The Problem of Media Habits

To what extent is repeated media consumption behavior a matter of habit rather than continuing and active self-instruction? The physiological and cognitive origins of habits are examined in the context of current research in neurology and social psychology. The result is a reconceptualization of media habits along a continuum from consciously enacted behaviors to those that are activated automatically by external stimuli. Communication research perspectives of the role of habits in media consumption are critically reviewed. From this analysis, habits emerge as automatic thought processes that are powerful predictors of media behavior and a model of habitual media consumption is proposed.