Reconsidering the Displacement Hypothesis

Abstract

This study addresses continuing concern over television's displacement of other leisure activities form both substantive and methodological perspectives. It examines past conceptualizations of the mechanism by which television is assumed to displace other activities. Following a critical review of the displacement literature, the authors examine data from an 8-year panel study of the introduction of television to South Africa and use a variety of methodological approaches to illustrate a major source of inconsistency in findings from previous studies. The displacement mechanism is found to be asymmetric in nature; that is, although increases in television viewing force out some other activities, decreases in television viewing do not result in parallel increases in levels of any of these activities. This pattern of findings was most pronounced in the case of radio use and movie attendance. Implications for conceptualization of the displacement process are discussed in relation to these findings.