Seite - 47 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Heinz Bonfadelli | Media Use of Ethnic Minority Youth 47 minorities can be identified (see Figure 1): a model based on uses and grati- fications, a focus on media effects, and a cultural studies approach. 2.1 Uses & Gratifications Paradigm The uses and functions of media are the focus of this line of research and therefore represent the dependent variable in the so-called uses and gratifications paradigm. The main research issues are: To what extent do ethnic minorities use and prefer print and electronic media from their countries of origin (homeland) and abstain from using the indigenous media in their country of residence? Why is this the case, or how can this be explained? Various dimensions, such as education, socioeconomic status, language skills (linguistic fluency), religious affiliation or ethnic identity, are referred to in order to explain these phenomena. A leading hypothesis claims that ethnic minorities in most European countries prefer to use print and electronic media from their homeland and are, as a result, trapped in a so-called “media ghetto”. Whereas earlier studies looked at the different media types consumed separately, more recent ones apply typologies of media use (see table 1) that link homeland and host country media (Adoni/Caspi/Cohen 2002). However, sometimes it is not sufficiently clear whether these labels only point to patterns of media consumption or also indicate different types of attitudes towards acculturation. Use of Media from Host Country Low High Low Detached / Alienated Adaptors / Integrated Use of Media from Home Country High Separatists / Bonding Dualists / Bridging Table 1: Typology of Media Use by Migrants (based on Adoni/Caspi/Cohen, 2002) In his qualitative study, Hafez (2002) developed a typology also based on the use of minority media from the country of origin and of majority media from the host country, but added considerations of acceptance and trust related to the political system and culture. As a consequence, he differentiated the so-called “separatists” (see Table 1) into three subtypes. For the “diaspora”-type (see Table 2), the dominant use of minority media from the homeland has to do with pragmatic reasons – mainly lack of language skills – but it is combined with a feeling of trust towards the political conditions of the host country. “Political exile” means that cultural bonding with the country of origin is still