A Study on the Television Viewing Behavior of Koreans: Focusing on the Dynamics of Coviewing among Family Members

한국인의 텔레비전 시청행태에 관한 연구: 가족간 공동시청의 역학을 중심으로

Viewers have always switched channels and they have selected by turning away from the TV and returning to the set when the content seemed more amusing. Also, people usually watch television with their family members and thus the experience of viewing is embedded uniquely in ongoing processes of family interaction. In other words, people develop patterns and habits through the act of viewing together. As viewing with family members is the most frequent mode of media exposure, the context of family viewing needs to be thoroughly examined if we are to understand the family's use of television. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic nature of television viewing behavior. With the people meter's second-by-second viewing information, first we analyze who, when, and why viewers change channels. The ensuing reduction of advertising impact due to zapping will be investigated as well. Then the focus will be shifted to the dynamic interaction of coviewing among family members. In order to further explore the in-depth nature of television viewing, actual viewing information should be cross-analyzed with respect to both demographic and psychographic variables. In this study we surveyed individual characteristics such as television watching patterns, program type preference, attitude toward commercials, channel control intensity, and personalities. We have demonstrated that the results of an meticulus analysis of survey data provide valuable insights into the dynamics of television viewing among family members.