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AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS COMPARED
Using multiple methods to study media adoption in
everyday life. Comparing three research methods:
media diaries, Q sorting and sensory ethnography
Authors:
Riitta Perälä, Merja Helle
Confidentiality:
Public
Date and status:
25.2.2012
This work was supported by TEKES as part of the next Media program of TIVIT
(Finnish Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in the field of ICT)
Next Media - a Tivit Programme
Participants
Name
Organization
AALTO ARTS
AALTO ARTS
Riitta Perälä
Merja Helle
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Next Media
www.nextmedia.fi
www.tivit.fi
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Executive Summary
Audiences and media are fragmenting, boundaries between media genres are
blurring, and people are using media in new, autonomous ways. They are not just
readers or viewers or listeners; they also can be users and producers. Changes in
media practices call for new methods and ways of combining them, as well as
developing iterative research methods that provide a deep understanding of the
meaning of media in people’s everyday lives.
In this paper we examine and compare three different research methods – online
media diaries, Q sorting method, and sensory ethnography that were used in a
pilot study researching media use and its motives. Media fulfill different needs,
e.g., need for information, values, and interests as well as building identity and
communities, so different methods were applied to map the complexity of media
use and adoption.1
The empirical data consists of a pilot study in November - December 2011of three
participants who were 16-19 years old. The results indicate that each of the methods
used provides special insights into the motivation and practices of media use, and
complement each other.
The online media diaries revealed the everyday media use, the multiple media
used, and the remarkable differences among the users. It also showed what tools or
platforms the participants used to access media. The results of the media diaries were
used in the Q sorting methodology which helped place the media in the order of
importance for each media user, and it also mapped each individual’s whole media
landscape.
The short ethnographic observations focused on the use of an individual media title
in the actual real-life context. Observation helped the participants to reflect on their
media practice and provided sensory details of media use, such as having saved
stacks of magazines for later reading
Media use proved to be quite social in nature, e.g., news was read mostly based on
recommendations from friends. The most important media were social in nature:
Facebook and YouTube allowed chatting and keeping in contact with friends, but
they were also used for getting information, relaxing, having fun,
listening to music, and other purposes. The participants were particularly engaged
with their favorite media, even passionate about them. On the other hand, routines
also played an important part in media use.
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Yhteenveto
Yleisöt ja media pirstoutuvat, median lajityyppien rajat hämärtyvät ja medioita
käytetään uusilla, autonomisilla tavoilla. Ihmiset eivät enää ole vain lukijoita tai
katsojia tai kuuntelijoita; he voivat olla myös käyttäjiä tai sisällön tuottajia.
Mediakäytön muutoksien ymmärtäminen edellyttää uusia tutkimusmenetelmiä ja
niiden yhdistämistä, samoin kuin iteratiivisten menetelmien kehittämistä, jotta
voitaisiin ymmärtää mikä merkitys medioilla on ihmisten arkipäivässä.
Olemme käyttäneet kolmea eri tutkimusmenetelmää: online-mediapäiväkirjat, Q
lajittelumenetelmä ja etnografia (sensory ethnography) tutkimuspilotissa, jossa
tutkimme median käyttöä ja sen motivaatiota. Vertaamme ja arvioimme eri
menetelmiä ja niiden tuottamia tuloksia. Medioiden käyttö tyydyttää erilaisia
tarpeita, kuten tarpeen saada tietoa, rakentaa omia arvoja, se tyydyttää erilaisia
intressejä, rakentaa omaa identiteettiä tai tarvetta kuulua yhteisöön, joten
monimuotoisen mediakäytön ymmärtämiseen tarvitaan erilaisia menetelmiä.
Pilottihankkeen empiirinen aineisto koostuu kolmen, 16-19-vuotiaan lukiolaisen,
tutkimuksesta marras- joulukuussa 2011. Pilotin tulokset osoittavat, että eri
menetelmillä saatiin erilaisia tuloksia siitä mitä ovat eri medioiden käyttömotiivit
ja arkiset mediakäytännöt. Menetelmät täydensivät hyvin toisiaan.
Online-mediapäiväkirjat osoittivat kuinka monia ja erilaisia medioita koehenkilöt
käyttivät, ja miten paljon henkilöiden mediakäyttö erosi toisistaan. Sen avulla
voitiin nähdä mitä medioita ja media-alustoja käytettiin. Q lajittelumenetelmän
pohjana käytettiin mediapäiväkirjoissa listattuja medioita, joista tehtiin
mediakortteja. Testihenkilöt lajittelivat ne tärkeysjärjestykseen, ja näin saatiin
selville kunkin henkilön mediakäytön kokonaisuus ja mitkä mediat olivat
tärkeimpiä. Lyhyet etnografiset havainnoinnit henkilöiden kotona täydensivät
tietoja mediakäytöstä sekä missä ja miten medioita käytettiin. Yksi henkilö
esimerkiksi säilytti aikakauslehden koko vuosikertaa pinossa, ja heitti lehdet pois
vasta vuoden lopussa. Toisessa kodissa PC oli olohuoneessa yhteiskäytössä, mikä
rajoitti chattailu-mahdollisuuksia.
Media käyttö oli varsin sosiaalista, esimerkiksi uutisia luettiin pääasiassa ystävien
suositusten pohjalta. Tärkein käyttötapa oli chattailu kavereiden kanssa, ja eniten
käytetyt mediat olivat Facebook, ja Google, joita käytettiin myös tiedonhankintaan
ja viihteen hakemiseen – esimerkiksi musiikin kuunteluun tai videoiden katseluun.
Osallistuja oli kiinteä ja tunteenomainen suhde suosikkimediaansa, mutta toisaalta
päivittäiset rutiinit olivat myös tärkeitä mediakäytön syitä.
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Table of contents
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Fragmentation requires new research methods ........................................................................................ 10 1.2 The complexity of media experience research benefits from different approaches ........................ 11 2 Research questions, methods and participants .................................................................................. 13 2.1 Online diaries ........................................................................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Applying online diaries in the pilot study ................................................................................................................ 15 2.2 Q sorting method .................................................................................................................................................. 16 2.2.1 Q methodology and outlining media landscape .................................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 Applying Q sorting in the pilot study ......................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Ethnography ............................................................................................................................................................................ 19 2.3.1 Applying sensory ethnography in the pilot study ................................................................................................ 20 3 Comparing the three methods .................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 The advantages and disadvantages of the online diaries ........................................................................ 21 3.2 The advantages and disadvantages of the Q methodology ..................................................................... 22 3.3 The advantages and disadvantages of sensory ethnography ................................................................. 23 4 Conclusion: What did the different methods tell about media practices and meanings? .... 24 5 References ....................................................................................................................................................... 28 Appendix 1. Table of media landscapes ................................................................................................................................... 31 WP1 EREADING DELIVERABLE 1.1.3.2 COMPARING AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS
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1
Introduction
Digitalization helps generate new media products, changes media practices, and
provides new audience measurement tools. Napoli (2010a) calls this an
intertwined process of evolution of audience consumption of media, in which a
new audience measurement system is emerging.
Napoli (2010a) points out that the media field has changed in the last decades in
two fundamental ways: fragmentation of media and audience and increasing
audience autonomy. Media fragmentation means, for example, increased
television channel options, more and more niche magazines, and in general more
publishing platforms with closely targeted content for niche audiences. For
example, in the United States, 90% of television channels have less than 1% of
the audience (Ibid., 67).
The development of more fragmented and autonomous audiences has influenced
discussions about how to study and measure audiences, their media behavior, and
their media experience. The concept of “audience” is a debated and contested area,
and one should remember that "particular re-conceptualizations of audiences are
beneficial to certain stakeholders interests while harmful to others” (Napoli, 2010,
p. 117).
