The Bedroom Project
How Young Americans Use, Consume, and Interact With Technology and Media
How the Research Was Conducted
“Ethnographic” research was used to observe consumers in their natural settings, providing unique insights that could not be gathered using traditional surveys or focus groups. Ethnographic study of consumer cultures is a research technique being used by many businesses and industries, including Yahoo!, Proctor & Gamble, General Electric, Nissan and Microsoft.
Bedroom Project interviewers went right into homes, apartments, dormitories, cars and bedrooms to watch how young people use media and to explore their attitudes.
Videotaped interviews were conducted among thirty-one 17- to 28-year-olds residing in Columbus, Ohio, and Los Angeles, California. The range of participants encompassed representative gender and ethnic characteristics. The interviews were conducted under the supervision of Jacobs Media in February 2007 by trained researchers in the same age group as their respondents.
All of the interviews were videotaped and transcribed for analysis. These two-hour interviews took place in respondents’ residences as well as in their vehicles (weather permitting). Requirements for participation were high-speed Internet and home computer access and cell phone ownership.
