Between the Homefront and Battleground, Between TV and Smartphone: Evaluating the Use of a Second Screen in the May 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis

Authors

  • Vered Elishar Malka Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
  • Yaron Ariel Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
  • Dana Weimann-Saks Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

Keywords:

second screen, new media, cognitive needs, war, civilians under threat, Israel

Abstract

Second-screen use has attracted significant scholarly attention over the last decade. Although media usage is important during crises, no study has examined second screening in times of violent conflict, when civilians are directly affected. This study examines the role of second-screen usage in Israeli citizens’ lives during the May 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis. It focuses on correlations between users’ level of concern, their immediate degree of threat (based on their proximity to the warzone), and their usage of a second, new media screen, in addition to televisions. Results indicate that the higher the threat level users faced, the more frequently they used second screens. Furthermore, the intensity of second screening rose with the degree of threat and their accompanying level of concern and cognitive needs. The findings advance our understanding of media’s wartime role from the perspective of civilians under threat, indicating that as technology enables people to remain constantly connected and not limit themselves to a single platform, they are likely to take advantage of a wide range of communication options.

Author Biographies

Vered Elishar Malka, Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

Vered Elishar-Malka, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer and a full-time faculty member at the Communication department of the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel. She has received her Ph.D.in Communication and Journalism from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among her fields of interest and expertise are Political Communication; Climate Communication; New media and Journalism; and the Roles of New Media in Contemporary Society.

Yaron Ariel, Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

Yaron Ariel, Ph.D., is head of department, a senior lecturer and a full-time faculty member at the Communication department of the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel. He has received his Ph.D. from the University of Haifa. Among his fields of expertise are computer mediated communication, online communities, and social networks; audience/user centered approaches+972542277282 

Dana Weimann-Saks, Department of Communication, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

Dana Weimann-Saks, Ph.D., is a lawyer and a social psychologist, and a senior faculty member at the Yezreel Valley Academic College. She earned her PhD in social psychology from the Psychology Department at Haifa University, Israel.+972509925555

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Published

2023-04-29

Issue

Vol. 17 (2023)

Section

Articles

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