Entertainment Studies 2013 Abstracts
Identity exploration in emerging adulthood and the effects of privileged television on materialism and life goal importance • Emily Acosta Lewis, Sonoma State University • This study examined a newly proposed sub-genre of TV called privileged TV, which refers to shows that glamorize wealthy lifestyles (e.g. Gossip Girl). The main purpose of this study was to evaluate if and how privileged TV shows may influence emerging adults’ (18-29 years of age)level of materialism and life goal importance (altruistic and wealth/status goals). A survey was conducted on a college (N = 323) and non-college sample (N = 410) to investigate the relationship between privileged TV, materialism, and life goal importance and moderation by identity exploration (a key dimension of emerging adulthood). The results showed that there was a positive relationship between privileged TV and materialism. There was also a negative relationship between materialism and altruistic life goals and a positive relationship between materialism and wealth/status life goals. It was found that those who were low in identity exploration (those who had not yet begun exploring their identity or already have an established identity) needed to engage with the TV show (e.g. influence of presumed influence and peer norms etc.) in order to be affected whereas those who were high in identity exploration (those actively exploring their identity) were affected both directly and indirectly by privileged TV.
Effects of Web Content, Perceived Interactivity and Organization on Attitudes toward the Sport Website. • Taesoo Ahn, Merrimack College; Young Ik Suh; Moonki Hong; Juha Yoon; Paul Pedersen • The current study sought to identify the relationships among web contents (entertainment and informativeness), perceived interactivity, web organization, and attitude toward the sport website. Four hypotheses were presented from a conceptual model, and were tested with Structural Equation Model (SEM) analyses. The results showed that interactivity directly and indirectly influenced attitude toward the sport website, and web organization played a moderate role between perceived interactivity and attitude toward the sport website. The findings of this study suggest that sport marketers need to place more emphasis on perceived interactivity and Web organization, which significantly affect overall attitude toward the sport website. It would be particularly beneficial for sport marketers to use the interactive contents of sport websites to reach current and potential users, but it is important to note that the interactivity functions should be well-organized.
Active versus inactive video game play: Trends in ownership, use, and motivations for use • Mary Katherine Alsip, Institute for Communication and Information Research, The University of Alabama; Kimberly Bissell, University of Alabama • Active video games have been a proposed solution to the growing obesity trends in the U.S. Some studies have indicated that active games are not played as often as needed to improve health outcomes, even when individuals have home access to gaming equipment. Uses and gratifications theory may help determine what motivates players to choose active vs. inactive games. A survey of 217 young adults indicates that there are significant differences in console ownership, use, and motivation to play video games based on gender and based on regular play of active vs. inactive games. Even those that have access to active gaming equipment do not appear to play active games significantly more often than inactive games, and many active equipment owners actually play inactive games more. Females and specifically female active video game players have utility and social motivations for playing video games. Males and female inactive video game players may be more motivated to use video games as a distraction and to alleviate loneliness. These findings are discussed in the context of uses and gratifications theory, and potential directions for promoting active game play are suggested.
Fanfare for the American: NBC’s Primetime Broadcast of the 2012 London Olympiad • Andrew Billings, University of Alabama; James Angelini, University of Delaware; Paul MacArthur, Utica College; Lauren Smith, Auburn University; John Vincent, University of Alabama • Analysis of NBC’s 2012 London Summer Olympic broadcast revealed significant differences between American and non-American athletes. Regarding athletic mentions, American athletes were more likely to be mentioned (55.8%) than all other athletes combined and composed 75% of the most-mentioned athletes within the broadcast. Regarding descriptions ascribed to the Olympians, American athletes were more likely to be depicted using subjective characterizations, disproportionately having their successes attributed to superior composure, commitment, intelligence, and consonance as well as having a greater level of comments pertaining to their modest/introverted nature. Conversely, non-American athletes were more likely to receive success attributions related to their superior experience and failures depicted as a lack of athletic skill—both largely objective measures. Implications on the dialogue divergences are offered at theoretical level, with heuristic impact being discussed in a variety of contexts.
