Media Dependency in the Digital Age: Effects of Perceived Channel Efficiency and Motivation and Orientation of Information Seeking

Content Provider	Scilit
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Media dependency has been studied for decades (Ball­Rokeach, Power, Guth­ rie, & Waring, 1990; Lowrey, 2004; Rubin & Windahl, 1986; Skumanich & Kintsfather, 1998). According to the theory, social members, whether an indi­ vidual, a group, or a social institution, depend on media resources to meet one or more of their goals (Ball­Rokeach & DeFleur, 1976). Studies have looked at antecedents and consequences of media dependency (Halpern, 1994; Lowrey, 2004; Morton & Duck, 2000). Most researchers explored media dependency as a dependent variable of behavioral and societal factors, while few examined media dependency as a result of news information­seeking process through dif­ ferent media channels. When accessing news information through a variety of channels, and when information seeking is driven by different goals, the dynam­ ics of relationship between news consumers and the media become multifac­ eted. Changes in media dependency may also occur after the Internet became an accessible media channel and more people get news information from the Internet. More media channels and functional alternatives to traditional media for news consumers to choose from are currently available, as is a wide scope of information that audiences can access. While these factors in accessing news information have significantly changed the pattern of media use and possibly media dependency, few media dependency studies have explored the factors playing a role in the information­seeking process and the consequent media dependency in the age of the Internet media. This study examines media depen­ dency as a consequence of perceived channel efficiency, motivation and orien­ tation of information seeking, and availability of functional alternatives. This study is informed by the theoretical framework composed of the media depen­ dency theory and the functional alternative perspective. The literature on mediaselection and motivations in information seeking also provides a foundation for developing hypotheses regarding media dependency involving both traditional and the Internet media.
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DOI	10.4324/9781315674155-11
Language	English
Publisher	Informa UK Limited
Publisher Date	2015-12-07
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Book Name: Emerging Media Film, Radio and Television Media Dependency Studies Dependency Has Been Studied Perceived Channel Efficiency
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Chapter