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How listening to music and engagement with other media provide a sense of belonging: an exploratory study of social surrogacy

Schäfer, K.; Eerola, T.

How listening to music and engagement with other media provide a sense of belonging: an exploratory study of social surrogacy Thumbnail


Authors

K. Schäfer



Abstract

The social surrogacy hypothesis holds that people resort to temporary substitutes, so-called social surrogates, if direct social interaction is not possible. In this exploratory study, we investigate social motives for listening to music in comparison to watching TV and reading fiction. Thirty statements about possible social reasons for the engagement with media were compiled. After 374 participants had rated their agreement with those statements, they were reduced to seven categories: Company, Shared experiences, Understanding others, Reminiscence, Isolation, Group identity, and Culture. The results propose that music is used as temporary substitute for social interaction alongside TV programs and fiction, but that it acts differently. Music listening might act as a social surrogate by evoking memories of relationship partners or through identification processes. There are overlapping motives between the domains, but the elicitation of nostalgia appears to be unique to music listening. The results motivate further investigation into the effects of music listening on socio-emotional well-being.

Citation

Schäfer, K., & Eerola, T. (2020). How listening to music and engagement with other media provide a sense of belonging: an exploratory study of social surrogacy. Psychology of Music, 48(2), 232-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618795036

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 25, 2018
Online Publication Date Sep 7, 2018
Publication Date Mar 31, 2020
Deposit Date Jul 11, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Psychology of Music
Print ISSN 0305-7356
Electronic ISSN 1741-3087
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 48
Issue 2
Pages 232-251
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618795036

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Copyright Statement
Schäfer, K. & Eerola, T. (2020). How listening to music and engagement with other media provide a sense of belonging: an exploratory study of social surrogacy. Psychology of Music 48(2): 232-251.(First Published September 7, 2018). Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.




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