Research Methodology Approach
The focus of this study was to deeply understand how college students are thinking about the modern television landscape in 2020. Qualitative interviews allowed for research participants to elaborate on their perspectives on the current state of television because it gives the subject time to think about what they know and provide insight about the level of knowledge about this world. This was important for drawing connections to what other interview subject said in their session to assist in answering the research questions. A semi-structured approach was the most fitting form of an interview to select for this research methodology because it generally allowed for a more free-flowing and conversational nature. Naturally occurring probing questions were key for this study as one person’s response transitioned to a freshly developed question.
In their report on The Qualitative Research Interview (2011), Sandy Qu and John Dumay say about semi-structured interviews that the main idea behind an interview guide is to use a range of broad themes to then direct the conversation toward issues and topics that the researcher wants to learn more about. This allows for the interview subject to provide their own understandings and insights about the topic to inform the research study. With this specific topic, people have their own personal experiences with television, and their viewing habits and behaviors are unique to them. Coupling this with the fact that people might have different opinions, feelings, and knowledge toward the subject makes the qualitative interview method the best approach.
Participants and Procedures
The participants were recruited through the researcher’s personal network and referenced to others that were interested, able, and willing to participate in the research study. College students from various institutions were interviewed as the sample population. This decision was made because college students are approaching a time in their life where they will have to make decisions for themselves as they become more independent from their families. An example of this is choosing to subscribe to different streaming platforms like Hulu. A lot of students have a subscription to the music streaming platform Spotify under a student plan that gives the subscribing student free Hulu as a part of a discounted bundle. Will students then be inclined to subscribe to Hulu to stream content they might be interested in as that student plan expires? This is an example of why college students were the preferred group to study as they might see Hulu as an essential part of their perception of television today. They will be making decisions of what streaming services to pay for after they graduate and try to maintain what they define as television.
The interviews themselves were either conducted one-on-one in a face to face environment, or over video chat programs. A source of inspiration for this interview study was Ksenia Frolova’s (2017) study: “‘We pretty much just watched it all back to back!’: Parenting, digital television viewing practices and the experience of television flow”. This interview study showed how parents viewing practices shifted after having children and the responses that Frolova received were very insightful for informing the research study. The details that were provided in the interview responses in the study is what inspired an interview methodology for this research. More importantly, the information to come out of this research found that people are changing what they consider to be television and what they do not with respect to traditional definitions of television, as well as the characteristics about television they emphasize the most.
Instrument
The interview guide was the key research instrument for this study that was used as the semi-structured interviews were conducted. The questions here were organized in a fashion that answered the research questions in order as the interviews took place. Two key questions informed the first research question: "RQ1: How do people describe the concept of television with an increasing domination of subscription-based television?"
The key questions asked in this section of the interview guide asked:
1.There have been so many changes to this aspect of entertainment within the last decade, so how might you have reconceptualized television, especially since there has been a strongly increased presence of subscription-based television in the world of entertainment?
2. How might you describe the television landscape in 2020?
The remaining eleven key questions informed the second research question: RQ2: When describing the current television landscape, what characteristics do consumers emphasize?
Some examples of key questions asked in this section of the interview guide include:
- Can you share with me your television viewing habits?
- How do you feel about the diversity of streaming platforms available?
- How do you describe binge-watching as a part of our culture?
The Full Interview Guide Can Be Accessed Below