In today’s world of emerging media, the question arises as to how we use different types of media and technology simultaneously, and whether this media multitasking is beneficial to us. Groshek and Kongard (2016) mentioned how Media System Dependency theory is particularly relevant to how individuals use social media today. The way we consume media as well as how media influences society behavior is closely related to the idea of streaming media in different ways like Netflix, as well as to consuming and using media simultaneously. Gil de Zuniga and Liu (2017) elaborate on this concept using the ideas of media multitasking and second streaming.
For me personally, both these articles made me think about how we media multitask while doing other tasks that are not media-related, and how we then engage with these tasks as well as other people. In Rosen, Carrier and Cheever’s (2013) article, they look at how media multitasking is related to students’ GPAs in middle school, high school, and university. The researchers found that their participants switched tasks around every 6 minutes, and that they would get distracted by their phone, television, and other technology in their environment. The researchers also found that individuals who accessed Facebook during the study had lowers GPAs. From this study, individuals obtained some emotional gratification from social media and therefore from the task switching. This study brings up the question of whether media multitasking is more beneficial or harmful in the long run, which is relevant considering the ubiquitous nature of media in the form of cell phones, laptops, and other technology. I think Rosen et al.’s (2013) research is particularly interesting because I listen to music while studying because it helps me focus. This is a bit counterintuitive because humans only have a specific amount of cognitive resources with which they do tasks (Wickens, 2008).
Moreover, media multitasking also brings up the idea of the motivations behind individuals’ engagement with media. Khan (2016) explores what drives individuals to use YouTube with an emphasis on their consumption behaviors. His research focused on the relationship between gratification and user engagement via YouTube. Khan found that YouTube users can seek entertainment by viewing videos and reading comments. Commenting on videos or liking videos on YouTube is a way of looking at users’ participation habits. Khan’s research found that one of the main reasons that users share videos on YouTube was for the purpose of ‘information-giving’. These findings have real world implications for companies which use YouTube either for brand awareness, informational videos or entertainment purposes.
I think an interesting take away from Khan’s research (2016) is why millennials share videos — Instagram and Snapchat have made it very easy to share videos with the click of a button. Do Instagram and Snapchat users then share videos on these platforms for the purpose of sharing information with their followers and friends respectively, or do motivations change based on the media platform? Gil de Zuniga and Liu (2017) further explain that dual screen use is here to stay, which ties in with the Media System Dependency theory and how media use influences society. With social media, dual screening can have numerous implications such as live tweeting while watching television as Groshek and Kongard (2016) focus on, taking videos of concerts, and listening to music or texting while studying. Media multitasking and dual screening both play an important role then in the extent to which individuals engage not only with their screen, but also with other people in their environment.
Rosen, Whaling, Rab, Carrier and Cheever (2013) studied the use of technology and media, specifically Facebook, and the prediction of clinical symptoms of personality and mood disorders. Rosen et al. (2013) found that different types of technology use predicts different disorder symptoms. For example, listening to music was associated with signs of mania and antisocial disorder (p. 1251). Moreover, more multitasking predicted more signs of compulsive disorders. This study is directly related to our everyday use of multiple media and technology simultaneously — If everyone is engaged in media multitasking and dual screening, then is everyone more prone to being antisocial and paranoid? Is there any way that we can prevent this change in how we use media? For me, I am worried about the answer to this question because media is supposed to help us stay connected with other people and with more information, but if more media and technology is inducing us to be antisocial and not present of our environment, then how do we find that balance?
References
Groshek, J., & Krongard, S. (2016). Netflix and Engage? Implications for Streaming Television on Political Participation during the 2016 US Presidential Campaign. Social Sciences, 5(4), 1-18.
Khan, M. L. (2017). Social media engagement: What motivates user participation and consumption on YouTube? Computers in Human Behavior,66, 236-247
Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958.
Rosen, L., Whaling, K., Rab, S., Carrier, L., & Cheever, N. (2013). Is Facebook creating “iDisorders”? The link between clinical symptoms of psychiatric disorders and technology use, attitudes and anxiety. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 1243-1254
Wickens, C. D. (2008). Multiple Resources and Mental Workload. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 50(3), 449-455.
Zuniga, H. G., & Liu, J. H. (2017). Second Screening Politics in the Social Media Sphere: Advancing Research on Dual Screen Use in Political Communication with Evidence from 20 countries. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 61(2), 193 – 219.