Barker (2006, p. 124) points out that “There is no such thing as ‘the audience,’
rather, there are a great variety of ‘audiences’ that nonetheless display patterns
and processes which bind them into researchable communities of response.”
Both Barker and Napoli have moved away from the notion of the vulnerable
audience, which needs saving, into regarding audiences as active, motivated and
emotionally involved.
Couldry et al. (2010) have focused especially on how audiences and individual
people use media, and how they construct, act, and conceptualize the political or
public sphere in their everyday activities. They used questionnaires, interviews,
and media diaries. Schrøder (2010) talks about “worth whileness” as a motive for
using media. He points out that people have to have some use for media to spend
time or money on media content.
Audiences can decide what media content to consume, as well as when, where,
and how. They can choose the content, time, and place especially with digital
media. Also, the line between producers and users of media content is blurring.
Audiences can no longer be seen – as in traditional mass communication research
– as passive recipients of information, but they emerge as active actors in the
media field. Masses can communicate to masses, or individuals to masses, or with
each other, through a plethora of digital media channels (see Deuze, Bruns, &
Neuberger, 2007). The question is how to measure the amount, time, and
motivation for this audience work, which is based on free labor (Napoli 2010b).
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Figure 1. Fragmentation of media environment (Napoli 2010a, p. 57).
Napoli points out the difficulties of getting accurate and meaningful data of audience
behavior across different platforms, and points out that the actual audience is largely
unknowable, even though audience metrics are the currency of exchange between
advertisers and media organizations. In the web, it is easier to measure audience behavior
(time spent on content and ads, and paths of usage) with different kinds of data tracking
methods, and automated analytics, but qualitative methods are needed to get behind the
motivation for media use.
Napoli (2003, 2010a) discusses in detail the criticism of traditional audience
measurement methods, and their accuracy in predicting the success of media
products or advertising. He also challenges the idea that people actively choose
what particular story or TV program to watch. He points to research showing that media
consumption is more a function of availability than content preferences. This applies
especially to TV as people still watch it, even if their preferred program is not on.
This points to the importance of understanding the habits and routines of media practices.
Audience measurement typically focus on measuring the audience for time spent
with a particular piece of media content, not, for example, on measuring the
audience for the advertisement embedded within media content. The vehicle
exposure (content) and the audience of advertising exposure can be quite different.
For example, almost half of the prime time television watchers leave the room
during commercial breaks in the U.S.
The issue of engagement has emerged as a central concept used to describe the
missing element in audience research. The pressing questions are how to measure
engagement, and where and why it occurs in the process of media exposure and
use. Engagement is a frequently used term, but there is no common
understanding about what it means, or how it can be measured. For example, the
U.S. Advertising Research Foundation had 25 different definitions for
engagement in their white paper in 2006, and many of the definitions had a
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strong focus related to recall and the persuasiveness of advertisements (Napoli,
2010a, pp. 94-99).
However, there are several methods being developed to measure audience
engagement, which is the basis for building lasting readership relations. For
example, the BBC has developed the concept of audience value as “appreciation
multiplied by duration of consumption.” They measure appreciation by asking
how the program is appreciated on a scale from 1 to 10 (Holden & North, 2006).
Measuring emotions and engagement can also include several
psychophysiological methods. Traditional surveys, and nowadays Internet-based
diaries and reports, are also used. A new concept, called eGPRs (engagement
cross metric points), tries to integrate old and new audience research methods. In
advertising, Morissey (2009) has called for a “cost-per-engagement” pricing
model online.
The Internet has made it possible to collect minute details of people’s reading
habits in the web, as well as their personal data. Online chatter in social media
can be monitored, as web-scraping programs already exist. Nielsen’s
OnlineBuzzService gathers data from over 100 million blogs in trying to predict
also future consumption of media (Ibid., 92-93).
Cultural factors also need to be taken into account: what do the cultural
differences between Finland and the U.S. mean in practice, for example, the
Finnish home delivery of newspapers and magazines? There is a need to know
how different media are used during the day, what platforms are used, what
kind of content is consumed, and especially why. This knowledge could
provide media companies the opportunity to tailor and bundle their content for
different user segments, at different times, and in different places.
The fragmentation and autonomy of audiences have led to a “crisis” in the media
exposure measurement industry, claims Napoli (2010a, pp. 76-77). Large
qualitative samples cannot find small, even if devoted, audiences, nor do they
capture simultaneous media use. Neither do they reveal the emotional aspects of
media use, which lead to engagement and lasting readership relations.
Napoli has modeled the evolvement of the institutionalized conceptualization of
audiences in the following figure.
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)*+,-,./
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01)2.!-+)+3,-
Figure 2. The decline of exposure and the rise of alternative audience conceptions
(Napoli 2010a, p. 151).
Instead of the traditional way of focusing only on media exposure, the model
depicts audience autonomy and fragmentation at the center. These two phenomena
change media use, and therefore media organizations want and need to understand
audience interests, appreciation, engagement, and response.
Mass communication research has been conventionally divided into three
historical phases starting with strong effects and propaganda since the 1920s and
1930s, changing into the limited effects theories and a return to powerful effects
in the 1960s and 1970s (O'Neill, 2011). Quantitative methods and exposure
metrics have dominated the research methods, until the emergence of the cultural
studies approach in the 1970s that focused on meaning making, everyday
practices, textual analysis, narrative methods and ethnography. This research
project and paper focus mainly on qualitative methods, but acknowledges that
there is a need to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods (Hasebrink
& Popp, 2006; Schrøder & Larsen, 2010).
Two main contemporary approaches to researching audiences, their media
experiences, motivations and practices can be divided into a two broad
categories as depicted in Figure 3 below:
1. Media choice
2. Mediatized worlds
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Figure 3. Two perspectives on cross-media audiences (Schrøder & Larsen, 2010, p. 10).
This research project applies the Mediatized Worlds view, and shares an emphasis
on studying everyday media practices, and what kind of actions, if any, they lead to
(see Couldry et al. 2010).
Many audience research projects do not seem to grasp what does it mean to be a
reader in actual practice. Instead they tend to focus on finding the interests of the
reader, and their demographic details (Hermes, 2009; Napoli, 2003; Ridell, 2006).
That kind of research is conducted mainly by the commercial media sector to serve
the marketing departments of media companies. Ridell (2006, p. 236) presents a
contradiction associated with audience research: are we interested in audiences as
an audience or in audiencing. She claims that researchers often want on know how
the audience is, but end up asking who the audience is. Audience research needs a
new viewpoint on audiences to understand their practices and new methodologies
to research the complexity of media use (Hermes, 2009).
The main concepts used in this study – media engagement, media experience,
media relationship – are somewhat problematic. They are commonly used in
audience research, but they are often not clearly explained or conceptualized.
Media experience is an umbrella concept that covers different user and media
attributes, from the societal viewpoints on media use to the qualities of both the
user and the medium, as well as different media practices attached to media use
(Helle, et al., 2011). Media relationship means the relationship that a user forms
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with a certain medium. This relationship can be occasional or permanent; it can be
meaningful for a number of reasons (identity building, information seeking, social
contacts, etc.), or it can be a mundane habit. For example, one may have a need to
belong to a virtual community of people with same profession, and a professional
magazine might respond to this need. On the other hand, a person may watch the
same TV series every week with a friend, and consider this an important social
routine. Engagement, as conceptualized in this paper, is an attachment or affection
with media. It is a prerequisite for lasting media relationships.
Engagement is especially interesting in the contemporary media environment,
where the boundaries between genres are blurring and the media is fragmenting.
Does engaging with some kind of content or topic on one platform mean engaging
with similar topic or content on another platform? Or is engagement dependent on
the medium? Is engagement with a magazine title also fragmenting, and moving
beyond brand loyalty?
