Digital Media Dependency

With the increase of digital media usage over the last decade, the ability to selectively consume specific content has become prominently popular within society. In order to study the growth of online resources and its added effects on mass media, theorists and scholars have applied the Uses and Gratification theory, (once only used for News Papers, Radio and Television) to the new media platform which is the World Wide Web. Various ‘Uses and Gratification’ (U&G) studies surrounding media use provide information on the audience experience in relation to media content, however, with the expansion of platforms due to online sources, the older U&G studies have required alterations to be relevant to global online platforms (Ruggiero, 2000). Because …show more content…
1972). The Level of media dependency can vary, according to Ball-Rokeach, (1985) “Media dependency is high when an individual’s goal satisfaction relies on information from the media system.” This quote, while said in the 80s, is very relevant or at least interesting to today’s media systems as if this is still true, we are all highly dependent on the media. Dependency is essentially a result of media use; media being the broadcasting or expression of content we rely on for our information, entertainment and sometimes as a way of diversion or escapism (Rubin, 1986). Rubin (1986) also suggests that the “dependency that precedes, accompanies, or results from media use could also lead to greater potential media effects on an individual’s attitudes and behaviours.” This means that the media content people consume ultimately effects our individual behaviours as well as our interpersonal communication, digitally or face to face. According to Lull, (1980), there are two main social principles for media use; structural and rational. For example, an individual may use media content as a means for a conversation, and watches the news for topics to talk about. If an individual is not in on something topical, they may fear exclusion, therefore, one may be dependent on a specific media content in order to fit in socially. This is a relational use. There is also dependency on media as being a behavioural regulator; this could be an individual who uses radio shows and segments in order to keep tract of time and structure in a day. These principles mainly exercise traditional digital media sources rather than online environment’s which personally cater to different individual’s needs. Dependency on online sources are a lot more complex. Thanks to the internet, there are now millions of