On the Role of Media in Socially Disadvantaged Families
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Social and economic transformation processes impact families in various ways and on different levels. Larger changes and transformations affect the concept of ‘family’, as well as the role and functions of this concept. They can furthermore lead families into crises, but crises may also occur within the family on an individual level. As media have become integral parts of our everyday lives they can be the promoters of transformation processes as well as tools for coping with changes and crises. It therefore seems mandatory to research the role that families ascribe to media in this context. This chapter will focus on the particularly demanding situation of families from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and on their use of media in times of crisis and transformation. By outlining the design and results of a longitudinal study on media use by socially disadvantaged children, the chapter seeks to illustrate the necessity of an integrative research approach that analyses changes and coping strategies on the macro-, meso- and micro levels. Furthermore, it seeks to draw attention to the special needs of socially disadvantaged groups as a particular audience-segment and to the necessary responsibility that society and other stakeholders should assume against this background. |
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