How would instagram reels/tiktoks/youtube shorts be coded in ATUS? I know that Youtube watching was categorized as “television”, but this wouldn’t apply to other social media platforms, right?
The 2023 ATUS survey activity lexicon codes “checking Facebook/Instagram” under Socializing, Relaxing, and Leisure → Relaxing and Leisure → Computer use for leisure (exc. Games).This corresponds to ACTIVITY = 120308 in IPUMS ATUS. Watching YouTube videos receives the same second-level code, but as you note it gets assigned to Television and movies (not religious) instead (ACTIVITY = 120303).
Reviewing other example activities within the television and movies category in the lexicon, it appears this code (120303) is intended to capture more traditional video consumption such as TV shows or films. By contrast, short-form video content like reels, tiktoks, and shorts seems more consistent with the computer use for leisure category (120308), especially when accessed through social media platforms. Facebook and Instagram both have video content and “checking” these platforms would logically involve viewing short videos on there as well. However, I wasn’t able to find any documentation that would confirm this interpretation. It’s possible that viewing short-form videos is somewhat of a gray area that can be coded into either category depending on how the respondent described the activity and how it was interpreted by the coder.