Date

10-13-2023

Department

School of Communication and the Arts

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)

Chair

Andrea Scott

Keywords

mediatization theory, systems theory, medium theory, media ecology theory, motherhood, media use, decision-making, defensive mediatization strategies

Disciplines

Communication

Abstract

This quantitative study focused on media-related decision-making in motherhood, with mediatization theory serving as a framework for the research. The study began with an overview of recent changes to motherhood and family media use. The purpose of this study was to explore the problem of how mothers make decisions about their children’s media use. After providing a basic overview of the changes to motherhood and family media use, as well as establishing the purpose and problem for the study, the literature on relevant topics for this study was discussed. Primarily, the literature review focused on mediatization theory. Next, the survey methodology for this quantitative study was discussed in detail, followed by a detailed look at the survey results and a discussion on their importance. This study found that age and religion are not key indicators of mothers’ media-related decision-making, unless they are moderated by defensive mediatization strategies.

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