Focus Groups in Mass Media Research
by Eric DrewskiDownload: Slides
Mass media research has heavily focused on the visual versus the auditory systems. Many mass communication theories are based on visual epistemologies. Most mass media scholars assume that the visual system is more powerful and important than the auditory system. A research study [1] using focus group methodology suggests the opposite, that the auditory system is more powerful than the visual systems in that it more readily evokes emotions from individuals. The study was conducted at Sussex University in the United Kindgom and focused on the uses and gratifications of Walkmans.
Auditory place and space
This study begins by investigating the artifact itself and what it signifies to other users using focus group research methods. The headphones, for instance, are what creates the private space for the user because it signifies to others that the individual does not want to be disturbed. The headphones intentionally put themselves elsewhere. Each walkman is personal to each person because certain songs means something different to each person and are meant for specific activities. Users describe the sounds of everyday life affecting their moods and how they perceive their surroundings. Users habitually turn on their Walkmans the moment they leave their homes, they describe this as "hitting the day positively." Many users describe the experience solipsistic providing them with an "invisible shell" to which both the physical and cognitive space are reformulated to fit within their spectacle. This privatizes the narrative account of an impersonal environment giving an everyday mundane experience control to the user. Allowing them to enhance their sense of control both internally and externally over the environment. This "emotional stabilizer" can be seen as an anti-socialization device or "disruptive technology" where users engage in less interpersonal communication and in more mediated communication. Being with a Walkman is to be absorbed in a continuous flow of sound that acts as an accessory, mediator/constructor of the users activity. The geography becomes redefined and a personal conceptual space where the visual has minimal significance in their environment, allowing them to place themselves elsewhere in their environment.
Key Points
- There needs to be sound-based epistemologies instead of visual-based epistemologies to describe and explain contemporary media behavior.
- Qualitative research of behavior is an important approach to understand how users benefit from technologies.