The streaming content usage of young visually impaired people in public service media : the perspective of digital accessibility

Abstract

The context of this research lies within public service broadcasting companies launching streaming services amidst digitalization. In this context, public service media practitioners must understand the youth audience's viewing habits to reinforce relationships with them. Furthermore, even though digital services involve accessibility functions in the products, individuals with different visual impairments need further study to avoid accessibility problems and increase inclusivity, which is also the responsibility of public service media. Therefore, this research aims to discover the usage of streaming media in public service media among youth with different visual impairments from the perspective of digital accessibility. This thesis employed the qualitative research method with semi-structured and email interviews to answer the research question, "How do young visually impaired people use streaming media in public service media from the perspective of digital accessibility?." Four participants with various visual impairments joined the thematic interview. Finnish broadcasting company (YLE) served as the research case for this investigation. The current study evaluated the interview data using thematic analysis. The main findings demonstrated that young respondents with blindness and low vision watched diverse video content for entertainment and education in streaming applications with low frequencies of using the recommendation system. The accessibility problems, including incompatibility between assistive technologies and applications, inaccessible interface design, and insufficient audio descriptions, were identified in this study. This research revealed participants' suggestions for enhancing digital accessibility by envisioning accessibility features and increasing the accessibility awareness of video content creators and developers. The findings of this research are significant for academic research, the Finnish public service broadcasting company, and media policies worldwide. The application developers and media practitioners might devise more barrier-free and customizable streaming services to ensure every individual receives excellent experiences, following the improved media accessibility policies. In addition, this study could provide new understandings for future research in accessibility, disability, youth, streaming and public service media.