Do “we” really matter? An analysis of user motivations for online interaction with public service radio

In public service media (‘PSM’) literature and policy documents, many assumptions
are being made about the increasing active relationship users have with the media that
they ‘consume’. Moreover, in recent years public broadcasters have adopted a more
consumerist logic, often conceptualizing users as consumers and not as citizens. This
study aims to bring in a user-centered approach in PSM theory and empirical
research. More specifically, we study the motivations and thresholds for people to
actually interact with online PSM content, asking questions such as: ‘What drives
users to share or comment upon PSM content online?’ and ‘How does these
motivations and thresholds relate to their role as citizen?’. To answer these questions,
we focus on innovative public service radio formats more specifically, a field that is
largely understudied. In the theoretical part, we differentiate between personal, social
and altruistic motivations to interact with PSM content. For the empirical part, we
conduct 10 focus groups with radio listeners between the age of 15 and 34. In
conclusion, we argue that media users are very often aware of their different roles as
both consumer and citizen and that the latter is especially manifested in their
motivations to share public service radio content.