1.1
Fragmentation requires new research methods
The concept of audience autonomy covers different notions of what, when, where,
and how media are used. Recommendations, sharing, and personalization deal with
the content itself, whereas time shifting, for example, changes the time media are
used. Mobile phones and portable tablets can change the location where the media
are used. Commenting, tweeting, text messaging, and other user-generated content
describe transforming media use. Audience autonomy also includes the possibility
of personalization of content and distributing the content in the web.
Media use practices and media landscape approach bring a wider perspective into
media use discussion than approaches aimed at measuring reactions to a single
media title. We look at audiences as active users of media in their particular life
situations, from the viewpoint of cultural studies, sociology, audience research, and
practice theory. Especially in today’s rapidly changing media environment, it can
be difficult to find a stable core of media use or experience. We approach media
use as a meaning making process, which leads to some action, if it is meaningful.
Media use is not only individual, but also shared in face-to-face situations
(Couldry, Livingstone, & Markham, 2010), and across the nodes of the web in
interactive ways of recommending, sharing, and producing digital media content
(Domingo, 2011; Jenkins, 2008; Thurman, 2011).
As audience behavior is changing, the traditional measuring systems do not offer
enough relevant or sufficient information for media industry. Different notions of
audience autonomy and activity – such as appreciation, production, and
participation – are dimensions of audience behavior, which the more traditional
audience measuring systems cannot grasp. But, at the same time, these new ways
of using media offer new options and methods for researching audiences.
To understand audience behavior and its motivation, one needs to study the
different phases from becoming aware of media to changes in the behavior of
media users, e.g., engagement, loyalty, or rejection. Napoli presents the phases in
the figure below.
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Figure 4. Audience dimensions (Napoli 2010a, 91).
The model starts with awareness of a media product, which can then lead to
further interest and exposure. This is a crucial issue in the fragmented and
competitive media environment. In American bookstores and newsstands, there
can be thousands of magazines to choose from. So how can a new media
product be introduced or choices made between, for example, dozens of
computer magazines? Engagement includes appreciation and emotional
response. These in turn influence recall and attitude and can lead to behavioral
changes in using media. Media companies are interested in understanding the
motivations of readers or users for using different media titles, and have
become interested in developing research methods, and combining both
quantitative and qualitative methods, to be able to better reach their target
audiences.
1.2
The complexity of media experience research benefits from different
approaches
Helle et al. (2011) created a model of media experience, where media experience is
divided into three layers: 1) meta-level contains the societal, cultural,
technological, and economical aspects affecting media use; 2) macro-level consists
of the social dimensions of media experience; and 3) micro-level includes the
individual attributes of both the user and the medium. In this research project, we
concentrate on the micro-level, which includes the reader’s motives, needs, daily
media use, personal values, and feelings attached to media use, as well as the
sensory perception of the media. The social and interactional aspects of the macrolevel will be discussed, but the focus is on the users’ individually constructed
motives and meanings of media use.
We are interested in the emerging and hybrid practices of media consumption,
e.g., with the new technologically available media products and contents – but at
the same time also in the routinized habits of media use as part of the daily life.
We look at practices as inherently social, and shared. Schatzki (2001, p. 12)
emphasizes that “knowledge is no longer even the property of individuals, but
instead a feature of groups, together with their material setting.” In this paper we
emphasize the social and interactional dynamics of media use. New challenges
for research are posed by the fact that media use is increasingly simultaneous or
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overlapping. A person can turn on the TV, and the set-top-box dutifully records
the hours spent in front of television. But in reality, the person might be
simultaneously also using his laptop, making phone calls, listening to the radio,
eating dinner, and so on. So he or she is not necessarily actively engaged in
watching TV programs or their ads.
To sum up, although different phases or elements of media experience or
engagement can be conceptualized, and studied in laboratory experiments, media
use itself cannot be separated from everyday life itself. Media use is also part of
the contemporary culture, and the differences in the meanings require a multitude
of approaches (Bird, 2003, p. 3).
Ethnography of media use has emerged as a key to understanding media
practices and meanings people attach to media, and as a way to document
everyday media practices in detail. However, there are multiple ways of doing
ethnography.
Traditional anthropology uses ethnography as its main research method. “Proper
ethnography is described as participant observation done during fieldwork”
(Delamont, 2004, p. 218). Participation nowadays often refers, not to actual
participation in the activity, but to close observation of practices. Delamont
describes two main types of fieldwork as total immersion and partial immersion.
The first one refers to anthropologic tradition, where a researcher lives in the
community s/he studies. The latter one is applied in sociology, education, etc.,
and the researcher spends part of his or her time oscillating between the field,
university, and home.
There is a need for many methods: hanging out, immersion, visits, email, phones,
etc., and “it is the circumstances which define the method rather than the method
defining the circumstance” (Amit, 1999, p. 11). We approach studying media use
from an applied research perspective, which is defined as “inquiry that is
intentionally developed within a context of decision making and that is directed
toward the interests of one or more clients” (E. Chambers, 2001).
Applied ethnography (Beebe, 2001) is one commonly used method for studying
practices in product development and testing. Practice research has also been used
in product development. It can focus on certain elements of practices such as
routinized bodily activities, sets of mental activities, using particular things in a
certain way when carrying out a practice, collective understanding of the
phenomena, and discursive practices (Reckwitz, 2002).
The concept of rapid ethnography describes deep, but time-limited ethnography,
often including research teams, iterative methods of gathering knowledge,
emphasis on emic knowledge, and an interest of solving problems of importance
to the stakeholders (Beebe, 1995; R. Chambers, 1980; Millen, 2000).
Sensory ethnography (Pink 2009) includes ethnographic elements, and focuses on
the multi- sensory aspect of the research topic. In Western research, sight as a
sense is often emphasized, while the other senses – hearing, smell, taste and
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touch – are paid less attention. As Pink (2009, p. 19) says: “An ethnographic
approach to exploring people’s multisensory relationships to the materialities and
environments of their everyday lives, and to their feelings about them, offer a
remarkably rich and informative source of knowledge.” Also, the relationship of
sensory perception and the culture are examined with the sensory ethnographic
approach (Pink 2009, 15).
Pink (2009) herself has used the sensory ethnographic approach for studying the
ways that people do their household chores, for example, the laundry: what
different senses are used in deciding when clothes are dirty? Or what people do in
their homes to make them feel cozy (Pink 2011)? The sensory aspect of media use
is clearly apparent in reading a newspaper or iPad, in watching TV, and listening
to the radio. It is interesting to examine what secondary senses are linked to using
media – like smells at home, eating breakfast when reading the morning
newspaper, or playing background music.
2
Research questions, methods and participants
This pilot is part of a larger research project which asks what are the elements of
the media relationship between a user and a medium, especially from the user’s point
of view? However in this paper, we focus on using and comparing different
methods of researching the meaning and practices of media use in people’s
everyday lives. The research questions are:
● What kinds of knowledge do the three methods of online media diaries, Q sorting
method and interviews, as well as sensory ethnography provide?
● How is the information complementary and different?
● How could the methods be developed?
Different media fulfill different motives based on needs, whether it is an interest in
a specific issue or cause, in one’s profession, in a need for entertainment or
information, or in handling personal relationships. Different media produce
different, multifaceted meanings and practices of use. In this research, it is
assumed that a media relationship is constituted of different dimensions: the needs
and values of the user, their correspondence to the media, and the actual practices
of reading or using media. Our hypothesis is that different methods provide
different, and partial answers about media use and meaning, and thus multiple
methods are needed.
Three high school students, 16-19 years of age, living in Helsinki, were chosen as
participants. They were expected to be users of several media. They belong to an
age group that interests media companies and advertisers as well as
researchers, because their media habits will define the future of media and its
offerings.