Reality television depictions of mental illness and bias: Priming, media exposure, and bias development • Kimberly Bissell, University of Alabama; Scott Parrott, University of Alabama • It is estimated that between 3 and 6 million people in the United States are compulsive hoarders or struggle with hoarding behavior. To most of the U.S. population, hoarders may be perceived as dirty or messy people who are too lazy to clean their homes. This stereotypical belief about the disease may remain as the general perception of hoarding unless alternative information is presented. Using the theories of priming, cultivation, and the parasocial contact hypothesis, we analyze factors that might be predictors of increased or decreased levels of bias against mental illness followed exposure to mediated representations of hoarding. Thus, the present study had two overarching objectives: 1. To assess participant attitudes toward mental illness following exposure to representation of the mental illness in the clips of Hoarders: Buried Alive; and 2. To assess participant attitudes toward mental illness when factors at the individual, social, and media level are considered. Results from the present study suggest two key findings: first, when exposed to hoarding behavior via a mediated representation of it, negative attitudes were the most prevalent for the experimental group who received no information about hoarding or about it being a mental illness. More simply, if we use exposure to mediated representations of mental illness to make assessments about others without information or knowledge, it is very possible that stereotypical attitudes and beliefs may develop or grow stronger. Second, bias against mental illness was mediated by individual, social, and media factors. These and other findings are discussed.
The Internet’s Role in Sustaining Engagement with Children’s Television • Matt Burns, University of Georgia • For decades, programming models insisted that children’s television series aired 65 episodes, re-ran for a few years, and then disappeared into the recesses of viewers’ memories. Now online video streaming allows nearly any television episode ever produced to be viewed instantly at any time, and social media outlets encourage users to share, discuss, and demand this content. With several media corporations currently riding a wave of nostalgia by reviving children’s television franchises from the 1990s, this research sought to discover how and why college students are engaging with children’s television, and if this sustained engagement can impact the ways media companies consider their programs’ life spans. This article reports the findings of an online survey (n=308) that assessed methods and motivations, as categorized by Askwith (2007), that college students reported for engaging with children’s television. Engagement with children’s television in college is common (69%), but students are unlikely to pay for content or merchandise. Traditional television broadcasts remain an essential component of a show’s longevity. Drawing from uses and gratifications theory, respondents’ motivations for viewing children’s television in adulthood revealed three unique motivation factors labeled Entertainment, Nostalgia, and “Closeted Masters.”
The Nashville Spin on Records: Recording Industry Promotion Techniques • Ashley Cockerham • The onset of a digital music age has forced the music industry to reconsider its methods of music promotion. Publicity-based promotional methods help to expand the recording industry’s shrinking profit margin. The results of this study demonstrate that a paradigm shift to exclusively public relations-rooted promotion is necessary in order to excel within a competitive music market. This study demonstrates that record labels have employed significantly more public relations promotional techniques than they have previously.
Identity and Avatar Similarity in Games: An Exploration of Flow and Enjoyment • Tanner Cooke, Pennsylvania State University • The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between video game players’ salient identity characteristics (age, sex, and body image), degrees of perceived avatar similarity, state of flow, and enjoyment of game play. An online survey with skip logic questions was conducted to understand the impact of age, sex, and body image on gamers’ perceived avatar similarity as well as the relationship between perceived similarity and a user’s state of flow and enjoyment. Using Likert style scale to measure avatar similarities, body image, flow and enjoyment, self-reporting on the survey was used to calibrate perceived gaming ability and time spent playing as gamer level and experience. While only a small sample was collected (sixty-one participants) responses were measured via general linear model and indicated a relationship between males over the age of twenty-six with higher degrees of perceived avatar similarity and their state of flow and enjoyment. This study contributes to extant literature with a preliminary, nuanced understanding of the importance of customization within avatar-based games targeted at certain demographics.
