Time Orientation and Media Use

Abstract

Digital consumer devices have penetrated our everyday lives, providing a platform to—with great efficiency and easiness—solve problems, communicate and exchange information, participate in remote activities, and even socialize. This increasing popularity provides the impetus for a rising dependency, which translates into a growing number of hours spent with the various types of media available. However, while the time we dedicate to media increases (at the cost of other activities), the number of hours that we have available (per day, per week, per month, etc.) cannot, giving rise to media multitasking behaviors. Some studies suggest that time orientation—either as a cultural construct or an individual preference—can influence one's media use habits, predicting (or not) multiple media use. There are, however, other perspectives suggesting that media use can actually affect one's time orientation. This chapter will attempt to assess both of these outlooks.