Abstract:
Research Problem: This study examines the leisure information behaviour [IB] of New Zealand Malayalees, an immigrant group from Kerala, India, with special emphasis on the consumption of Malayalam movies. It examines the various sources through which they collect their leisure information, and how far their leisure IB is influenced by socio-cultural factors. It contributes to a lesser studied area of IB studies, immigrants’ leisure IB.
Methodology: A qualitative methodology characterised by ethnographic and phenomenological perspectives was used. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method was used to select 12 respondents, four each from three cities of New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, from Malayalee community. Semi-structured, in depth interviews were conducted with participants in their own language to collect the data.
Results: Leisure IB of New Zealand Malayalees was characterised by the sourcing of infotainment products, dominated by Malayalam film content, mainly from Kerala, India, the region from where they had immigrated. As they used diasporic, transnational information channels to access their content, Internet followed by friends and relatives were their main information sources, and information institutions in the host country had minimal influence on their leisure IB. Their leisure IB was heavily influenced by their socio-cultural and linguistic preferences.
Implications: This study implies that leisure IB of immigrants and its relation to socio-cultural factors is an important area to be studied in depth. How libraries in host countries could cope with the leisure needs of immigrants needs to be researched.
