On The Relevance Of Social Inequality In The Context Of Media Socialisation Research

Abstract

­The aim of this article is to make it clear that media socialisation research ­cannot do without a look at the lifeworld of adolescents; this is shaped by the social milieu (a manifestation of the specific connection between the social situation and the life plan of the people involved), within the framework of which children and adolescents grow up. Its specific constellations, which also include media practices, must therefore be included in the research. In order to be able to examine the significance that media symbolism has in the everyday lives of adolescents in context, integrative as well as interdisciplinary research seems necessary. As an example of this, a panel study on (media) socialisation among socially disadvantaged children in Austria is presented in its theoretical and methodological layout.