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Like them, most students in this age group still live at home, where their
economic situation is dependent on the parents. One of the participants was male
and two were female. They participated in the study in exchange for movie
tickets. All of them were willing to complete all of the three research phases and
methods.
The research was structured as iterative. First, information was gathered about
their media use with online media diaries to study the participants’ media
portfolio or media landscape, and to investigate everyday media use and habits.
Secondly, based on the findings of the media diaries, the Q sorting method and
its media title cards (Q cards) were used to gather meanings and motives of
media use (Schrøder & Larsen, 2010). The participants were interviewed after
they had arranged the Q cards according to their importance. Thirdly, short
ethnographic observations, focusing on the actual sensory and spatial media
practices, were conducted at the participants’ homes.
The time frame for the three phases was tight. The online media diaries were
written for two weeks in November 2011, and the Q sorting, interviews and
observation were conducted in the following two weeks. The research material
gathered was analyzed between the different phases to prepare for the next
method.
2.1
Online diaries
Diaries offer a method for collecting research material about what media people
use, how, when, and why. They also help provide the context of the social and
psychological processes involved. Diaries are also helpful in comparing practices
among individuals. (Bolger, Davis, & Rafaeli, 2003, pp. 580-587).
Diaries for research purposes can be divided into three types, and the first two
belong to a group of time-based diary designs. First, in interval-contingent diaries,
the participants are asked to report regularly, at predetermined intervals, during a
day or a week. In signal-contingent diaries, the participants are asked to report
randomly, at a signal. Third, in event-contingent diaries, the participants are asked
to report whenever a certain experience occurs. (Bolger, et al., 2003, p. 588) The
problem with event-based diaries is that the occurrence of some to-be-examined
experiences may not be noticed by the participants. Or, if there are several different
experiences under scrutiny, there might be confusion. (Bolger, et al., 2003, p. 591)
The different diary designs can be combined to fit the research. In this study, the
diaries were time-based; the participants were asked to report on a daily basis.
They were also event-contingent, as they were asked to report all their media use,
and media experiences.
From a methodological viewpoint, online diaries offer a channel in which the
participant has the freedom to express her/himself individually, in private,
without having to interact with the researcher in an interview, or to concentrate
and participate in a discussion with a focus group (Kaun, 2010, p. 134).
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There are advantages with online research: it is cost and resource effective, as
personal interviews or observations by the researcher are not needed. Also, people
from different geographic regions can be chosen as participants (Kaun, 2010, p.
135)
The online environment involves some issues that need to be given extra thought.
The first two are ethical issues: the participants should feel safe when producing
content in the Internet and possibly sharing some sensitive and personal
information about themselves. The collected data should also be handled in a
secure way (Kaun, 2010, p. 136). The second issue in online research is the way
of communicating. Online communication differs from face-to-face
communication as the physical and visual interaction is missing (Sade-Beck,
2004, p. 46), and thus the ambiguity of the texts may increase.
2.1.1
Applying online diaries in the pilot study
The first method used in the research pilot was online media diaries. Media
diaries are often used to record topics and contents, as well as the amount of time
spent with particular content. In our case, the participants were asked to write
about their media use, and especially the meaningful encounters with media,
preferably on a daily basis. They were told they could also write down the time
spent with different media, but this was not emphasized. The participants wrote in
the diary for two weeks.
The online diaries were closed platforms; only the participants and the researcher
had access. The platform used for the media diaries was PBworks.com, which is
designed for educational purposes. The security and privacy issues are thus given
special attention. The participants were not able to see each other’s updates or
content. The platform allows the participants to attach photos and external links to
their text. PBworks has also been used for other purposes: e.g., Kaun (2010) has
used the platform to collect research material for her research about young adults’
civic engagement in Estonia.
Before the participants began to write their diaries, they were met personally, one
at a time, and given instructions about the technical use of the platform, and the
assignment itself. None of them seemed to have any difficulties using the
platform.
The concept of “media” might sometimes be ambiguous to the respondents.
Sometimes it meant the device (TV, phone, iPod, magazine), sometimes it was
used to mean the application (Spotify, Viber, MSN) or Internet in general, and
sometimes it meant a specific title (Sex and the City, Cosmopolitan, Google). The
participants were asked to think about the following media: Internet, TV, phone,
magazine, newspaper, console and video games, radio, movie/dvd, and books.
When handed the assignment face-to-face, it was clarified that media means
specific media titles as well.
The participants were not given strict guidelines to follow. They were simply
asked to write about their media use and experiences, thoughts about media and
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media content, ways of using different media, and situations where media was
used. The texts could be as long as the diarists wanted; the frequency of
“updating” the diary was not set. The participants were asked to reflect on their
media use, and were asked questions such as: Why did you use this media?
Where, in what situation and with whom? The researcher read their posts almost
daily, and during the writing period they were sometimes asked by the researcher
to make some things clearer or to extend their writing.
In addition to writing the online diary, the participants were also given two extra
assignments: a pre-survey addressing their media use in general and their other
interests and hobbies; at the end of the writing period they were asked to list the
seven most important media or media topics for them. The media mentioned in
the diaries were listed to be able to prepare for the second phase of the Q sorting
methodology and making the Q cards with photographs of the media titles.
2.2
Q sorting method
Q methodology was originally designed in the 1930s by psychologist-physicist
William Stephenson to compare and map subjective meanings made by
individuals. It has been sometimes used in audience research, but is still unknown
to many researchers (Davis & Michelle, 2011, p. 529-532).
Q methodology has multiple advantages in audience and reception research: it
provides both quantitative and qualitative data, and it has as a ready-made frame
for collecting material, if compared to more traditional interviews or observation.
At the same time, it provides a better way of studying individual meanings than
structured surveys (Davis & Michelle, 2011, p. 529).
The process of the Q methodology varies according to the context of the research.
In the basic setup, the participant is shown a number of cards, Q cards, which
represent, e.g., statements or meanings as written text. The participant arranges the
cards on a nine-scale grid that reflects her/his agreement and meaningfulness of
those statements. At the same time the researcher asks questions about how the
sorting is done.
The research data consists of the interviews and speaking out loud during the
sorting, as well as the final grid. The latter provides quantitative data for factor
analysis, to be used to identify similarities and differences among the participants’
meaning making, for example, media use (Davis & Michelle, 2011, pp. 533-538).
Q methodology is not, however, limited to only textual attributes; it could also be
done with Q cards with photographs, or other visual material (Davis & Michelle,
2011, p. 535). In this research, the cards had photographs of the media titles and
platforms.
2.2.1
Q methodology and outlining media landscape
One crucial question in modern audience research is whether to focus on the use
of a single media, a certain media title, or on the wider issue of the overall media
use – a person’s media landscape. Studies that focus only on a particular medium
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can distort the meaning of that medium, according to Hermes (1995, p. 14). For
example, Ang’s (1985) study about watching Dallas or McRobbie’s (1992) study
about a girls’ magazine Jackie, emphasize too much the meaningfulness of the
content, or the medium, criticizes Hermes (1995, p. 14). In our research, we try to
avoid the over-emphasis on singular media titles, and instead, we examine the
entire media portfolio of the participants.
During or after the sorting of the Q cards, the participants are interviewed about
their media use and sorting decision (Schrøder, 2010, pp. 9-10). Schroder gave the
participants 25 cards, each card representing one key Danish news media. In this
case, Q methodology was used to examine different news media’s importance for
the participants. The pile of cards also contained a few blank cards, which the
participant could fill in if the media topic was not in the card deck.
The participant sorts the cards on a grid of importance according to the medium’s
importance or role in her/his media landscape, whether the media is related to
entertainment, news, professional use, etc. The participant is also asked to think
aloud about the process and reveal his/her reasoning during the sorting. The Q
sorting can also involve a deeper interview. The topics could include the needs
that a certain media title fulfills, other media titles or contents that respond to
similar needs, and the difference between different media, their content, and their
meaningfulness to the user.
