Functions of Media Behaviors

In: Communication research, Band 2, Heft 2, S. 137-161

Abstract

A new unit of analysis, the Media Behavior Unit, is introduced to examine specific instances of newspaper reading, television viewing, and radio listening. The analytic unit views media behavior as a series of points in time, beginning with the desire that some function be fulfilled and ending with the actual behavior and fulfillment of functions. The media behavior unit is used to examine relationships at the situational level. Media behaviors are characterized as media-seeking (MS), where the individual moves toward the medium without regard to content, and as content-seeking (CS), where the movement is directed toward particular content found in a medium. The MS-CS distinction is used to test several situational hypotheses and to examine the degree of consistency within an individual's media use. A high degree of consistency was found for behavior within each medium, but little consistency was noted for behaviors across media.