Live, visual, social, and mobile: media ecology in emergencies and ordinary times
| Published date | 13 August 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2016-0117 |
| Pages | 545-558 |
| Date | 13 August 2018 |
| Author | Azi Lev-On,Vered Uziel |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management |
Live, visual, social, and mobile:
media ecology in emergencies and
ordinary times
Azi Lev-On
Department of Communication, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel, and
Vered Uziel
Department of Public Administration,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to analyze contemporary uses and gratifications (U&G) of the media,
focusing on the differences between emergency and ordinary times, and between media consumers in the
border region and in the home front during the Israel-Gaza War (2014).
Design/methodology/approach –The study used a questionnaire containing 184 items. This significant
number of items was necessary due to the large number of media channels and potential uses examined. Due
to the length of the questionnaire, and the inclusion of individuals who are not habitual internet users, data
were collected in the field rather than through a telephone survey or online. The list of media and uses was
compiled based on a review of existing literature regarding functions of media in emergencies.
Findings –Television and news websites are dominant suppliers of national and local information, but
mobile and social channels lead in terms of social uses, discussions, requests and provision of assistance. The
same channels were almost always used during emergencies and ordinary times to satisfy a specific need.
The leading channels –television, Facebook, WhatsApp and SMS –were used significantly more on the
frontlines than on the home front. The findings demonstrate that people use diverse media, but channels that
are live, visual, social and mobile are dominant.
Originality/value –Very few academic studies have compared media uses during ordinary times and
emergencies, and those existing focus on the uses of a specific medium. The present study examines various
U&G of traditional and new media during the war, compares uses during the war with uses during ordinary
times, and compares the population in the border region with the population in the home front.
Keywords Internet, Television, Websites, Radio, Emergencies, Facebook, WhatsApp,
Uses and gratifications, Cellular, Emergency communication, Local information, Printed press
Paper type Research paper
The contemporary media ecology is highly dynamic. New media channels, including major
news websites, online social media and mobile applications, have become established means
for generating and consuming content alongside the traditional mass media. The research
that applies the uses and gratifications (U&G) approach to study this ecology is extensive
(Lev-On, 2017; Papacharissi, 2009), but the vast majority of the studies focus on uses of
specific media by the general population or by specific groups or sectors, and few studies
make a broader comparison across media (Flanagin and Metzger, 2001; Lev-On, 2012).
Furthermore, many studies address the uses of the media in emergencies, but few compare
the uses during emergencies vs ordinary times. This study helps to fill this void by
analyzing contemporary U&G of the media, focusing on the differences between emergency
and ordinary times, and between media consumers in the border region and in the home
front during the Israel-Gaza War (2014), using a survey distributed shortly after the military
campaign ended.
As a country with one of the most online and mobile populations worldwide, Israel is an
excellent environment for examining the U&G of contemporary media. About 70 percent of
Israel’s population use the internet (Dror and Gershon, 2012; Lissitsa and Lev-On, 2014;
Online Information Review
Vol. 42 No. 4, 2018
pp. 545-558
© Emerald PublishingLimited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-04-2016-0117
Received 24 April 2016
Revised 2 July 2017
Accepted 7 August 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
545
Media ecology
in emergencies
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