نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Introduction: In the contemporary era, various forms of media, including traditional mass media and social media, are among the most influential factors shaping public attitudes and promoting new social trends. The study of the consequences and effects of media consumption on the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of audiences has attracted the attention of researchers and theorists for decades. Identifying the relationship between media consumption and life skills can assist policymakers and media practitioners in formulating and implementing effective strategies for media content production. The importance of examining media consumption patterns (across both traditional and new media) and their effects on the lives of media users continues to grow.
Various perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions of media audiences are influenced by media content. In metropolitan areas such as Tehran, where access to diverse media sources is extensive, media consumption patterns can significantly affect life skills, interpersonal communication, decision-making, and the mental and social well-being of citizens. Accordingly, the present study was designed to analyze and compare the media consumption patterns of Tehran citizens and examine their relationship with life skills in order to provide evidence-based strategies for media content production. In terms of purpose, the study is applied research, and in terms of methodology, it is descriptive. The research was conducted using a survey method and a structured questionnaire.
Methods: The statistical population consisted of all citizens residing in Tehran. Based on the Morgan Table, a sample of 396 respondents was selected. A multistage cluster sampling method was employed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, questionnaires were distributed and collected online through Google Forms.
The integrated questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section collected respondents’ demographic information, including age, gender, marital status, employment status, occupation, educational level, and place of residence. The second section measured the quantity and quality of media consumption through a researcher-developed questionnaire. Media consumption was categorized into newspapers, magazines (weekly and monthly), books, cinema, radio, television (domestic channels), satellite television (foreign channels), the Internet, music, and home movie viewing (CDs and DVDs), among others. Questions regarding the quantity of media use assessed the amount of time spent consuming media on a daily and weekly basis (and, for some media such as cinema and theater, on a monthly or yearly basis). Questions related to the quality of media consumption examined preferences for different content categories, including political, sports, cultural-social, economic, current affairs, family and emotional, science-fiction, entertainment, religious, and health-related content. The third section comprised the standardized Life Skills Questionnaire developed by Saatchi et al. (2019), which includes 144 items and 18 subscales.
Findings: The findings indicated that media consumption among Tehran citizens—including radio listening, television viewing, and Internet and cyberspace use—had varying effects on the different dimensions of life skills. Specifically, the effects differed across the 18 dimensions measured in the study.
Based on these findings, a set of strategies was proposed in accordance with the relationships identified between different types of media content and specific dimensions of life skills. These strategies emphasize integrated and multidimensional approaches aimed at addressing deficiencies in certain skills while strengthening others. Among the proposed strategies are enhancing the quality of radio programming and reinforcing the positive effects of radio news and informational content on mental health, decision-making abilities, social behavior, and life skills. Additional recommendations include promoting life skills development among Tehran citizens and fostering a greater understanding of values such as freedom, justice, and equality, which were found to be relatively weak among respondents. Furthermore, media producers should encourage audiences to engage with balanced and diverse content in order to maintain a healthy pattern of media consumption.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that no single type of media content is capable of simultaneously improving all dimensions of life skills among citizens. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the integrated and diversified nature of radio programming and media content production. One noteworthy finding of the study is that social behavior skills were relatively strong among most respondents. This strength can serve as a foundation for designing interactive and participatory media strategies aimed at further enhancing citizens’ social and interpersonal competencies.
کلیدواژهها English
