Hanna Adoni

MEDIA AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY: Toward an Integration of Theory and Research

A theoretical framework common to studies of the role of the mass media in the process of the social construction of reality from both European and American communication research traditions is developed in this article. The framework is derived from the theories of Schutz (1967) and Berger and Luckmann (1967) on the process of reality construction. A model composed of two dimensions—type of reality and distance of social elements from direct experience—is developed. Studies of the media and the social construction of reality are classified and discussed according to the model. The authors suggest that a holistic approach, as defined in this article, is the best suited perspective for a more complete understanding of the role of the mass media in the process of the social construction of reality, and for the integration of the two schools of communication research.

The Functions of Mass Media in the Political Socialization of Adolescents

This study suggests that the mass media serve as socializing agents by providing direct linkage to media and contents which are essential for the development of political values, and by contributing to the structuring of social contexts in which adolescents may exercise such value orientations and reinforce ties with primary socializing agents.

Leisure-styles and life satisfaction among recent retirees in Israel

This article examines the leisure behaviour, attitudes and life satisfaction of a sample of 383 retirees aged 50 or more years in an Israeli national survey. Multivariate analyses identified four leisure-styles on the basis of the type of leisure activity engaged in, its relative sophistication, whether it was a formally-organised cultural activity, and its location (at home or outdoors). The four styles were: ‘company seekers’, ‘media consumers’, ‘culture enthusiasts’ and ‘sophisticated choosers’. The levels of participation in the four styles were associated with nine background characteristics: gender, education, income, former occupation, work status, retirement pattern, origin, residential area and health. Differences in life satisfaction were associated with leisure participation and leisure satisfaction. Two of the groups, the ‘culture enthusiasts’ and the ‘sophisticated choosers’, were relatively active, and enjoyed significantly higher levels of satisfaction in both their leisure and their lives. These findings tend to support Havighursts ‘activity theory’. Since these two leisure-styles were followed by minorities, and most of the sample pursued the other leisure-styles, the findings imply that a large proportion of the retired population are inadequately prepared to take up ‘active leisure’. If more older people are to become engaged in active leisure, with benefits to both themselves and to society, they require more guidance and support.

Social reality and television news: Perceptual dimensions of social conflicts in selected life areas

Perceptions of social conflicts in television news and in “reality” are organized according to their complexity, intensity and solvability, and also according to their different life areas.

Conceptualizing E-leisure

Abstract The emergence and diffusion of new information and communication technologies have profoundly affected and are still transforming individuals’ leisure. These technologies offer many enjoyable activities often described as “online leisure”, “cyber leisure” or “E-leisure”. Although numerous studies have examined such activities, only few scholars have related to the essence of E-leisure. Based on the principal components of leisure studies and new media research, this article aims to conceptualise E-leisure and to explore its distinctive qualities. It starts with discussing the relevance of the core definitional-aspects of traditional leisure (i.e., time, activity and experience) for conceptualizing E-leisure, and examines which dimensions related to these aspects are relevant to E-leisure and which have lost significance. The article also suggests four new dimensions required for fuller understanding of E-leisure, namely, synchronicity, interactivity, anonymity, and virtual reality, and presents some arguments about possible associations between these dimensions and the core aspects of leisure. Lastly, it discusses the “mediatization” of leisure and directions for future research.

Between the Book and the Reader: The Uses of Reading for the Gratification of Personal Psychosocial Needs

The main question addressed in this chapter concerns the function of book reading in fulfilling personal psychosocial needs, such as knowledge acquisition, aesthetic pleasure, entertainment and escapism in the multi-channel media environment. We will first describe the two main approaches to date exploring communication research — the functionalist and the technological approaches — and then our proposed approach for interchangeable functionality that combines the two. We will then present our empirical findings using this combined approach to study the functions of book reading for Israeli readers and media consumers.