Time-shifting technologies have considerable implications for the media's role as a rhythm-maker. Mobile devices enable people to fulfil, as well as take, pauses – the numerous moments or periods each day they use to look for news, chat, validate the data and post their own messages or images. The aim of the present study is to conceptualize pauses for media usage via empirical qualitative analysis of media-usage diaries of Estonian family members reported by diarists. We propose four types of media usage pauses: as a benchmark, as a respite, waiting for pause and cut-off from action. The concept of pause in media usage reveals the resources the media economy is struggling to attract: the audience's attention and time. Although these resources do have limits, the approach by pauses of media usage exposes the opportunities within lifestyles and job specifications to enable taking pauses that actually extend both the time and attention that people devote to media. Clever usage of pauses opens new slots of operating for media companies in the conditions of the attention economy.

时移技术对媒体作为节奏制作者的角色具有相当大的影响。移动设备使人们能够完成以及暂停——他们每天用于查找新闻、聊天、验证数据和发布自己的消息或图像的无数时刻或时间段。本研究的目的是通过对日记作者报告的爱沙尼亚家庭成员的媒体使用日记进行实证定性分析，将媒体使用的停顿概念化。我们提出了四种类型的媒体使用暂停：作为基准，作为喘息，等待暂停和停止行动。媒体使用暂停的概念揭示了媒体经济正在努力吸引的资源：观众的注意力和时间。虽然这些资源确实有限制，暂停媒体使用的方法揭示了生活方式和工作规范中的机会，使暂停实际上延长了人们对媒体的时间和注意力。在注意力经济的条件下，巧妙地使用停顿为媒体公司开辟了新的运营空间。