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C1: Media Consumption
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Presentations | ||
Anxiety and Psychological distance as a drive of mainstream and online media consumption during war The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel 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.
Engagement Dynamics and Dual Screen Use During the 2022 FIFA World Cup Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel Relevance & Research Question 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. 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. |