles

European solidarity in times of crisis: the role of information and media use

COVID-19 has important implications for European solidarity. In this study, it is proposed to consider the role of information and media use for citizens’ attitudes towards European solidarity given the accelerated information supply alongside an increase in information-seeking behaviour among citizens. These factors have previously received little attention in the extant literature. In particular, we examine three dimensions of transnational solidarity (fiscal, medical and border solidarity) and present results from a four-wave panel survey conducted in the Netherlands between April and July 2020. It will be shown that solidarity support changes as the pandemic unfolds. Variation in general media use is only marginally related to solidarity, possibly due to an increase in media use during the pandemic. Yet, there are some effects at the media outlet level, particularly for newspaper reading. This research note highlights important implications for future research on European solidarity during and in the aftermath of crises.

The influence of media consumption on public risk perception: a meta-analysis

Media is an important explanatory variable in the research on the social amplification of risk; the public often perceives risks in social life through media consumption such as by relying on, using, and trusting the media dialectically. Currently, researchers have not reached a consistent conclusion about the relationship between media consumption and public risk perception (PRP). This study uses meta-analysis to integrate empirical literature and conducts a more in-depth and systematic analysis of the relationship between media consumption and PRP. The results show that (1) there is no significant correlation between general media use (GMU) and PRP, there is positive relationship between selective media exposure (SMEX) and PRP, and there is no significant correlation between media source credibility (MSC) and PRP. (2) Further meta-regression and subgroup analyses show that country type significantly moderates the relationship between GMU and PRP. Compared with high uncertainty avoidance countries, the relationship between GMU and PRP in low uncertainty avoidance countries is stronger. Moreover, risk type significantly moderates the relationship between SMEX and PRP. Compared with terrorist crime, environmental, accident and other types of risks, the SMEX is more positively correlated with public’s food safety and health risk perception. In addition, media type moderates the relationship between MSC and PRP. Compared with traditional media and internet social media, the MSC of mixed media have a stronger positive relationship with PRP.

How individual and neighborhood characteristics relate to health topic awareness and information seeking.

Structural determinants of health like neighborhood are often overlooked in the context of understanding public awareness of health topics and health information seeking behaviors. Seeking health information is particularly relevant given that some communities have higher prevalence of disease than others. Using the Structural Influence Model of Health Communication (SIMHC), this paper examines how both individual and neighborhood level characteristics contribute to health communication outcomes such as being aware of health topics like cancer, obesity, and HIV, and whether or not individual seeking health-related information or coming across information in the course of their general media use. Respondents to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey (SEPa HHS), a county-stratified random sample of adults ages 18-75 years old, who completed the survey in 2015, were recontacted for participation in 2017. Over one-thousand respondents (n=1,005) completed the survey, and the final sample size for this analysis was 887. Individual level correlates included demographic factors and relevant lifestyle behaviors (e.g., smoking); neighborhood level variables- determined by ZIP Code- included such socioeconomic status (SES) measures as percent unemployed, percent with a high school education, and percent living in poverty. Multilevel modeling was used to determine whether there were random effects on the health communication outcomes of interest. Analyses showed our outcomes of interest did not vary across neighborhoods, whether they were treated as random or fixed effects. Different characterizations of neighborhood (e.g., census block group) and different indicators of neighborhood media environments may be more likely to demonstrate macro level effects on health communication outcomes.

Perceptions of Pediatric Residents Regarding Counseling About Use of Social Networking Sites.

Increasing use of social networking sites (SNS) among youth prompted professional organizations to urge pediatricians to promote healthy media use. Electronic questionnaires were distributed to 76 pediatric residents at one academic center measuring attitudes, practices, and familiarity with SNS. Of 43 respondents (response rate = 57%), most reported personal SNS use (98%) and familiarity with SNS used by youth (72%), and 88% agreed that pediatricians should provide counseling on SNS use. Only 5% felt they had adequate training on SNS use in children, and just 26% felt comfortable advising families. Residents were less likely to discuss SNS use than general media use (19% vs 56%, P = .007). Media counseling was correlated with SNS counseling ( r = .38, P = .01). Pediatric residents recognize the importance of guiding families on SNS use, yet do not routinely provide counseling despite high levels of personal SNS use and familiarity. Focused training is necessary for pediatricians to prioritize practical guidance.

WIRED: The impact of media and technology use on stress (cortisol) and inflammation (interleukin IL-6) in fast paced families

This study examined how technology and media use affect stress (cortisol) and inflammation (interleukin IL-6) in dual earning parents and their adolescents. Sixty-two families reflected on their technology use the past week and collected saliva on two consecutive days that week. Technology use had the greatest effect on adolescents. Adolescents with greater phone use, general media exposure, and larger social networks via Facebook had a greater rise in their cortisol awakening response (CAR) and higher IL-6. Fathers' phone use and email were also associated with an increase in their CAR and IL-6. When bedtime technology use was high, greater general media use was associated with an increase in CAR for adolescents, but a decrease for fathers. Technology use did not significantly affect cortisol diurnal rhythm or mothers’ biosocial markers. This study contributes empirical evidence of the physiological consequences of technology use among family members and provides potential theoretical explanations for future research.

The Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME): Development and Validation

It is somewhat ironic that although youth today are saturated in media, no standardized instrument exists to measure individual's exposure to specific media content. Therefore, we developed and validated a scale to measure both the frequency and content of adolescents' media exposure which measures media exposure regardless of media channel: the Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME). The C-ME includes 17 items that assess exposure to antisocial (8 items) and neutral (9 items) media content. The factor structure was investigated in three independent samples (N = 892; N = 748; N = 524). Model fit indices like CFA's and RMSEA showed good fit, for both types of content, and predictive and discriminant validity was assessed. Exposure to antisocial media content positively correlated with sensation seeking, trait aggressiveness, violent media use, and general media use. The C-ME proves a reliable and easy to use instrument that measures media exposure in today's (new) media landscape.

Longitudinal Effects of Religious Media on Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage

Religion and anti-gay prejudice in the United States are closely connected. Yet we still know little about the specific mechanisms through which religious subcultures may shape adherents’ attitudes toward gays and lesbians. This study considers religious media consumption as a unique mechanism through which religious Americans are socialized and embedded within an anti-gay religious subculture. Drawing on panel data from the nationally-representative Portraits of American Life Study, and focusing on opposition to same-sex marriage as a measure of anti-gay prejudice, analyses show that more frequent consumption of religious radio and TV (but not internet) is associated with higher levels of opposition to same-sex marriage over time. These effects remain significant with different model specifications as well as controls for previous attitudes toward same-sex marriage, general media use, sociodemographic and religious characteristics, and intimate contact with gays and lesbians. We propose that consuming religious media over time may influence Americans’ views toward LGBT issues directly through explicit messages about homosexuality and indirectly by embedding Americans within a broader religious subculture (largely, conservative Protestantism) that opposes homosexuality.

Sex, violence, & rock n' roll: Longitudinal effects of music on aggression, sex, and prosocial behavior during adolescence

The current study examined longitudinal associations between listening to aggression, sex, and prosocial behavior in music on a number of behavioral outcomes across a one-year period during adolescence. Adolescents (N = 548, M age = 15.32, 52% female) completed a number of questionnaires on musical preferences, general media use, aggression, sexual outcomes, and prosocial behavior at two different time points separated by about one year. Using structural equation modeling to analyze the data, results revealed that listening to aggression in music was associated with increased aggression and decreased prosocial behavior over time, even when controlling for initial levels of these behaviors. Listening to sexual content in music was associated with earlier initiation of sexual intercourse and a trend for a higher number of sexual partners (reported at Time 2). Prosocial behavior in music was not associated with any behavioral outcome longitudinally. Collectively, these results suggest that listening to certain types of content in music can have a longitudinal effect on behavior during adolescence.

Sports in the Media: Perceptions of Athletic Activities and Their Influence on Leisure

The current study examined relationships between sports consumption, values, and media use. In particular, the authors considered relationships between athletic or physical values, perceptions of their portrayal in the entertainment media, sports media use, athletic behaviors (attending events, playing sports), and general media use. A probability survey in a major metropolitan area revealed that sports fandom is related to the importance of being healthy, athletic, and physically fit. These findings suggest that the “passive” leisure allocations commonly ascribed to sports viewing do not displace “active” leisure in the form of actual attendance at sporting events and programs. With regard to sports competition generally, then, the authors see little support for Putnam’s (1995, 2001) metaphor of “bowling alone” (or media-induced malaise) among our sports fans.

Exposure to Internet Pornography and Taiwanese Adolescents' Sexual Attitudes and Behavior

This study examines use of Internet pornography by adolescents in Taiwan and the relationships between exposure to Internet pornography and the sexual attitudes and behavior of surveyed teens. Results show that about 38% of the sample had some exposure to Internet pornography. Further, this exposure was associated with greater acceptance of sexual permissiveness and the greater likelihood of engaging in sexually permissive behavior. Most important, this exposure showed sustained relationships with sexually permissive attitudes and behavior when it was examined simultaneously with exposure to traditional pornography, general media use, and demographics.

Cultivation and Spiral of Silence Effects: The Case of Smoking

Public opinion about regulating smoking is characterized by considerable ambivalence. On the one hand, more than 80% of Americans recognize the health risks of smoking cigarettes; the majority of the public favors various antismoking policies, such as restricting smoking in public places. On the other hand, a majority also agrees that a person should have the right to smoke in public.Studies about communication and media effects on smoking are mostly concerned about the effectiveness of antismoking campaigns. How general media use, where fewer intentional antismoking messages are present, might affect attitudes about smoking is less studied. This study compares the relative impact of mass media on attitudes about smoking behavior and on various smoking-related policy stances. In particular, we are interested in the role that mass media play in influencing perceptions of the social climate surrounding cigarette smoking. Data come from a survey of 794 respondents about media use, smoking behaviors, and attitudes toward smoking.Results show that TV viewing (exposure) is indirectly related to perceptions of public support for smoking. TV exposure is positively related to prevalence estimates of smoking, which in turn are related to support for a smoking ban and to perceptions of public support for such a ban. Implications for communication theories such as spiral of silence and cultivation are discussed.

Expanding the Reach of Health Campaigns: Community Organizations as Meta-Channels for the Dissemination of Health Information

This study investigates whether, and to what extent, community organizations can serve as viable channels of health information. We use Putnam's (2000) findings on social capital to argue that organizations can serve two major functions in health campaigns: instrumental (e.g., providing material support) and affinity (social support). Through a secondary analysis of data from the Stanford Five-City Project, we find significant support for our predictions about who joins community organizations. Membership in community organizations explains greater variance in health outcomes than that explained by general media use, demographic indicators, and health-specific media use. Implications for health campaigns are discussed.