Figure 5. Q sorting cards in a grid of importance. On the right are the important media
titles and on the left the unimportant ones. The pink post-it notes are additional
information (e.g. online version only), or media titles, which were added in the card deck
during the sorting and interview.
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The Q sorting offers both quantitative and qualitative material. Later, the patterns
of the media use are analyzed with factor analysis of the concepts – e.g.,
worthwhileness, materiality and affordability – that came up in the media use
interviews. This way Q sorting can produce a media use pattern map as a result.
(see Schrøder, 2010, pp. 9-10).
2.2.2
Applying Q sorting in the pilot study
In this research pilot, the participants were all given the same 89 media cards. The
different media titles chosen for the cards were based on the online media diaries;
each medium or media title they had mentioned was included in the card deck. In
addition, competing media topics were added to the media titles mentioned.
Information was collected about the age group’s most popular web sites, blogs,
magazines, and newspapers from different statistics (e.g., National Readership
Survey; Alexa.com). Also, other known competitors for the interest and time of
media users were added, such as the customer free delivery magazines Pirkka and
Yhteishyvä. The total number of cards in the deck was 89.
The large number of the cards was needed to outline the entire media portfolio of
the participants. If the focus of the research questions had been limited to, for
example, news or entertainment, or a certain medium, the card deck would have
been smaller. Most of the cards were placed by the participants in the category of
“no use at all,” as the whole card deck was similar for every participant.
Figure 6. Q sorting the media.
Each participant completed the Q sorting with the researcher. The sorting and the
interview afterwards were videotaped. The participants placed the cards on the
grid in order of importance, in a scale from 1 to 9. Depending on the participant,
40–50 cards were placed on the grid. It was easier to focus on the interview after
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the cards had been placed. Then one could already see where similar media cards
had been placed, and ask about their meaning and their relationship.
After the sorting, the participants were asked such questions as: “Why do you
use/watch/read/etc. this media topic/content?” “In what situations, and where?”
“Do you use other media for similar needs?” “How does the platform
(print/computer/phone/dvd/television/Internet) influence your media use?”
“What makes this media topic important/unimportant for you?”
After the interview, one of their favorite media was chosen by the researcher to be
observed in the third, ethnographic phase. The researcher chose the media use to be
observed on grounds of the importance (mentioned in the online diaries as well as
Q sorting) for the participant. Different types of media were chosen to get a good
view on the usability of the sensory ethnography.
The research material from the Q sorting method phase consists of recorded and
partly transcribed interviews, as well as photographs taken of the media landscape
grid that had been assembled by the participants. Media use and landscape are
depicted in Appendix 1, which is based on the media diaries and Q sorting.
2.3
Ethnography
When researching media practices it is important to do ethnographic observation
to get a hands-on view of the participants' media use. Schrøder et al. (2003, pp.
72-73) emphasize that the process of “meaning-making is only shaped in
practice.”
The roots of ethnographic research are in the field of anthropology. The “classic”
anthropological ethnography is time-consuming, and the researcher needs to
dedicate her/himself for years to participatory observation – as in the case if
studying an entire foreign culture and its habits, language, people, etc. (e.g., Deger,
2011). That is why many modern short term ethnographic approaches have
sometimes been blamed as being superficial (Deacon & Keightley, 2011, p. 313).
Murphy (2011) compares ethnography to a patchwork quilt: there is not just one
right ethnographic approach, but multiple approaches. In addition, the patchwork
quilt is unfinished – ethnographies can be anything from studying photo albums,
holding interviews, and reading diaries to classic observation. Even if a researcher
does not have the time to go deep into the culture or phenomenon she/he is
examining, the different methods help to collect rich research material from
several viewpoints. As Murphy (2011, p. 397) emphasizes, the most important
aspect of ethnographic methods is that the research process is clearly made visible
in reporting the results – including the time and the places where the researched
phenomenon or experience is shaped, and how it was studied and analyzed.
The short ethnographic experiment in the pilot project with three participants was
focused on the sensory aspects of media use: How and where do people use
media? What meanings do they give to the tangible media practices? (See Pink
2009.) These meanings could be tied to the materiality of the magazine or a
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newspaper: one’s ability to flip through the pages, or take a closer look at the
photos. Or to the place where the media is used: where does the viewer watch TV,
and where is the computer or laptop situated?
The sensory aspects of magazine reading become apparent, for example, in the
reading position. Ytre-Arne (2011) has researched reading women’s magazines
from a phenomenological viewpoint, and she found out that reading a print
magazine was preferred to reading an online magazine because the reading position
is tied to the need for relaxation attached to magazines. Relaxing comfortably in a
laid-back position on a sofa or in an armchair differs significantly from the upright
position of using a computer. Also the different tasks, including such
characteristics of surfing the Internet, flicking, clicking, scrolling, and other
allegedly little gestures made online reading stressful for the readers in Ytre-Arne’s
research. These kinds of sensory practices – and especially the meanings given to
them – depend on the readers / users, their age, the context of use, etc.
The sensory meanings may also be reported in the media diaries, but they might
not be considered to be the part of the media experience that readers should
report. That is why it is worthwhile to observe media use in the actual everyday
context.
2.3.1
Applying sensory ethnography in the pilot study
One favorite media title, and its use, was chosen by the researcher to be observed
with the three participants. The choice was based on the most important media the
participants had chosen in media diaries and Q sorting. The aim was to observe the
real-life context of media use. Different media were chosen for each participant in
order to test the method. The participants were named A, B, and C.
First participant A and his Internet use was observed, then participant B reading a
newspaper, and last participant C reading her favorite magazine. The participants’
favorite media use was also complemented with other media use, to get wider
knowledge about each participant’s individual media use and media practices.
Participant A’s alternative medium was console games; B’s was reading a
magazine, the reading of which was compared to a newspaper; and C’s second
media was YouTube, which fulfilled similar needs as the magazines she read.
The ethnography sessions were short, from 15 to 25 minutes long. Observations
were recorded on video. They were asked to describe the situations and places
where they use the specific medium.
During the observation, clarifying questions were asked: What is the effect of the
location of media use? At what time of the day you usually use the medium? How
is lighting affecting it? How do other people’s presence impact media practices?
Do you do other things at the same time (other media use, eating, drinking)? How
does the medium itself, or its use, feel physically?
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The research material consists of three video recorded observations that have been
partly transcribed.
3
Comparing the three methods
3.1
The advantages and disadvantages of the online diaries
The main advantage of the media diaries was that the participants could report their
media use when it suited them. Usually they posted late in the evening or during
weekends. The online-ness of the diaries gave the researcher an opportunity to be
active in studying their media use, and react immediately to certain issues that might
have been forgotten, which is likely if the diaries were traditional pen and paper
diaries. For example, one of the participants wrote that her mother had bought her
Cosmopolitan, and that she had to hide it from herself in order not to get distracted by
it during the exam week. Then the researcher was able to ask the participant to write
down later when she actually managed to find time to read the magazine. This was an
example of finding the meaning of the issues to the participants, together with the
researcher. Kvale (Kvale, 1996) has called this InterViewing, a mutual discussion,
and an effort to make sense of the issue examined.
In the future, it might also be worthwhile to combine other methods with writing a
diary: recording voice memos and taking photos (with a phone, for example). This
could help some participants who are not used to writing, and possibly ease the
task of updating all media use. This might also engage young men to write media
diaries as they are usually more reluctant to participate. (Kaun, 2011) When the
participants were asked about this kind of media diary, or media probe (see
Mattelmäki, 2006), they said that an extra device would be inconvenient to use and
to carry with them.
