Personal and Social Listening Habits in the Streaming Era – Psychosocial Model

The streaming era has reshaped the ways music is intertwined with personal and social experiences, including engagement, sharing, event participation, discussion, and the creation of meaning. This study introduces the Personal and Social Listening Habits (PSLHab) model, predicting Music Consumption Habits (MCH), by open-mindedness, via the mediation of (a) Music Mentoring Preferences (MMP), and (b) savoring art. A four-stage study, based on two samples ( N1  = 495; N2  = 499) of music listeners, led to the development of the PSLHab model. The operational validation confirmed the two new theoretical variables: four factors of MMP (human or algorithmic recommendations; active or passive search) and four factors of MCH (personal or social listening; discussing or attending events). Moreover, the results show that MMP and savoring art mediate the relationship between open-mindedness and MCH, while the preference for active use of algorithmic recommendations is the strongest mediator. The study highlights how personal characteristics and preferences for musical exposure through mentoring influence social and personal behaviors around music, and explores musical exposure’s implications regarding social interactions.