Cross-roads of audience research and re-division of media users' territories

Juraite, K. (2011). Cross-roads of audience research and re-division of media users' territories . Zagreb conference: "New challenges and methodological innovations in European media audience research". 7-9 April 2011.

Abstract: Liberalization of the media, its gradual transition from the state-funded to the market-driven model and changing conditions of professional journalism has made the media in Lithuania very sensitive to market mechanisms. On one hand, small size of media market, shrinking possibilities of media advertising and growing competitiveness among media players set up favorable conditions for commercialization and popularization of media content. On the other hand, media production and consumption is affected not only by economic factors, legal regulation or technological advancement. Rather, it is a more general cultural context with specific values and norms, which shapes media performance, journalism cultures, as well as media use. Rapid online media development and increasing penetration indicate proliferation and diversification of the Lithuanian media market. What we can witness today worldwide is an emerging new media environment with more diversified media content and more fragmented audience. Traditional audience research based on macro level analysis of media use is not capable to discern a variety of needs, strategies and behaviors of media users, their perceptions of media's role in public life. Therefore, new methodological tools are necessary to capture local and global changes in media use. The paper is based on the research project Perception of public institutions and political action: support for democracy or massive protest? Quantitative and qualitative research outcomes provide with rich information on media use and public perception of media situation in the country. The research reveals that quantitative tools usually provide with standardized profiles of media users and are not enough to describe a diversity of audience strategies. As the use of media is getting to be more and more individualized, fragmented micro level research and more qualitative approach is necessary. This is a huge challenge for media researchers and practitioners on the national, and even more on the cross-national level.