The freedom to write in the diaries as they wished was both an advantage and a
disadvantage: the different ways of writing and reporting their media use put the
participants in different positions as research objects. It was easier to understand
and connect with those who wrote more thoroughly about their experiences.
However, as compensation, those who were textually not so proficient were more
verbal in the face-to-face encounterings. If the diaries alone are used in comparing
media practices between users (Bolger, et al., 2003, p. 580), the assignment and
questions asked should be unambiguous and explained clearly. This could lead to
diminishing the frankness and value of the diaries. In open-ended answers and
diaries, one might get too little or too much information, and some of it might be
missing or irrelevant for the research. However, the Q sorting complemented the
diaries, and the media diaries helped make the Q cards and interview questions.
One difficulty of diaries was a sense of weariness in the participant, when
approaching the end of the writing period. If the diaries are in the future written for
a longer period of time, e.g., four weeks, the participant commitment needs to be
taken into account (Bolger, et al., 2003, p. 591). However when asking the
participants whether the two week period felt long, two of the three answered that
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even though the writing made them feel tired at times, they could have written the
diary for a longer time. One of the participants said that she actually missed the
diary after the writing period, once she got used to the writing.
The main benefit, and surprise of the diary method, was the huge variety of media
use, and how the three participants differed so much in many of their choices. Our
claim is that in a single interview it would have been impossible to get so much
detailed information about their various media practices, as well as the meaning of
the different media.
The media diaries also produced fine-grained knowledge about the numerous
media the participants used, and how important it is to focus on the specific details
of media used: it was not comic books in general, but Manga, not a hospital series,
but just one particular show and a favorite character.
One essential lesson from the pilot was also the importance, and usefulness, of an
iterative research design. The detailed information in the media diaries made it
possible to design the 89 Q cards, and formulate interview questions based on the
actual media practices and meaning highlighted in the previous data. The choices
made in the next phase, the Q sorting set the agenda for short sessions of sensory
ethnography.
3.2
The advantages and disadvantages of the Q methodology
The outstanding advantage of Q sorting is that it locates every medium on a grid
of importance in in the participant’s subjective media portfolio, and shows how
the participant prioritizes media.
However, it must be noted that it proved useful to have the card deck also include
competing media titles to the ones the participant has mentioned earlier. For
example, one of the participants preferred Metro to Helsingin Sanomat even
though her parents subscribed the latter. She did not mention HS even once in the
diaries, and in the Q sorting she told she almost never reads it. She did not
mention Metro either at first, but told in the Q sorting interview that every time
she takes the metro or bus, which is quite rarely, she always read Metro eagerly,
and would probably read it regularly, if it were available.
The challenge for the Q methodology is the fragmentation of media: news was
read/watched/listened from a number of sources, without particular preferences.
Internet (and different applications in web) were used to chat and for other kinds
of socializing, as well as for numerous other activities from seeking information
to watching TV series; YouTube was used for listening to music with friends,
watching humorous content, or content similar to magazines.
It was hard to decide whether all media and their different titles used should be
listed as their own titles in the card deck, or whether they should be generalized
into “console games” or “blogs.” Because the participants seemed passionate, e.g.,
about their favorite TV series or magazine titles, each media title was made into a
Q card. This turned out to be the right decision because, for example, the console
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games are used in different ways, in different situations, and for different
purposes.
The difficulty of Q method lies, as with the media diaries, with the exact
formulation of the research questions. Q method generates a vast amount of
information, if the placement of every medium on the grid of importance is
studied with same intensity. In this case, the focus in the interviews was on the
more important media, on the different media answering the same needs, and the
differences in these relations.
One question to think in subsequent research in 2012 is whether a research
interest in the overall media portfolio might be too big for Q methodology. Even
though Q sorting provided a general view of the media portfolio, the interviews
seemed long and distracted, and the focus in them too broad. Q methodology has
proved to suit research that focuses on a media genre, like news ( see Schrøder &
Larsen, 2010).
3.3
The advantages and disadvantages of sensory ethnography
Even though the sensory aspects of media use – whether the medium was the web,
print or radio – are fairly obvious and easy to detect, the multisensory attributes of
different media were challenging to examine in the short observations used in this
pilot, if the focus is only on the sensory aspect of media use. Sensory qualities are
an important part of media practices, and are easier to research with observing the
participants for a longer time.
The short observation and interview sessions did not seem to provide a great deal
of evidence of multisensory media practices, even if they were done in the homes
of the participants. It would be better to observe the participants first, and
afterwards ask them questions about was observed, or even present them with
excerpts from the observation data, as is done in the simulated recall method
(Engeström, 1999). Also the short time slot for observation limited the results
gained.
A distinct disadvantage of short ethnographic sessions is that the participants may
feel uncomfortable about the observation. Participants seemed uneasy about the
almost unknown researcher visiting their homes. Gaining trust of the participants
may take on long time (Hasu, 2005).
Nevertheless, it would have been impossible to study all the minute details, which
can be important elements in the media experience, without the ethnographic part
of the pilot. It gave invaluable information about the place and the surroundings,
and it also deepened the narration about the media experience and general media
use. For example, it did not come out in other data that one of the participants
saves her favorite magazines for a year. At the end of the year, she leafs through
them, and cuts out photographs to use on her calendar for the next year.
Ethnographic observation also confirmed one participant’s ritualistic reading of
Helsingin Sanomat.
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To sum up the main differences between the methods and the results they
provided: The online media diaries showed the variety of everyday media use,
and provided rich information about the different meanings that are attached to
media and media use. Q sorting, on the other hand, placed the media
in the order of importance, and provided complementary information about media
use. The short ethnographic observations showed the actual real-life context of the
media practice, gave more details, and helped the participants to reflect more that
practice.
4
Conclusion: What did the different methods tell about media
practices and meanings?
The media diaries and Q sorting provided similar, complementary, and different
research material and answers, and the ethnographic sessions deepened the
understanding. Much of the daily media use was routinized. The routine of use
can be a daily routine (such as a newspaper or Facebook), weekly routines (blogs,
a subject of interest, TV series), or occasional (boredom, random availability,
recommendations).
In the media diaries’ “seven most important media” task, the participants were
asked to list them in order of importance. There was some variation among the
most important media in each participant’s data sets. For example, participant B
did not mention e-mail or chat applications in the media diaries, but in Q sorting
they were among the three most important media. Participant A mentioned e-mail
in the media diary, but had it only at the third category of importance in the Q
sorting. Only participant C had all seven of the most important media mentioned in
the media diaries, also in the first “this is most important category for me”
placement in the Q sorting.
Based on media diaries and Q sorting, the most common and most important
media use for all participants were “Chat” and text messages, as well as Facebook
and YouTube. The other, also common, but less important media were
Spotify/iTunes, email, Google, and TV movies / DVD.
The most important media use for all participants was “Chat,” and media used for
chatting included Skype, Facebook and MSN (which were also mentioned as
separate media), as well as Viber and phone text messages. Online chatting was
preferred being done on a computer, as it is faster, than by mobile phone. On the
other hand, a phone is easier to use, when moving from place to place, or in bed
before going to sleep.
The second most important medium was Facebook, which all participants
mentioned in both media diaries and Q sorting. Using Facebook was a routine and
it was used to keep in touch with friends. However, using Facebook a lot also may
lead to an opposite reaction: anxiety and thus minimizing use, as one of the
participants explained.
The third most important medium was YouTube, which was used quite
differently among the participants. One of the participants used YouTube as a
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daily routine: he followed several YouTube users who produce humorous video
content online; another participant used YouTube to listen to music, both socially
with friends and in parties, and alone. The third participant followed certain
YouTube users and watched hair and make up tips, which she also read in
magazines.
Email was also listed among the most important media, as were also Spotify and
iTunes. Google as a search engine was a powerful medium for all participants;
none of them used any other search engine. It was used both for personal life and
school assignments. The participants also commonly used TV movies or DVD
movies, but obviously content varied by personal preferences.
