In contemporary society, childhood is characterized as mediatized and commercialized. Media consumption worlds (MCWs) are a phenomenon that mirrors both aspects. They are narratives that are presented through various media platforms, games, and merchandising products. In this paper, the concept of children’s MCWs is developed theoretically and investigated empirically using the case of primary school children’s appropriation of MCWs as well as parental mediation and attitude in Austria and Germany. A mixed-methods design was applied, starting with qualitative interviews with children and their parents and followed by an online survey for parents (N=327). The study revealed that children find individual ways to deal with MCWs, some of which foster creativity and self-expression but also consumerism. The parents’ attitude is ambivalent. They view MCWs as beneficial in terms of creativity, positive values, and as peer group experience. However, parents observe critically that MCWs lure children to the media and to consumption.

中文翻译：

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“你只需要加入”——一项关于儿童媒体消费世界和父母调解的混合方法研究

在当代社会，童年被刻画为媒介化和商业化。媒体消费世界 (MCW) 是一种反映这两个方面的现象。它们是通过各种媒体平台、游戏和营销产品呈现的叙事。本文以奥地利和德国的小学生挪用 MCW 的案例以及父母的调解和态度为基础，从理论上发展了儿童 MCW 的概念，并对其进行了实证研究。采用混合方法设计，首先对儿童及其父母进行定性访谈，然后对父母进行在线调查（N=327）。该研究表明，儿童会找到与 MCW 打交道的个人方式，其中一些方式可以培养创造力和自我表达，但也可以促进消费主义。父母的态度很矛盾。他们认为 MCW 在创造力、积极价值观和对等群体经验方面是有益的。然而，家长们批判性地观察到，MCW 会引诱孩子们接触媒体和消费。