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Media use and life satisfaction: the moderating role of social events

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Abstract

This study investigates whether and how social events, which have specific impact levels and consequences, influence the relationships between the use of different types of media and media users’ life satisfaction. The impact levels refer to the number of impact factors, which characterize social events (relevance, non-polarization, certainty, radicalness and proximity). The consequences, in turn, refer to the outcomes for media users (positive or negative outcomes). The results are based on data from the Standard Eurobarometer survey (N = 73,860) as well as on data from a content analysis and cover 36 social events in 13 European countries over a time period of 6 years. The moderated moderation analysis reveals that social events only influence the effects of the use of more interactive media types (the internet and social network sites) on media users’ life satisfaction, but they don’t influence the effects of the use of less interactive media types (written press, radio and TV) on media users’ life satisfaction. In fact, social events with positive consequences increase these effects, while social events with negative consequences buffer these effects. Previous research has investigated how the use of different types of media or specific social events affect people’s life satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by revealing how social events and media use interact and thereby influence media users’ life satisfaction.

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Notes

  1. This study focuses on data related to West Germany. Switzerland is not part of the Standard Eurobarometer survey this study draws from.

  2. In 2010, the Standard Eurobarometer survey began including the variable "use of OSN" (online social networks) in its annual survey, albeit only in the fall waves (but not in the spring waves).

  3. "Since 1973, the European Commission has been monitoring the evolution of public opinion in the Member States": http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm.

  4. The Standard Eurobarometer surveys were conducted during the following weeks: 2010 (11.11.2010–1.12.2010), 2011 (5.11.2011–20.11.2011), 2012 (3.11.2012–18.11.2012), 2013 (2.11.2013–17.11.2013), 2014 (8.11.2014–17.11.2014) and 2015 (7.11.2015–17.11.2015). Moreover, to be considered as a social event during the first time frame (i.e., during the last 5 weeks before the Standard Eurobarometer surveys were conducted), occurrences had to be covered with at least five articles if the total amount of AP articles during this time frame was 50 or higher or with at least three articles if the total amount of AP articles during this time frame was lower than 50. Moreover, to be considered as a social event during the second time frame (i.e., during the weeks, in which the Standard Eurobarometer surveys were conducted), which were shorter, occurrences had to be covered with at least five articles if the total amount of AP articles during this time frame was 25 or higher or with at least three articles if the total amount of AP articles during this time frame was lower than 25. Football matches that were not qualifying or playoff games but had coverage were not included. This sampling method controlled for a possible news selection bias of AP.

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Acknowledgements

I thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable remarks and Dr. Patricia Käppeli for supporting the content analysis.

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Correspondence to Bartosz Wilczek.

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Wilczek, B. Media use and life satisfaction: the moderating role of social events. Int Rev Econ 65, 157–184 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12232-017-0290-7

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