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Media use and life satisfaction: the moderating role of social events

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  • Bartosz Wilczek

    (Università della Svizzera italiana)

Abstract

This study investigates whether and how social events, which have specific impact levels and consequences, influence the relationships between the use of different types of media and media users’ life satisfaction. The impact levels refer to the number of impact factors, which characterize social events (relevance, non-polarization, certainty, radicalness and proximity). The consequences, in turn, refer to the outcomes for media users (positive or negative outcomes). The results are based on data from the Standard Eurobarometer survey (N = 73,860) as well as on data from a content analysis and cover 36 social events in 13 European countries over a time period of 6 years. The moderated moderation analysis reveals that social events only influence the effects of the use of more interactive media types (the internet and social network sites) on media users’ life satisfaction, but they don’t influence the effects of the use of less interactive media types (written press, radio and TV) on media users’ life satisfaction. In fact, social events with positive consequences increase these effects, while social events with negative consequences buffer these effects. Previous research has investigated how the use of different types of media or specific social events affect people’s life satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by revealing how social events and media use interact and thereby influence media users’ life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Bartosz Wilczek, 2018. "Media use and life satisfaction: the moderating role of social events," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 65(2), pages 157-184, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:65:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s12232-017-0290-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-017-0290-7
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life satisfaction; Media use; Moderated moderation; Social events;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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