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2. The Problem Statement

The purpose of this study will be to investigate the influence that the different levels of the South African National Lockdown had on the Online Entertainment Audience. 

 

The topic is of interest as it explores the patterns of change within the audience and the psychological impact of the South African National Lockdown.  The world has changed immensely over 6 months and the consumption patterns have also been greatly impacted by the world going into an isolation phase.


The field of Online Entertainment falls within a Media category, as it is a channel for Mass Communication.  I intend to specifically focus on Online Entertainment such as online streaming and online social entertainment networks.  The key of this research project that makes it relevant within the media field is the study of the audience in these particular fascinating times and their opinions on the change in their online behaviour.  It assists with a better understanding of the market and the market change.  It also gives insight into the mindsets of the audience to be able to follow market trends as the world progressed.

 

My interest in the topic and this specific research enquiry, is due to the multitudinous impact that this specific phenomenon has had worldwide. And closer to home how the impact has influenced South Africa, in particular.

Another area of interest to me is audience and audience theories, more specifically related to the psychology behind the choices of the media audience. Thus, I am looking at using the Uses and Gratification theoretical approach to understand the audience and their reactions more completely.

For my research problem I have formulated the following:

The role of the South African National Lockdown and how it influenced the audience with regards to online entertainment platforms: a cross-sectional evaluation.



Questions and assumptions that I intend to investigate are:

  • How the audience was influenced.
  • What patterns were developed within the market.
  • How the psychological demands of the audience change
  • To investigate how the relationship between the audience and their needs for online entertainment changed by means of the uses and gratification theory.

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Comments

  1. delaine coolsSeptember 29, 2020 at 8:41 AM

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  2. delaine coolsSeptember 29, 2020 at 8:50 AM

    i like where this is going Lerissa. The scope of your research looks broad but extremely interesting and well informed. I,'m looking forward to following this further, especially considering how Covid-19 and the National Lockdown has impacted our lives as South Africans, and altered the way we do everyday things, including meeting our entertainment needs on a daily basis.

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  3. delaine coolsOctober 18, 2020 at 6:38 AM

    Another interesting facet to the Lockdown and the impact of isolation on the South African audience would be to gauge what sort of online entertainment needs most people are looking for under the circumstances. It is notable that many people who live alone found themselves almost in a crisis due to the unprecedented nature of the Lockdown in these modern times.

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