The triple articulation of media technologies in teenage media consumption

Abstract

This study explores the meaning of teenagers’ media consumption in terms of identity formation and autonomy attainment. In domestication theory, media consumption is conceptualized as the interplay of both media object and content. However, in practical applications, the notion of object has usually been snowed under by contextual descriptions. In response, this article draws upon the concept of a triple articulation that, next to media text, separates the object and the context. Using a multi-method study, we empirically demonstrate the relevance of separating the object and context dimensions in understanding media consumption. This is especially relevant in the current age of convergence in which media scholars are confronted with a changing media landscape, characterized by content that is increasingly device- and context-independent, while a broad range of devices are appropriated in a multitude of contexts.