Relevance & Research Question

This study examines media consumption patterns among Israeli users, during the 2023 Israeli-Hamas war. Drawing from the extensive body of literature on media use during wartime, this study investigates how civilians utilize different channels and platforms to fulfill their needs and perspectives amid this violent conflict. Specifically, consumption patterns will be analyzed as a function of users’ level of anxiety, and their psychological distance from the war. We hypothesized that (1) The extent of individual anxiety will predict differences in mainstream versus online media usage, and that (2) Psychological distance from the war will mediate the relationship between anxiety and media usage patterns.

Methods & Data

A structured questionnaire was delivered among a nationally representative sample of Jewish -Israelis aged 18 and above (n=500) during the third week of the war, October 2023. Maximum standard error was set at 4.5%. Sample size calculations conducted using G*Power were based on a medium-sized effect size to achieve 90% power in detecting significant differences.

Results

To test our first hypothesis (H1), a multiple regression analysis assessed the impact of anxiety on the usage of mainstream versus online media. The results indicated that anxiety significantly predicted an increase in mainstream media usage (B = .039, p < .05) but had no significant impact on alternative media usage (B = -.097, p > .05). suggesting that higher levels of anxiety were associated with a preference for mainstream media.

The second hypothesis (H2) involved a mediation analysis using Hayes' PROCESS macro. The analysis showed full mediation; the direct effect of anxiety on media usage became nonsignificant when accounting for psychological distance (B = .012, p > .05). However, the indirect effect of anxiety on media usage through psychological distance was significant (B = .053, 95% CI [.023, .129]), indicating that psychological distance completely mediates the relationship between anxiety and media usage patterns during wartime.

Added Value

This study contributes to the current literature on media consumption during wartime, by focusing on war-related anxiety as a drive, and by adopting ‘psychological distance’ to this field, analyzing it as another relevant variable.

Relevance & Research Question
In this era of digital convergence, our study examines how psychological factors such as engagement, transportation, enjoyment, and media event perception influence dual-screen usage during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It aims to unravel the complex dynamics between these factors and assess their impact on viewers' interactions with match-related and unrelated content across dual screens.
Methods & Data
We surveyed a representative sample of 515 Israeli participants using a structured online questionnaire, which assessed variables including transportation, enjoyment, media event perception, and dual-screen usage. Our study utilized Pearson correlations and Hayes’ PROCESS model for advanced statistical analysis, exploring psychological factors' direct and indirect effects on dual-screen usage patterns.
Results

We found significant positive correlations between engagement, transportation, enjoyment, and media event perception with match-related and unrelated dual-screen usage. Specifically, the Pearson correlation coefficients were r = .56 for engagement with match-related dual-screen usage (p < .001) and r = .37 for engagement with match-unrelated dual-screen usage (p < .001), highlighting the strong association between these psychological factors and dual-screen behaviors.
Engagement significantly mediated the relationships between media event perception, transportation, enjoyment, and dual-screen usage. In particular, for match-related dual-screen usage, the indirect effect of media event perception through engagement was significant (95% CI, 0.067–0.149; F[2, 498] = 128.53; p < .001). For match-unrelated content, while direct effects were significant, indirect effects through engagement were not (95% CI [-.288, -.015] for direct; [-.014, .088] for indirect), indicating varied influence patterns for different content types.
All independent variables were positively correlated with match-related dual-screen usage and negatively correlated with match-unrelated usage. This suggests that higher levels of psychological engagement lead to more dual-screen activity related to the sports event.

Added Value

This study shows how psychological factors influence dual-screen usage during major sports events like the FIFA World Cup. It provides critical insights for media producers, advertisers, and digital strategists in developing engagement strategies and content for dual-screen platforms. It enriches the discourse on media consumption patterns in the context of global sports events, significantly enhancing our understanding of contemporary media engagement in a multi-screen world.