'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age

This thesis explores young people's experiences of contemporary, commercial media. It aims to provide a holistic understanding of new and more traditional media use. Moving beyond media effects, it takes an active consumer-centred approach, contextualising ‘new media’ consumption within the eve...

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Main Author: Grant, I. C.
Published: University of Edinburgh 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.651729
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spelling ndltd-bl.uk-oai-ethos.bl.uk-6517292017-03-16T16:27:04Z'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital ageGrant, I. C.2006This thesis explores young people's experiences of contemporary, commercial media. It aims to provide a holistic understanding of new and more traditional media use. Moving beyond media effects, it takes an active consumer-centred approach, contextualising ‘new media’ consumption within the everyday lifestyles of young people. It compares and contrasts practitioner tactics with young people's lived experiences of internet and mobile use. The study draws its theoretical framework from the fields of communication studies, consumer behaviour, cultural studies, marketing, sociology and social psychology. Initial fieldwork consisted of 15 interviews with ‘expert’ agency practitioners, investigating perceptions of youth marketing and the tactics deployed. The main consumer phase explored the mediated experiences of adolescents aged 13-17. A total of 175 secondary school pupils completed self-completion questionnaire, a smaller sample then contributing a time-based diary. Beyond the quantitative fieldwork, 45 pupils participated in the qualitative phase, guided by the principles of phenomenology. Photo-elicitation and psycho-drawing techniques were utilised to enrichen discussions. Young people were found to have a complex range of ‘new-media’ experiences, embedded in their ‘in home’ and ‘out of home’ lifestyles. Their active use of the internet, for mood enhancement, experiential learning, escapism and communication, rarely encompassed commercial motivations. Of several barriers to ‘new-media’ use, online practitioner tactics caused the greatest concern. For many young people, such actions were deeply de-motivating, constituting an unwanted intrusion, in contrast to the symbiotic relationship synonymous with traditional advertising. Their consequent elusiveness is epitomised through the metaphor “sand in the hand”.302.230835University of Edinburghhttp://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.651729Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
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topic 302.230835
spellingShingle 302.230835
Grant, I. C.
'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
description This thesis explores young people's experiences of contemporary, commercial media. It aims to provide a holistic understanding of new and more traditional media use. Moving beyond media effects, it takes an active consumer-centred approach, contextualising ‘new media’ consumption within the everyday lifestyles of young people. It compares and contrasts practitioner tactics with young people's lived experiences of internet and mobile use. The study draws its theoretical framework from the fields of communication studies, consumer behaviour, cultural studies, marketing, sociology and social psychology. Initial fieldwork consisted of 15 interviews with ‘expert’ agency practitioners, investigating perceptions of youth marketing and the tactics deployed. The main consumer phase explored the mediated experiences of adolescents aged 13-17. A total of 175 secondary school pupils completed self-completion questionnaire, a smaller sample then contributing a time-based diary. Beyond the quantitative fieldwork, 45 pupils participated in the qualitative phase, guided by the principles of phenomenology. Photo-elicitation and psycho-drawing techniques were utilised to enrichen discussions. Young people were found to have a complex range of ‘new-media’ experiences, embedded in their ‘in home’ and ‘out of home’ lifestyles. Their active use of the internet, for mood enhancement, experiential learning, escapism and communication, rarely encompassed commercial motivations. Of several barriers to ‘new-media’ use, online practitioner tactics caused the greatest concern. For many young people, such actions were deeply de-motivating, constituting an unwanted intrusion, in contrast to the symbiotic relationship synonymous with traditional advertising. Their consequent elusiveness is epitomised through the metaphor “sand in the hand”.
author Grant, I. C.
author_facet Grant, I. C.
author_sort Grant, I. C.
title 'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
title_short 'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
title_full 'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
title_fullStr 'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
title_full_unstemmed 'Sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
title_sort 'sand in the hand' : young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
publisher University of Edinburgh
publishDate 2006
url http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.651729
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