Media Audiences| The Internet as a Cultural Forum: A European Perspective

Abstract

Jensen and Helles’ model for studying the Internet as a cultural forum describes six prototypical communicative practices based on synchronicity and number of participants. This study seeks to examine the validity of their model in a broader intercultural setting. Using data from a large-scale, cross-European research project, the study reveals that mass media, particularly the synchronous media (television and radio), maintain their place as the most time-consuming communicative practice, and that there is a somewhat greater intensity of many-to-many practices than one-to-one practices. Many significant differences among subsegments of the sample are also reported. The results reflect inclinations and trends that were well documented in recent audience research. Consequently, they support the applicability of the model and demonstrate its strength.