A Longitudinal Analysis of Media Substitution Between Personal Computers (PCs) and Mobile Phones Using Nielsen’s PC-Mobile 2-Screen Panel Data

• In Event: Data, Technology and Change in Media Industries

Abstract

This study investigates whether mobile phones have supplemented or complemented PCs by applying media substitution theory. In doing so, we make theoretical and methodological contributions to existing research on media substitution. First, most previous research compared the use of emerging and traditional media at a general level without considering content categories being consumed. This study categorizes mobile phone and PC usage based on genres (e.g., news, entertainment, commerce, community, etc.) and examines the relationship between two media with more granularity. Methodologically, this study uses improved measures of media usage by analyzing Nielsen Korea’s PC-Mobile 2-screen panel data collected from 3,000 participants at an individual level in two time points. The longitudinal analysis allows us to see the changes in people’s mobile and PC usage before and after mobile phones/services emerged and developed.

Authors

• Su Jung Kim, Iowa State U

• Hye Mi Lee, Nielsen Korea