LA EMOCIÓN EN EL CANTO

Interviewees often referred to flicking through online and hardcopy text over 28 occasions in the course of the interviews. In general, this is a common magazine browsing method and not limited to Gen Y. Magazines often lend themselves to browsing, particularly when they are multi-authored, content which is offered in briefer self-contained portions, whose purpose is to entertain and their content dates very quickly (Gaipa, 2016). Taking this pattern of engaging with magazines the reading behaviours reported by interviewees is to be expected. Even so, for the interviewees their browsing patterns exhibited in magazine reading is important, because it is also seen in the

consumption of content, offered through a variety of other forms such as other print media (for example, newspapers), internet sites, social media, phone apps and email.

UG (male, non-member) comments on his leisure reading, that; I read a weekend newspaper. Sometimes I flick through a weekend newspaper.

A similar pattern is noted by DF (female, member), who said that: I used to have a bit of a flick through it when it came in the paper (hardcopy) but I didn't, I mean it is quite long and I don't have a lot of free time at work so I don't, occasionally I mean, I'd look at something, read a couple of paragraphs if it took my interest.

HI (female, member), commented about flicking through Facebook pages, that: But with Facebook at least I'm on there and I can go flick, flick, ah, okay,

have a quick flick through and it doesn't seem quite as consuming as an email, [in which] we have to go delete, file, whatever it is.

TT (female, member) reiterates that she also exhibits similar behaviour, commenting that:

I like flicking through a magazine if it is something that I want to read.

Continuing along the same lines IN (female, non-member), comments that she only reads one format and all else receives a more cursory treatment. She said that:

I read books. That's the only thing whereas everything else even magazines I flick.

Along the same lines KU (female, member), comments that materials can sometimes accumulate and only when the magazines are moved are they opened and looked at, but only in a cursory way. She said about this that:

I look at the cover and I flick through and I read a few articles generally but this one I know I have a couple unopened now I'm thinking of it, it’s probably this, envelopes with union on it that I just stick in the pile and then eventually when I'm tidying up I'll open it and flick through it probably but um, that would be about it.

MC (female, member) also refers to flicking through reading material several times in the interview with flicking the precursor to looking at material more closely. She said that:

Yeah. Flicking through news.

From analysis of the interviews with the university staff it is apparent their flicking through publications (in this instance hard copy only) can lead to a sequence of them flicking through a source, noticing an engaging ‘grab’ from a story. Then they may either use a provided link to obtain more complete information or they may search independently on the internet to find more information about the topic. Other

interviewees may not commence with flicking, but for many a short piece of writing is far preferable to a long and detailed article, at least at the early stage, when deciding if

sufficient contemporary content to stay appraised of everyday affairs. The ideal medium for this purpose of providing smaller ‘grabs’ of stories or articles are online platforms; especially Facebook, Twitter and The Conversation as noted by MC (female, member), who remarked that:

I wouldn’t mind Twitter. Just kind of little updates with links to articles. Because quite often what that would force the author to do is kind of summarise the main point – so that would, in your mind, even kind of act in that lay language kind of fashion of; What is this all about? And then you could follow it up.

Interviewer: So, it’d give you more of an entry point into the whole area? Yeah. Facebook not so much. I feel that Facebook is more of a friends and family kind of thing, rather than work. Whereas Twitter I’d only use for work reasons. So, it’s kind of in the right environment, or the right space, rather than Facebook is probably personal.

Where you could go and get snapshot bits of information, or have it spoken to you in a video. Also something like The Conversation. I dare say there’s a lot of academics who – who read The Conversation and – publishing little stories or even videos they do, now, on that site might be a place where academics are going through anyway.

Yeah. I think that’s the kind of, just in my leisure, if I am reading this type of somewhat work-related thing [The Advocate], you just want a little bit of a grab, you don’t necessarily need to know the whole story. And if you do want to know the whole story, you’ve usually got enough to Google it or to come somewhere like this and look at the full picture. It just helps to keep you informed of what’s going on.

The Conversation is an excellent source for smaller articles and particularly appealing to the four interviewees, who commented on their usage of The Conversation

site. MC’s (female, member) comments are supported by NH, (female, non-member) who states:

I read a lot, for instance, The Conversation for example in terms of news and web sites that is my favourite place in the entire world and so I'll read that and then I'll go and read papers off that of topics I'm interested in.

TN (male, member) goes a step further and explains how The Conversation and online Guardian can be connected with Facebook, noted that:

Um, you know, the classic would be, you read an article and you think it’s great and you want to respond back and give some feedback to the author. At the end there's their contact details you can click on it and say, send an email very quickly, hey I just read your article, it’s fantastic, I really appreciate your comments but have you thought of this point? It is

something I do with The Conversation in the e-newspaper we get. I've made several comments. And the same with the online Guardian. It also allows me to link it to Facebook so my friends can see what I'm reading and saying.

Insights were also provided by the National President, about the NTEU’s attempts to utilise The Conversation as a platform to inform readers about important issues in the sector, such as the proposed introduction of higher university fees for students. She also notes that a platform such as The Conversation is not necessarily seen as not coming from the union and hence being independent of it. She said that:

Oh, okay, well that's interesting because I've talked to the young, very young woman, who is the Editor of the Higher Ed. part of the higher ed. policy or education part of The Conversation who um, is anti-union, doesn't actually understand why anyone would be in a union unless you work on a building site so doesn't get it at all, has been a journalist, never joined the union as a journalist, even though she said yes, well I said did anyone ask you to and she said oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, as soon as you start the job people ask you to join the union as a journalist. Then I said well, I want to write, why can't I write [for The Conversation], and she said, no, no, The Conversation won't print anything from the union because you're not in a university. You have to be in a university to write anything.'

She continued her comment, saying that:

Yeah, so that's the attitude. But um, and other people can too, it is actually more useful if other people write things which are pro-union and it’s not coming directly from the union and it gives you the bite sized chunk to then go I might like to go find out some more.

The quote from the NTEU President also indicates that The Conversation

readership is likely to follow a two step approach as part of their media consumption by following up with further information.

6.6 Chapter Summary

Chapter six provided a profile of the interviewees and explored their motivations for volunteering. The concept of volunteering was further analysed in order to explain that volunteering could be for personal financial gain or career advancement as distinct from an altruistic desire to engage in community activities. It also examined the linkages between people’s propensity to engage in community activities and their likelihood to be

viewpoint towards unions was examined and nine types of interrelationships between family background and a propensity to join a union was explored. The chapter also identified a three stage pattern in interviewees’ consumption of printed and online materials. The first stage describes their preference to flick through hard copy and electronic pages in many communication mediums. Once an interesting item is discovered it is read more closely, constituting stage two. The final stage is the activation of available links or seeking further information on the internet.

Chapter 7: Interviewees’ Category Awareness and Brand Knowledge