‘Nigger’: Interpretations of the Word’s Prevalence on Chappelle’s Show, Throughout Entertainment, and Everyday Life • Kyle Coward, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning • Throughout history, there have arguably been fewer words more controversial and hurtful than that of ‘nigger.’ In recent times, however, utterance of the term among various African-descended persons has become not so much the rehashing of a negative word, but rather the deconstruction of the term’s historically-perceived connotation, whereby it is reconstructed as a term signifying endearment, particularly among black persons. Employing Berger and Luckmann’s (1967) theory of social constructionism, this study looks at how ten black media consumers interpret the word ‘nigger’ as it is used within three contexts – a 2004 skit of the comedy series Chappelle’s Show, throughout entertainment, and outside of entertainment. Utilizing the grounded theory framework of Strauss and Corbin (1998) to collect data, results uncovered that while a majority of participants had similar interpretations of the word within the context of the skit, there was less agreement of the word’s usage/appropriateness in other contexts.
The Possible Prosocial and Antisocial Effects of Playing Video Games Frequently • J.J. De SImone, University of Wisconsin-Madison • With the renewed attention of video games’ role in school shootings and violent crime, it is important to explore the effects of playing video games frequently. By collecting survey data from a large sample of English-speaking people from across the globe, this study sought to explore whether playing video games frequently may have an effect on people’s prosocial and antisocial behaviors. By considering the frequency of playing popularly released video games as the primary predictor variable, this study’s data revealed that frequent game playing is related to antisocial behaviors, while less frequent playing is related to prosocial behaviors. It appears that playing video games in moderation may have a beneficial effect on individuals while frequent playing is deleterious. The data support the long-term predictions of the General Aggression Model and General Learning Model.
Pseudo newsgathering: Analyzing journalists’ use of pseudo-events on The Wire • Patrick Ferrucci, U of Missouri; Chad Painter, Eastern New Mexico University • This textual analysis examines the role of pseudo-events in the newsgathering process depicted on season five of The Wire. The researchers found that the press and sources construct “reality,” sources present “masks” to conceal “reality,” and journalists acknowledge the absurdity of pseudo-events but cover staged events as genuine news. The overriding conclusion is that fictional journalists fail citizens by constructing a false reality through a negotiation with powerful sources media savvy enough to control depictions.
Does Movie Viewing Cultivate Unrealistic Expectations about Love and Marriage? • Lauren Galloway; Erika Engstrom • The current study examines the association between consumption of media messages by way of movie viewing and genre preference and endorsement of ideals and expectations concerning romantic relationships. A survey of young adults found that viewing preference for both romantic comedies and dramas was significantly and positively correlated with idealized notions of faith that love conquers all, greater expectations for intimacy, and endorsement of the eros love style. However, participants who frequently watched romantic movies did not endorse beliefs in sexual perfection, mindreading, or disagreement disallowance. Results suggest that more mythic romantic ideals may tend to supersede other relational demands.
The Wonder of Wonderfalls: A Search for the Meaning of Life • Timothy R. Gleason, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh • This paper analyzes the short-lived 2004 television series Wonderfalls from an American Studies perspective. I argue the series takes a Generation X view of spirituality, which is one not bound to a particular religion. Wonderfalls can be viewed as a dialogue about the meaning of life, as well as a criticism of religion for religion’s sake. The show represents having a meaningful, humanistic purpose in life as being more important than wealth or prominence.
Fandom as a form of media enjoyment • Alice Hall • This study investigated whether the engaged, participatory viewing mode characteristic of media fandom as conceptualized by Henry Jenkins (1992) is associated with entertainment gratifications distinctive from those evoked by programs that are viewed more casually. It compared viewers’ enjoyment television programs characterized by these two reception modes. Participants reported higher levels hedonic enjoyment and appreciation for the programs they viewed as fans as opposed to those they watched more casually, and this difference was more pronounced in relation to appreciation. Fan-oriented viewing was associated with both meaningful affect as well as with more negative emotions. Positive emotions did not differ across the two program types. Fan-oriented viewing was also associated with stronger social gratifications and character identification. Implications for research into fandom, for emerging conceptualizations of media enjoyment, and for Self Determination Theory are discussed.
