Measures of Media Multitasking: A Systematic Review to Examine How These Measures Evolved Over Time to Keep Pace With Changes in Media

Abstract

Media multitasking (MMT) is defined as simultaneously consuming more than one stream of content and is frequently measured using the Media Use Questionnaire (MUQ). The MUQ was developed in 2009 and includes 12 media items reflective of that period. Subsequent MMT research led to the development of similar measures to examine MMT in adult and adolescent samples. The aim of this study was to review the media items listed within six widely used measures of MMT and to examine how these measures have been updated to incorporate changes as technology, media behaviours and platforms have evolved over time. A systematic review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Citation searches were conducted on the 2009 publication and five other publications with variant MMT measures across Scopus, Web of Science and APA PsycInfo databases. A Boolean string search was also conducted across the same databases to identify additional studies using the relevant MMT measures. Title screening was conducted on 2838 articles, with 489 articles full text screened across all searches. A total 114 publications were identified as eligible for inclusion. These publications, organised by the MMT measure used, were evaluated to determine whether media were maintained, modified or omitted. The findings from the systematic review showed that the 2009 MUQ was the most frequently cited measure, with almost half the included publications retaining the original media items. Studies using the 2009 MUQ also reported the most updates to listed media. Three key modifications to the media were the inclusion of social media, grouping of video-related media and grouping of messaging-relatedmedia. Little to no alterations were observed to the media items listed in the other measures. This research highlights a key consideration to ensure MMT measures, and resultant scores accurately reflect current MMT behaviours.