The collection of data in the project Measuring Mediatisation continues on 1 January 2026.
– A time series covering the period 2017–2030 will give a unique insight into how our lives are affected by different forms of mediatisation and digitalisation, says André Jansson at Karlstad University.
André Jansson, professor of media and communication studies, and director of the Centre for Geomedia Studies, where the project is based, how would you define “mediatisation”, and why is it important that we measure it?
– Mediatisation is about how we adapt and shape our lives in relation to media and also how organisations and institutions, such as political institutions and the business sector, adapt their operations to how media work. It can involve new technical solutions as well as different genres and formats.
Research on mediatisation is, in other words, not about direct “effects” of media messages but about broader societal transformations. And precisely because it focuses on changes over time – for example, people now rely on apps to trade stocks or meet a new partner – it is important to try to measure and compare the situation over time and among different groups.
Research into how our everyday lives are affected by media has primarily been based on qualitative research, which has provided a nuanced understanding of how indispensable media are in many areas.
Some activities that previously did not depend on media are now more or less unimaginable without these technologies – for example, the platforms that most of us use to stay in touch with friends and family.
– When we applied for funding from the Ander Foundation ten years ago and were able to launch this programme, there was a lack of generalisable studies on how people experience these conditions and how they change over time, says André Jansson. And we are still the only research team conducting this type of long-term data collection on mediatisation.
How do you measure something as complex as the media’s presence in people’s lives?
– Since it’s a survey, we must try to take advantage of the fact that we can capture people’s personal experiences – rather than regarding it as a limitation, André Jansson explains. What we measure is perceived media reliance and perceived media relevance, that is, how the media “feel” in everyday life. Among other things, we ask how important media are in satisfying various needs based on an established social psychological theory. We then try to supplement this with insights from qualitative research.
Can you give a few examples of questions that will be included?
– The questions about how important media are in different parts of our everyday lives – everything from social community and practical coordination to political participation – are asked in exactly the same way in every survey, says André Jansson. Each new survey round includes different areas of in-depth study. We don’t yet know exactly what the focus will be for the 2027 survey, but in the most recent data collection (2025), we concentrated on people’s attitudes toward AI in everyday life. Before that, we included questions about digital disconnection (as a reaction to mediatisation) and about how digitalisation is affecting working life.
In what way is this research relevant to the general public?
– It is enough to follow the public debate around digital addiction, digital surveillance, escalating screen time and information overload to understand that there is great public interest in these types of issues. And my impression is that the interest has increased continuously since we started this study in 2016.
How can this research project help us address issues such as screen time, surveillance and the need to “disconnect”?
– We don’t view digital disconnection as a goal in itself, and ultimately we want to leave it to individuals to shape their lives according to their own circumstances, says André Jansson. At the same time, mediatisation is becoming increasingly complex and, in many respects, difficult to manage, which in turn can lead to failures, frustration and ultimately social inequality. From that perspective, our project can offer a nuanced picture of the contexts in which different media and platforms are experienced as particularly meaningful or disruptive — and for whom.
What are you hoping to achieve with this research?
– When this phase is completed, we will have a time series spanning the period 2017–2030. It will provide a unique picture of how our lives are affected by mediatisation and digitalisation in various forms. In more concrete terms, we will write a monograph in English on the theme of Digital Media Reliance. We will try to summarise and discuss our conclusions in an accessible way. A doctoral thesis will also be produced within the project, which will be very exciting to follow.
Project participants include:
- Karin Fast, Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Karlstad University
- André Jansson, Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Karlstad University
- Stina Bengtsson, Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Södertörn University
- Johan Lindell, Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Uppsala University
- A yet to be recruited doctoral student in Media and Communication Studies, Karlstad University
The project has been granted SEK 14 million from the Anne-Marie and Gustaf Ander Foundation for Media Research.
