Media consumption patterns of working-class Bangladeshi immigrant children living in New York City
Media consumption patterns of working-class Bangladeshi immigrant children living in New York City: a case study
Student: A.S.M. Asaduzzaman
Thesis Advisor: Peter Haratonik
Abstract: Six children from three immigrant families living in Queens, New York, were studied in their naturalistic setting at home to explore their overall media environment and consumption patterns. It was found that a wide variety of media, ranging from traditional mass media such as newspapers to up-to-the-minute technology such as the Internet, constituted their media environment. Among these media, television was found to be the most popular. Children consumed different media for fulfillment of different needs. Watching TV satisfied their entertainment, informational, and social utility needs (Schramm et al., 1961), while playing video games fulfilled only entertainment needs. It was also found that compared to their parents, children developed a different attitude towards Bangladeshi indigenous media. They were not inclined to consume Bangladeshi TV shows, Bangla newspapers, or music for that matter. Uses and gratifications theory was used to examine the children's relationships with different media. One-on-one interviews and participant observation were the research methods used to collect information on children’s media consumption.