The changing dynamics of television consumption in the multimedia living room

Abstract

This increasingly saturated media environment potentially alters how viewers engage with televisual media and with each other. In this respect, we address how mobile devices, such as tablets, have entered our living rooms and alter TV’s social uses and practices. By means of in-depth interviews, we revisit the enquiry of the audience in the living room context, with specific attention to Lull’s typology of social uses. The study shows the use of these mobile Internet devices in front of the TV is integrated in our everyday TV viewing behavior. In addition, we recognize the complex nature of physical and verbal avoidance and affiliation in a multiscreen living room. Participants personally consume media content in the presence of other family members, which allows physical contact but reduces the opportunities for conversation. In addition, these computer technologies allow online sociability, which we label as ‘outbound affiliation’. These tendencies are discussed in a broader understanding of contemporary (media) culture, with a particular focus on the reflexive audience and the related broader process of individualization. In conclusion, we understand the findings as emerging trends that are likely to evolve in the future. In addition, we define the value of traditional audience research as well as the necessity to understand the mediated nature of audience conversations.