Otherwise, the media landscapes among the participants were fragmented, and
individual preferences – such as TV series, blogs, magazines, and games – were
clearly visible.
The importance of the history of the use was revealed in some cases. Some media
were followed regularly, even though they had lost their attraction: one
participant had followed a TV series since it was first broadcasted, and now when
the last season was on TV, she needs to see how it is going to end. Another
participant had read a web comic for a couple of years, and still kept on reading it,
because it was published daily, although the comic was starting to repeat itself.
The actual situations of using media differed among participants. For example, all
of the participants used YouTube differently: participant A followed several
YouTube users and checked new videos daily; participant B followed future
celebrity singers in YouTube, and listened to music daily, and also in parties with
friends; participant C followed certain users and watched make up and hair tips
one or two times a month.
Needs that underlie media use depended often on the topic matter. It could be
fashion, interest in the lives of other same-minded people, or a school assignment.
It can also be usefulness, such as preferring magazine story types that give some
instructions to be adopted in real life. Also, relaxing and the need for information
were typical motivations for media use.
Media use was quite social, and participant A wrote in her media diary about
Facebook: “Definitely number one. I´m most hooked on Facebook, and I´ll get
nervous if I don’t get to see everyday see how and what my friends are doing.”
The need of belonging to the community was important. Media were chosen on
the grounds of friends’ recommendations, even if they didn’t exactly meet the
user’s interests or needs. Obviously, keeping in contact with the friends and
family was important to all participants. The main ways of socializing were
mobile phone and different chat applications in the Internet. However, the
meaning of virtual, not familiar, community was mostly hidden and became
visible in only in a few occasions. For example, an important feature in one
participant’s interest in a web community was that the community actively
discussed ongoing events.
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The most social media were obviously those applications or media that enabled
chatting (MSN, Facebook, Viber, text messages). Also, YouTube was used
socially – but with the users’ real friends, not in a virtual community. YouTube
was used in parties to search and provide music; it was used in searching
humorous content, etc. Console games were also social: some of them were only
played with friends, and social use seemed to be an important factor.
Magazines could be considered social as well: they were sometimes read together
with friends, or after reading are shared with friends. TV was also social: certain
TV series were often watched with company. TV series were also talked about at
school, and this could be the only reason for following a certain series.
Building one’s identity was not discussed explicitly, but it can appear, for
example, in a form of wanting to be someone that knows about world, is
sophisticated, or daydreaming of being and living like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex
and the City.
In conclusion, one can state that the iterative approach of using different research
methods proved to be quite useful. Moving from general, to more detailed media
use, also allowed to gain confidence of the participants. Each method also offered
information that was needed, before moving to the next phase.
The online media diaries and Q sorting worked well together, and for example,
the media use chart in Appendix 1 is based on them both. The diaries had given
already a good portrait of the participants’ media use, which Q sorting
complemented. It is important to know more than just the lists of different media
titles used. In some cases, expressing the media experiences in the media diaries
told more about media use than the interview in Q sorting. The latter inevitably
stayed more perfunctory, because there were so many media titles to go through.
The different methods of media diaries, Q sorting, and sensory ethnography
provided material and knowledge, which could not have been gathered with just
a single method. They provided a wider and deeper picture about actual media
practices, the needs that underlie media use, and a detailed overall media
landscape of the user.
Ethnography deepened the view of how a single media title was used. Talking
about the media title in the real setting helped the participants to reflect on their
media use. Small details were added, like choosing where to sit when reading a
magazine or a newspaper. Ethnography also strengthened the view on the
ritualistic quality of media use.
What was missing, or invisible, in the research pilot was the meaning of the
imaginary community (Johnson & Prijatel, 2007), and discussions about the
values of the user and the media. In the future, for example, close reading of
a magazine with the participants could be utilized to find out the meaning
and importance of one media title in detail. Also, longer-term ethnography
will be employed in the Personal Media Day project in 2012. Self-reporting
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of media practices could be enhanced with methods like videotaping,
registering media use and feelings on a mobile phone, recording discussions
with friends, and saving social media discussions.
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5
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Appendix 1. Table of media landscapes
Description of media use, its social aspect and importance in Q sorting.
The research data consists of online media diaries and Q sorting with three 16–19 year olds.
Importance is based on a scale of 1 – 9, where 1 is very important and 9 means no use at all.
Media User Description of use Social aspect Medium / topic Facebook A Keeping in touch with friends and family; sharing links All friends in Facebook, to see what’s going on, “news” To see what’s happening; at the moment bored with the urge to check several times a day what’s going on, uses a couple times a week Follows several users, humorous content, music Uses daily; if doesn’t find music in iPhone or if wants to see a new video, humorous content; follows future star singers and their new songs Real community is important Flicks through also with friends + PC Impo r-­‐-­‐-­‐ tanc e (Q sort) 2 PC, phone 1 PC 1 Little social use PC 1 Listens to music in parties; watches videos with friends from computer or phone Watches also with friends; doesn’t comment, but likes occasionally + + PC, phone 3 PC 1 Phone, Skype Phone, Viber, Facebook, Msn, Skype, PC Phone, Facebook, Msn PC PC PC 1 1 Leaves commenting to other readers; talks about blogs when shopping with friends No commenting or sharing PC 2 PC 2 + + PC PC 6 6 + + + Little social use Sharing playlists with friends – PC PC PC PC PC, phone, iPod PC 1 1 7 2 2 Little social use PC 6 B C YouTube A B C Chat / text messages A B Follows several users; watches the videos once, twice a month (if has time to watch them at all); hair and make up tips Chats a lot; for example en route or in the evening before falling asleep; prefers pc over phone (faster) C Constant keeping in touch + E-­‐-­‐-­‐mail A B C + + E-­‐-­‐-­‐mails from mother Blogs B Couple times a day Checks the important stuff (work related) Is trying to learn to check the email more frequently; Groupon messages Follows four blogs regularly; always via Bloglovin’; reads a couple times a week, one hour at a time. Interest in fashion, clothes, different styles, lives and attitudes Reads one blog which is written by a YouTube user she follows; access via YouTube; likes the style of the blogger and dreams of the clothes she is wearing; flicks through other fashion blogs occasionally with a friend Used to use more Used to use more; uses if Facebook doesn’t function, the possibility to video chats Used to use more, nowadays a little To chat / call If the Msn doesn’t work Daily use, background music When at the computer C Messenger Skype iTunes / Spotify A B C A B A B C Twitter A If time has expired at Spotify, uses iTunes on iPod; is fed up with her own music Uses occasionally if bored; follows celebrities WP1 EREADING DELIVERABLE 1.1.3.2 COMPARING AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS
