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TV drama as a social experience: An empirical investigation of the social dimensions of watching TV drama in the age of non-linear television

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Abstract

As time-shifting technologies and digital convergence are facilitating and encouraging increasingly individualized and personalized television viewing practices, the social role and function of traditional linear television might be changing as well. Through empirical audience research, using TV diaries and interviews, this article investigates the social dimensions of engaged viewers’ reception of TV drama and explores how audiences themselves experience contemporary television as a social medium. The qualitative analysis reveals three social dimensions in viewers’ engagement with TV drama and indicates that television is generally still perceived as a social medium. Time-shifting technologies do not only fracture audiences, they also create new opportunities for social connections with peer viewers.

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... Regardless of the medium through which we experience narratives, one common activity unites us all: specifically, talking to others about our experiences (Harrington et al., 2013;Simons, 2015). Whether engrossed in a movie with friends or sharing the plot of our latest book read, we find ourselves exchanging interpretations and sharing how these narratives resonate with our understanding, emotions, and experiences. ...
... Online forums provide another venue for discourse about narratives, albeit in writing. While there certainly is scholarly interest in how people talk about narratives (Harrington et al., 2013;Simons, 2015), this is arguably an understudied phenomenon in discourse psychology. Our hope is that this study provided motivation for more research within discourse studies on how people share their thoughts on narratives in language. ...
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... For data analysis, we used thematic coding (Boyatzis, 1998) and qualitative comparative analysis (Ragin, 2014) to create an anonymised database. We developed out thematic coding categories drawing on our research questions and findings from previous research-for example, considering the findings within U&G about the motivations for multi-screening and resulting gratifications, we defined as coding categories: information, entertainment (e.g., Rubin, 1994;Ferguson & Perse, 2000;Han & Lee, 2014), sociability (Ho & Syu, 2010;Quan-Haase, 2010;Shin, Shin, Choo, & Beom, 2011;Lee, 2013;Weeks & Holbert, 2013;D'heer & Courtois, 2014;Cameron & Geidner, 2014;Buschow, Schneider, & Ueberheide, 2015;Simons, 2015;Rossi & Giglietto, 2016;Serrano-Puche, 2016), and efficiency (Wang & Tchernev, 2012;Lee & Shin, 2014). Later, using verbatim transcripts of the interviews, we identified other emerging relevant themes-in the case of U&G, two categories emerged-speed and safety. ...
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... Aujourd'hui répandue dans les études de réception médiatique (ex. : Espiritu, 2011 ;Zaid, 2014 ;Simons, 2015) et de journalisme (ex. : Kalyango Jr. & Cruikshank, 2013 ;Višňovský et al., 2019 ;Karlsson & Clerwall, 2018 ;Rehman, 2020;Wilner et al., 2021), la technique du groupe de discussion est apparue comme idéale pour examiner l'opinion de divers publics par rapport au métajournalisme. ...
Thesis
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Le métajournalisme — le journalisme sur le journalisme — est reconnu dans la littérature comme servant davantage les intérêts stratégiques du champ journalistique (consolidation de l’autorité journalistique, du statu quo) que l’intérêt public (autocritique, transparence, imputabilité). Au Québec, le lock-out au Journal de Montréal, la surveillance policière de journalistes, et les demandes de la presse écrite pour des aides gouvernementales ont contraint les journalistes à parler d’eux-mêmes dans les médias. Le tout interroge l’articulation du métajournalisme québécois, sa réception, et les écarts entre discours et réception. La thèse approfondit ces questions, guidée par la théorie des discours métajournalistiques de Matt Carlson et le concept de communautés interprétatives, caractéristique des études de réception médiatique. Ce cadre théorique appuie une analyse de discours de : 1) 771 articles métajournalistiques de médias québécois, couvrant les cas susmentionnés ; et 2) 11 groupes de discussion (n = 39 participants), auprès de trois communautés interprétatives (journalistes, personnel politique, usagers de médias québécois). L’analyse conclut à l’orientation stratégique du métajournalisme étudié. Le constat des groupes de discussion est celui d’une adhésion à l’intérêt public du métajournalisme, accompagnée de scepticisme sur certaines revendications, certains arguments et son écho dans la population. De plus, il en ressort l’évocation d’idéaux du métajournalisme : la représentation (des perspectives de divers auditoires sur les enjeux du journalisme), l’autocritique, la transparence, la diversité (des perspectives de divers acteurs de la société sur les enjeux du journalisme) et l’imputabilité. Tout au long sont discutées les différences et similitudes entre communautés interprétatives. Cette thèse jette un regard inédit sur le métajournalisme contemporain québécois et sa réception. Elle propose un schéma original de ses fonctions d’autorité, en plus d’alimenter une réflexion normative sur les pratiques métajournalistiques les plus aptes à répondre à l’intérêt public.
... Instead, VoD consumers can watch all available contents whenever they want and compile their "program" by themselves. The media literature calls the schedule-bound service linear and the on-demand type non-linear (inter alia, Berman et al. 2009;Kazakova & Cauberghe 2013;Steemers 2014;van den Bulck & Enli 2014;Simons 2015;Enli & Syvertsen 2016). A further difference may relate to the device of usage. ...
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The world of audiovisual online markets is rapidly changing. Not long ago, it was dominated by linear television, transmitted terrestrially, through cable networks or via satellite. Recently, streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime and others have emerged as new suppliers of audiovisual content. In this quickly changing industry, competition interrelations between such different formats such as traditional TV, videos on YouTube, and streaming via Netflix are subject to controversy. In particular, doubt is cast on services such as YouTube exerting competitive pressure on services such as Netflix and traditional TV. Based upon a survey with 2920 participants, we provide an empirical analysis of consumption behavior of audiovisual contents. Using descriptive and analytical statistics, including multiple equation models, we show that there are specific areas within audiovisual content markets, where YouTube exerts considerable competitive pressure on both Netflix and classic TV, for instance, through prime time video entertainment. However, our analysis yields differentiated results as we also identify areas, where competition intensity between different service types appear to be low, for instance, through daytime and regarding the intention to shorten waiting time.
... Watching television has become a transmedia experience that has transformed the temporalities of television's narratives, moving from a linear temporal structure to one of the overlapping experiences in a single narrative moment across diverse platforms and screens (Evans 2015). Television broadcasters have taken on a multi-platform production that complements linear television (Doyle 2010) and transforms the consumption and socialisation around television content (Simons 2015). Those changes have been significantly influenced by the proliferation of over-the-top (OTT) platforms or the growth of internet video consumption. ...
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The rise of the TikTok social network has caused the media to confront the younger generation. The platform, which hosts dances, challenges, and funny short videos, has unique features that force a reinvention of social networking strategies. Television has become social and has expanded to new platforms, while young people are abandoning the consumption of traditional television. In this study, we explore—for the first time—the presence of television channels and programmes on TikTok and an analysis of the main strategies shown in the 133 found profiles. The results describe a first exploratory phase that lacks specific strategies in most cases, while examples adapted to the logic of the social network emerge: content with a fun and simple tone, with participation in challenges and trends of the moment, as well as a positioning of the brand to—gradually—approach its future potential audiences.
... For a more elaborate discussion of these findings, seeSimons (2014).3 For a more elaborate discussion of these findings, seeSimons (2015). ...
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