The impact of media use on security perceptions
Insights from focus groups of Latvian and Estonian border residents
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17818152 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sandra Murinska (0000-0002-0344-3662, Riga Technical University Rezekne Academy, Rēzekne, LATVIA), Sandra Sprudzane (Rēzekne Academy of Technologies, corresponding author), Anna Tisler-Lavrentjev (0009-0005-8881-087X, University of Tartu), Ragne Kõuts-Klemm (0000-0001-9277-6700, University of Tartu) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | e202618-e202618 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1986-3497 • E-ISSN: 1986-3497 |
| Publisher | Bastas Publications (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.30935/ojcmt/18233 |
| OpenAlex | W7154188258 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
The study investigates how the media shape perceptions of security in the European Union’s border regions, focusing on Latvia and Estonia, both of which share a border with Russia. Drawing on media dependency theory, it examines the relationship between media use and perceived threats under conditions of social instability and uncertainty. Two research questions guide the analysis: (1) how risk perception relates to goals of mass media use and (2) how border residents choose different information sources regarding potential military threats. The focus group discussions indicated that respondents’ goals of media use closely aligned with dependency relations under conditions of perceived risk and uncertainty: maintaining a sense of safety and being informed, protecting family members and property, reducing uncertainty, distinguishing credible information from misinformation, and sustaining psychological stability. The risk perception and media use were mutually reinforcing: the media not only provided information but also regulated emotions, fostering both preparedness and fatigue. Differences between Latvian- and Russian-speaking audiences in Latvia and Estonia highlighted how competing narratives influenced stress levels and perceptions of security. The findings suggest that border residents having opportunity to live in different media spaces (or systems), lay on the media content they trust more, and have opportunity to compare sources and adopt protective behavior. In this context, media dependency extends beyond information-seeking to include emotional management and action-oriented responses during times of crisis
Estonian · Focus group · Latvian · Mass media · Media system dependency theory · Perception · Preparedness · Global Security and Public Health · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Public Relations and Crisis Communication
The Origins of Individual Media-System Dependency
Communication and Health Beliefs
Information disorder’s impact on adolescents
Media exposure, risk perceptions, and fear
Unraveling the prerequisites of citizen engagement intentions initiated by mobile government social media during emergencies
Small Powers, Geopolitical Crisis and Hypersecuritisation
Extending media system dependency theory to informational media use and environmentalism
Shifting public perception
Media attention, dependency, self-efficacy, and prosocial behaviours during the outbreak of Covid-19
Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior and Media Dependency Theory
Security
Media dependency, selective exposure and trust during war
Media Dependency During a Large-Scale Social Disruption
A Theory of Media Power and a Theory of Media Use
Risk perception and the media
Uses, Gratifications, and Beyond
Securitizing Russian-speakers in Estonia and Latvia
Microfoundations of Threat and Security Perceptions in Ethnically Diverse States
Resilience of national media systems
Perceived pervasive ambiguity in the onset of Covid-19
A Dependency Model of Mass-Media Effects
Risk as feelings
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |