Young people, new media and sport
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Date
06/07/2009Item status
Restricted AccessEmbargo end date
31/12/2100Author
Wong, Donna Shy Yun
Metadata
Abstract
This thesis investigates how sport is employed in the new media age as mediated
sport goes through the liminal phase of new media. Set against the contextual
background of recurrent ‘moral panics’ that accompanied each new wave of media
innovation, this study aimed to chart young people’s involvement in sport via the use
of new media technology. The thesis concentrated on three research issues: access to,
uses of, and the displacement effect of new media. Four major forms of new media
were included in the study – digital television, the Internet, mobile telephony and
video games. The study used a mixed method design of qualitative and quantitative
research methods. The data collection was conducted in two phases: survey methods
were first used to examine the audience experience of new media sports, and follow-up
interviews of young people were then conducted to investigate motives for media
choice and the perceived gratifications of new media sport. ‘Uses and Gratifications’
theory was utilised as the theoretical basis for examining user motives. Eight
hundred valid responses were obtained from the questionnaire-based survey
[a response rate of 94%] and follow-up interviews were conducted with 12 young
people [selected purposively among volunteers from the pool of questionnaire
respondents]. A key conclusion drawn from this thesis is that the Internet did not
displace televised sport. The findings also suggest that the use of new media sport
can have positive effects on sport and physical activities participation. Conversely,
there was no support for the popular perception that media users participate in sport
and physical activities less; many of them were in fact active in the pursuit of sport
and physical activities.