In and out of everyday life through film experiences: an analysis of two social spaces as leisure frames

Abstract

The new information and communication technologies have made it possible to view films in different spaces. Using the symbolic interactionist framework as a frame of analysis, we interpret the meaning of the two experiences of viewing technology-mediated films in the home and in the cinema. We conducted field research during the first half of 2009, digitally recording 16 interviews with research participants living in Barcelona (Spain). The interviews were transcribed verbatim with the help of voice-recognition software. Reports from our research participants indicate that individuals considered only the cinema experience to be a true leisure activity, while the home experience was interpreted as a routine recreational activity. Therefore, the meanings of the film-viewing activity were associated with the symbolic properties of the frames of interpretation. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the home as a unified centre where shared meanings are co-produced by family members.

Keywords:

• Social space
• leisure frame
• social meaning
• symbolic interactionism
• cinematographic experience
• film

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding from the Centre for Research and Studies in Humanities, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Generalitat de Catalunya (grant 2014-SGR-502). We would also like to thank research participants for sharing with us a part of their lives and to the anonymous reviewers and the editors for their constructive criticism. Ailish Maher assisted with the English in a version of this manuscript. We assume full responsibility for the claims made in the manuscript.