Mary Grigsby describes six ideal-type cultural repertoires she found during her research as an RJI Fellow.

1. Media Uses of Young Adults Ages 18-29:
Six Ideal-Type Cultural Repertoires
Mary Grigsby, Professor of Rural Sociology & RJI Fellow 2014-15

2. Presentation Overview
 Research Methods
 Six ideal-type cultural repertoires
 Patterns in ideas, behaviors and
motivations
 Continuum of varying degrees of
interest in “news”
 Highlight Conclusions

3. ⋙Sampling aims to
capture the range of
types of media use
routines and
motivations
⋙Snowball sampling
in Columbia
metropolitan area
⋙Purposive sampling
frame
1. Sex
2. Age
3. Educational
attainment
4. Employment
Who is being studied?

4. How was the research designed?
 Interviews (sample 24)
 Informant provided photographs of a work
day and a non-work day with captions
(sample 8)
 Participant observation of a subset of
informants in different settings where they
use media (home; work; social) (sample 6)

5. Ideal-Type Cultural Repertoires of Media Use
Strategies of
action integrate
patterned sets of
meanings and
practices

6. Instrumental Cultural Repertoire
⋙Desire to feel that they use media in effective and
efficient ways to achieve goals consistent with cost/benefit
analysis
⋙Value utilitarian means/ends goal seeking framed as
“rationality” and themselves as rational actorsona
⋙Establish and maintain traditionalist role based
relationships with others
⋙Interested in success within the generalized culture as
professionals and in personal life
⋙News viewed as data to use in achieving goals; they view
themselves as little influenced by media

7. Instrumental
Your phone is really a utility belt at this point.
Everywhere I go, I bring my keys, my wallet and
my phone. But if I had to lose anything, it would
probably be anything but my phone. If you were
to drop me in Little Rock, Arkansas and told me
to get home, I could probably do it with my
phone.
Jason, a 24 year old, black, university educated,

8. Emulative Cultural Repertoire
⋙Desire to experience feelings of affirmation from like
peers
⋙Establish or maintain lifestyle that is informed by
popular culture trends and validated by peer taste
⋙Value for on-going highly responsive social media
communication and monitoring
⋙Interested in entertainment media and peers as
sources of emulative identity work
⋙Feelings of anxiety and helplessness caused by some
news; may have little interest in or dislike for news

9. Emulative
I love it! It is kind of like my second heart. I saw on Facebook
a post about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the
physiological needs were wi-fi and battery as the biggest need.
That is kind of how I feel. . . . I am always holding my
phone. It seems like I can’t even sit down without picking it up
and getting on it.
Bob, 26 year old, white, college educated
nurse

10. Competitive Cultural Repertoire
⋙ Desire to achieve status
⋙ Establish or maintain comparative superiority to others
within a field of established rules and/or status
hierarchies
⋙ Value for “winning” and identification with “winners”
and/or groups that are oppositional or competing with
other groups
⋙ Relationship boundaries of “insider” and “outsider” and
clear status rankings are important for them
⋙ Interest in news varies based on arena of competition

11. Competitive
Some of my most enjoyable moments have been through gaming. For me,
it’s the competition. Just kind of outsmarted an opponent, or something
like that. I am a math oriented person, so puzzling through and figuring
out this stuff. Trying to out-do somebody else or outthink somebody else, it
is just really satisfying. That’s for anything, for gaming or weightlifting or
sports. I am just a competitive person. . . . In the higher ranks it dwindles
down to a few people and you know them. You consistently see them and
want to do your personal best and sometimes get revenge. You want to beat
them!
Jerry, 24 year old, high school educated, health food store
worker

12. Creative Cultural Repertoire
⋙Desire to engage in creative activity
⋙Establish or maintain lifestyle that is focused on
producing creative work (on and/or offline)
⋙Value for inspiration and resources that support
creative endeavor
⋙Cultivate relationships and/or network with people
who engage I n similar creative work
⋙Interest in news shaped by their creative focus and
social circle

13. Creative
I can totally leave my phone and it’s not a big deal. I think on an
emotional level, I think and like a body kind of thing, I think that
it’s like I have a lot of energy, a lot of energy! So when I get to exude
that and when I come to dance and I get all of that out and whenever I
get home, that’s not the first thing that I am thinking about. That’s
like last thing on my list.
Marjorie, 23 year old, white, college educated, grant writer
and dance instructor

14. Intentional Cultural Repertoire
⋙Desire to Overcome feelings of being overwhelmed
⋙Value for face-to-face time and intimacy with others
and time for themselves where they “detach”
⋙Experience or interest in negotiating change in norms
of behavior of others they are close to who they
perceive as too attached to digital media
⋙Interest in lifestyle that is less stressful and fast
paced than they perceive as the mainstream lifestyle
⋙Interest in obtaining reliable news without feeling
overwhelmed

15. Intentional
“I think that a lot of people, especially my age and younger
are way too connected. That’s something that I am aware of
in other people and I am aware that I don’t like that about it.
So that’s one of the reasons that I try not to do that myself. I
see how some people cannot detach at all, being connected,
being in it, having their phone on them all of the time, going
out to dinner and having it on the table. Interacting with
friends and looking around and everyone has their phone
out.”
Kimberly, 28 year old, high school educated , dessert chef

16. Escapist Cultural Repertoire
⋙Desire to engage in consumption of media as “an
escape from reality” or “zoning out”
⋙Behavior described by informants as problematic
for them
⋙Activity is described by informants as “mindless;”
“habitual”; “aimless”; or binging
⋙Feel “real life” has not fully started for them;
Limited connections or networks
⋙Little interest in news

17. Escapist
I tried to cut down on all of my media use, on what I consider
excessive media usage. That was in April [2014]. April was when I
cut myself off entirely. (John was interviewed in September) I was
downloading songs and movies. I would save a few of them, but in
order to find stuff that I liked, I would download a lot. I stopped
doing it. I cut myself off from all downloads and I deleted the
software that allowed me to do that. I feel a lot better because it has
freed up a lot of time. It has been difficult, but I am glad.
John, 28 year old, college educated, handyman, yard worker
and restaurant worker

18. Primary and Secondary Cultural Repertoires of Media Use
Continuum of High to Low Interest in News
High News Interest Low
News Interest
Instrumental
Instrumental
Emulative
Competitive
Competitive
Intentional
Creative
Competitive
Emulative
Escapist
Competitive
Intentional
Instrumental
Emulative
Creative
Creative
Emulative
Escapist
Escapist
Intentional

19. ⋙The intentional
cultural repertoire is a
new cultural trend in
media behavior in this
cohort
⋙Instrumental cultural
values and motivations
link with high news
interest and multitasking
⋙Emulative and
escapist cultural
repertoires link with
lower news interest
⋙ Millennials are not a
passive audience but
active “users”
⋙Media are used in
establishing individual
and group identities
⋙ Cultural patterns
guiding media behaviors
are not fixed but change
as life circumstances and
ideas of people change
Highlight Conclusions