The role of socio-spatial context in the habit–goal interface of audiovisual media consumption

•Sketches an inter-paradigmatic approach to audiovisual media consumption.•Presents and tests an integrated mixed-method framework.•Focuses on role of socio-spatial context in such consumption.•Empirically discerns three patterns in socio-spatial contexts.•One pattern links to classic findings from 1980s; other two update these findings.

This article addresses the role of socio-spatial context in audiovisual media consumption. It does so by adopting a multi-paradigmatic approach that combines the Theory of Media Attendance with Domestication Theory. We propose a framework that inquires how goals and habits interface with each other as explanatory factors of consumption and how the role of socio-spatial cues can be understood. Survey results show that different socio-spatial settings are associated with distinct explanations by goals and habits. Moreover, follow-up interviews indicate that these differences are best understood when framed in the family dynamics of everyday life. The results confirm findings of classic research, albeit showing that the patterns from these studies are increasingly pressured by novel dynamics in the contemporary media environment.