Popular Media in the Metropolitan Third Places: Exploring the Uses and Gratifications of the Mobile Homo Œconomicus

Abstract

Commuters in metropolitan regions have developed a number of cultural practices to use between their places of residence and work, including newspaper reading. This practice has been often considered as an instrument enabling individuals to integrate into communities. However, what can the uses and gratifications of contemporary newspapers by mobile workers tell us about the construction of communities in urban areas? This article, based on in-depth interviews with mobile workers-readers and a reception study of their media consumption in Luxembourg, enables us to assess the importance of the ritualized and instrumental use of the popular press by commuters in a changing urban world.