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B Demi.fi B IRC-­‐-­‐-­‐Galleria B Google A B Wikipedia C A B C Telkku.com Hs.fi Iltasanomat.fi Iltalehti.fi Other web news Web stores A B A B C A C A B B C Feissarimokat Web comics /manga B A TVTropes.org A Bleacher report A WWE Steam Books A A A B C Helsingin Sanomat A B Nyt C B Iltapäivälehdet C B Hasn’t used for several months; followed a few foreign celebrities Flicks through once a month to see what is discussed; if bored; doesn’t like the issues being discussed, nor the people discussing Used to use; nowadays flicks through occasionally to see if any of her friends still use it; doesn’t want to delete the profile because contains memories The best search engine, dictionary Looks for information, about music and for school related issues; doesn’t use other search engines The only search engine in use Uses often, searches for Wikipedia links; thinks that finds every piece of information needed in here Doesn’t rely on Wikipedia; prefers Google; looks for information about music artists Occasional use mainly for school related issues; via Google TV programs mainly from here If a printed TV program is not available Visits recommended links Uses for school related issues Hs.fi has been recommended by teachers Local (Finnish) news Reads news if bored Local news Links in Facebook; music related news Flicks through clothes that are not available in Finland; though hasn’t ordered from abroad; searches for cheaper clothes at Huuto.net Flicks through clothes and cosmetics; hasn’t bought because her family member doesn’t trust web stores If needs cheering up in the evening Daily use of certain comics; regular use of manga, manga has better quality Re-­‐-­‐-­‐tweets; tweets also about personal stuff – PC 6 PC 6 Used to be important PC 7 As a provider of email – PC PC 1 2 – – PC PC 1 3 – PC 6 – PC 4 – – Recommendations – – – – – – – PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC 5 8 4 6 8 2 3 4 7 5 Talks with friends PC 6 – Talks with friends, no aspect of virtual community 3 1 Interest in narratives, session might take two hours Background information on WWE, behind the scenes Interest in professional wrestling A library of owned games, game store Genre: fantasy Likes to read; reads whenever finds a good book; in between phases of reading teenagers’ and adults’ book; was engaged with Harry Potters. Genre: fantasy; school assignments; rather translated than Finnish literature Subscribed at home, flicks occasionally, reads sports news and comics Subscribed at home, reads every day, ritualistic use, main channel for news; likes to know what is going on Subscribed at home Leafs through on Fridays, reads the most interesting stories. Similar to City-­‐-­‐-­‐magazine. Reads occasionally Reads occasionally if one of the parents have bought one Has added information on wiki Active online community PC Used to buy one in print, but found it online for free PC PC 2 – Little social use – – PC PC Print Print 3 2 3 3 – Print 2 – Print 4 Prefers to read in peace Print 2 – – Print Print 6 4 – – Print Print 6 7 WP1 EREADING DELIVERABLE 1.1.3.2 COMPARING AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS
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C Reads if they are available; at home or at friends’ Local news, reads en route Not very important Likes to read, would read more often if travelled by metro or bus. – Print 6 – – – Print Print Print 2 5/6 2 Metro A B C City-­‐-­‐-­‐lehti B Takes with when sees a new copy; leafs through, reads the most interesting stories; similar to Nyt magazine – Print 4 Cosmopolitan B Subscription just ended; likes to read stories that can be utilized (clothes, make up), celebrity, movie and music stories rather from magazines than web; does not buy single copies Gets for free; gotten acquainted with an older friend; at the moment her favorite magazine Has subscribed before; see above Gets for free; has read since early teenager; nowadays prefer MissMix over Demi but Cosmopolitan over MissMix; some content seems to fit younger readers – the magazine doesn’ t feel “her own”; saves magazines for approx. a year See above Gets for free; nowadays the magazine doesn’t seem so good anymore Has subscribed all these before; interest in fashion; doesn’t read all at once but saves the content for several days; feels that these are not targeted to her age group; browses occasionally also foreign fashion magazines, e.g. British Vogue or Elle which her friends subscribe or buy Reads occasionally; irritated in the prices of clothes Reads occasionally; other parent used to subscribe; diminishes the importance; looks for foreign celebrities Doesn’t like the magazines, but after all sort of likes; reads if interesting topics Reads Yhteishyvä sometimes when eating; thinks that the magazines are the same Used to subscribe Used to read; reads occasionally e.g. in a doctor’s waiting room; doesn’t read other comics Gets for free; got acquainted by a friend and now likes to read; useful information Reads really seldom; doesn’t consider it to be a good quality magazine Few times a year, more in the summer Might read with friends Prefers magazine-­‐-­‐-­‐like content in print 2 Shares with friends Print 1 See above See above Print Print 2 1 See above See above Print Print 2 2 Also with friends Print 5 – Print 7 – Print 6 – Print 8 – Print 7 – – Print Print 4 8 – Print 5 – Print 8 With friends Movie theatre Movie theatre Movie theatre 5 Web, TV 2 TV, dvd 3 C MissMix B C Demi B C Elle/Trendi/Olivia B C 7 päivää B C Yhteishyvä/Pirkka B Aku Ankka A B Tieteen kuvalehti C Suosikki B Movies in movie theatre A B C Movies / dvd A B With friends Sometimes goes to the movie theatre as soon as a movie comes out, sometimes waits for dvd; good feeling; better for horror films Watches sometimes, also records occasionally Mainly romantic comedies and favorite actors With friends Alone, with friends or family members Alone, with friends or family members WP1 EREADING DELIVERABLE 1.1.3.2 COMPARING AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS
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C Television news A B Watches movies extremely often; likes the emotions that the movies rouse: excitement and romance; watches mostly in her own room; concentrates on the movie, doesn’t use other media at the same time; uses much of her money on dvd’s If the TV’s on; Sky news (global) Prefers ten o’clock news on MTV3; waits for them because they are the longest and likes the joke at the end Alone, with friends or family members TV, dvd 1 With family members With family members TV TV 7 WP1 EREADING DELIVERABLE 1.1.3.2 COMPARING AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS
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Criminal Minds C A B Vampire Diaries B C Perfect Housewives B C Grey’s Anatomy B True Blood B America’s / Finland’s Next Top Model B C Jersey Shore B C Gossip Girl B C Sex and the City B C The Mentalist A B Dexter C United States of Tara C Top Gear A Salatut elämät C Nrj A B Watches occasionally if the TV’s on Challenging to watch because the series is quite scary; watches mainly the TV series that begin at 9 p.m. even though records them and watches on weekends Enthusiastic to see the new episodes Started to watch from Finnish channels, now watches the newer episodes from Fin-­‐-­‐-­‐TV; has read one of the books Has watched previously intensively, is now just interested how the series will end Considers this series as more realistic than Sex in the City; has watched only one or two previous seasons Has followed from the first season, hasn’t skipped an episode; wants to concentrate and watch the episode all at once Interest in vampires; prefers content that is targeted for younger viewers Prefers the American version; has also been following other model related series; interest in fashion Prefers the American version; has not followed other model series Watches occasionally because the show is talked about at school Got interested through friends, now watches every episode; “hooked on”; likes the relationship drama People of own age, interest in other than Finnish culture, interest in fashion and clothes Got one season from a friend; watches if absolutely nothing better to do Watches the re-­‐-­‐-­‐runs in the summertime Watches the re-­‐-­‐-­‐runs on TV; has hoped the dvd box for a present; “life in dreams” If the TV’s on Likes the approach of interpreting the bodily language; gets to laugh Started to watch with a friend and got hooked; is interested in criminal related TV-­‐-­‐-­‐series Interested in the psychological aspect of the series Not special interest in cars but the humorous approach. No recording. Watches if TV available; doesn’t record Background music at work Might listen to at home when reading or eating; occasionally new songs; better music than at Radio Nova or Ylex WP NUMBER + CASE NAME AND DELIVERABLE NUMBER +
NAME
TV Occasionally with family TV members Occasionally with family TV members 5 7 – – Web TV, web 2 1 – TV 3 Occasionally with family TV members 1 – TV; the seasons are seen in Finland almost immediately after the US, wants subtitles for medical specific language 2 – TV 5 – TV 4 – TV 2 Is talked about at school TV 6 Is talked about at school TV 1 Is talked about at school TV, web 2 – TV 6 – Watches with her boyfriend – Occasionally with family members Used to watch with her friend – TV TV, dvd 7 1 TV TV 5 3 Dvd 1 TV 1 Watches sometimes with dad or friends Occasionally with family members + Listens also with friends TV 2 TV 2 Radio Radio 5 4 3 35 (36)
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C If time has expired at Spotify and is bored with iTunes listens to Nrj; if bad music, switches channels WP NUMBER + CASE NAME AND DELIVERABLE NUMBER +
NAME
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