Media-based Social Solitude: An Exploratory Study of Students in a Coffeehouse

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study was to understand how college students engage in media-based social solitude in an informal social space of a coffeehouse. Media-based social solitude is the act of being alone together, physically or virtually, with others through the use of media devices. Multiple data collection methods such as field observation and interviews were used to identify two main themes of engagement in media-based social solitude. The interpretation of data from observations of fifteen students and interviews with ten students provided emergent themes that included the need for reinforcement of others to focus on and accept media in a social space. Understanding media-based social solitude in the context of leisure is important, as media inserts itself into all aspects of a life, and may alter the leisure dynamics within a public space. Additional research in the area of media-based social solitude is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon within leisure and media studies.