Outgrowing Television: A Study on the Relationship of Filipino Digital Natives to Television through an examination of their Television and Digital Media Consumption Behavior

ABSTRACT

This study reexamines the relationship of digital natives to television through an in-depth investigation of their television and digital media consumption behavior. It traces the media consumption behavior of eight participants qualified as digital natives from childhood to present use. Using the Uses and Gratifications approach, the research determines any change in their motivation for use and actual usage of both television and digital media. The research used multiple qualitative methods for data collection.

Findings present a significant decline in the television viewership among the participants due to lifestyle change and availability of alternative media. There is a transfer of motivation of media use from television to digital media, primarily due to the latter’s portable and multifunctional nature. Online media is found to be heavily relied upon by the participants for information, communication and entertainment. However, television is still used in particular contexts such as family television viewing and in addressing tension-free needs. Television is not displaced by digital media, rather it complements the other. The concept of a core media consumption behavior shaped through years of media exposure is crucial in the determination of the relationship of digital media use to television consumption.

Keywords: media consumption, television, digital media, digital natives, uses and gratifications

Gaw, M.F.I. (2013). Outgrowing Television: A Study on the Relationship of Filipino Digital Natives to Television through an examination of their Television and Digital Media Consumption Behavior, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

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