The articles in this special issue explore and discuss the cultural, social and temporal understandings of the numerous complex ways in which people engage with and make use of different media types and technologies.

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This article is funded by the European Union under project ID 101095290. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Horizon Europe. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.