How to conduct interviews on media repertoires as routine practices â problems and empirical experiences

Abstract

Against the backdrop of a changing media environment, the practices individuals apply on a daily basis and in different life spheres have altered dramatically. Small investors, for instance, increasingly rely on the internet to follow financial market trends online or to gather information on the background of companies before investing in their stocks. However, it is an open question whether or not the individual is conscious or rather unaware of these changed practices since the use of different media might be inherent to their daily routine. This potential lack of awareness makes it difficult to research the role these Transforming Communications play in the individualâ s conduct of life. Therefore, the purpose of this methodical chapter is to identify an interviewing strategy for cross-media studies that meets the requirement of openness so as to ensure the respondentsâ freedom to set their own relevance structures, while at the same time maintaining the thematic focus on the intervieweesâ media repertoire.