The magic in media multitasking: towards a deeper understanding of the behavioural phenomenon of multiple media use

For media planners in the advertising and marketing communications industry, striving to maximise effectiveness and efficiency in the deployment of advertisers‘ budgets, the ongoing development of digital technologies presents both opportunities and challenges. In deciding which media to consume, individuals have an extensive choice through; television, press, radio, cinema and the internet, which enables access to new media alternatives such as YouTube, Facebook and web blogs. In addition, due to advances in technology, media can be accessed through multiple devices in various settings, thus allowing the consumer a much greater degree of control over their media consumption than in the past. In this environment, the consumption of more than one medium at a time is commonplace. The focus of this qualitative study is the in-depth exploration of similarities and differences in media multitasking behaviour in two European countries: the U.K. and Germany. Our study revealed more similarities than differences - key findings include: the identification of 'media multitasking portfolios‘; the confirmation of single device media multitasking in addition to the use of separate media; the act of suspending and resuming media activities in multiple media use contexts and reported habit formation with respect to media multitasking behaviour.