Effects of Nonverbal Sensitivity and Gender on the Enjoyment of a First-Person Shooter Videogame • Younbo Jung, Nanyang Technological University; Hyun Jee Oh, Hong Kong Baptist University; Jeremy Sng; Jounghuem Kwon; Benjamin Detenber, Nanyang Technological University • In this study we investigated the effects of gender (male vs. female) and nonverbal sensitivity (high vs. low) on game experience after playing a first-person shooter videogame. The results of Experiment 1 (n = 29) confirmed that male participants enjoyed the game more than female participants. However, the results of Experiment 2 (n = 50) showed that participants with high nonverbal sensitivity experienced more positive valence and a greater level of arousal after playing the same game than people with low nonverbal sensitivity, regardless of their gender. The biological gender of the participants became non-significant, after taking into consideration of nonverbal sensitivity. The results of a mediation analysis showed that the positive affect mediated the effects of nonverbal sensitivity on the enjoyment of the videogame. Implications with respect to a new understanding of gender preference for certain genres of videogames by identifying specific gender-related skills are discussed.
Reality TV, Materialism, and Associated Consequences: An Exploration of the Influences of Enjoyment and Social Comparison on Reality TV’s Cultivation Effects • Shu-Yueh Lee, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; Yen-Shen Chen, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan; Mark Harmon, University of Tennessee • This study applied cultivation theory to examine the effects of reality TV on materialism. At first glance reality TV appeared to be the programming most strongly associated with materialism. However, the direct effect waned after introducing enjoyment and social comparison as mediators. In particular, the results showed enjoyment fully mediated the cultivation effect of reality TV on materialism. This study demonstrated media effects not only were mediated by individual differences in demographics and personalities but also were determined by the viewing experiences.
Personifying America: Contrasting Fantasy Themes in the Japanese Animation Hetalia • Wan Chi Leung, University of South Carolina • Hetalia is a Japanese animation in which each character represents a particular nation and is named after the country it represents, with a physical appearance, personality, and behaviors based on widespread cultural stereotypes of the respective nation’s government or people. This study examines Hetalia using symbolic convergence theory to analyze the fantasy themes on the depiction of the character representing the United States and his relationships with other characters. After analyzing the animation and audience responses, pairs of contrasting setting, character and action themes were found. These contrasting themes neutralize each other to create a rhetorical community in which audience accept both positive and negative aspects of nations.
The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis Revisited: An Individual Differences Perspective • Minjie Li, Louisiana State University • Contact with mediated outgroup members can lead to changes in attitudes toward the outgroup as a whole. This belief, known as the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis, has been found to exist in a variety of forms. The present study attempted to expand theorizing in parasocial contact’s relationship with prejudice reduction of homosexuals by taking an individual differences perspective, and taking into consideration various contexts presented by entertainment narratives. We examined the Big 5 personality traits and their relationships with prejudice reduction (measured through implicit and explicit measures, and social dominance orientation). We also examined how prejudice reduction may differ depending on the focus of the narrative (i.e. politics, religion, technology). The results showed that changes in prejudicial attitudes and social dominance orientation didn’t differ as a function of type of issue focused on in the narrative. Personality traits correlated in various ways with prejudiced attitudes. Implications for theory are discussed.
People’s hero vs. Ms. Lane Crawford Populist and petit-bourgeois manifestations in Chinese popular culture • Zhengjia Liu, The University of Iowa; Xianwei Wu, University of Iowa • Super Girl, China’s first reality televisions show, produced the first two audience-voted stars in 2005 and 2006. At the time the show drew intensive attentions for its voting mechanism and democratic potentials. More than five years have passed, but neither of the two champions’ marketing strategies had met the political expectation for their democratic potentials in the previous discussions. By a closer examining of their marketing packages, we found that the two champions presented two manifestations of the contemporary popular culture in China. To understand the complexity of popular culture in a unique social context, we argue to avoid a false dichotomy paradigm of making harsh normative judgment.
How EWOM Influences Group Size of Potential Film Viewers: The Case of Chinese Online Community • Yuqian Hao, Tsinghua University; Yusi Liu, Tsinghua University • Electronic word of mouth (EWOM) is especially significant to experience-based products such as films. This study examined the EWOM effects on the group size of potential film viewers together with the moderating effect of the film’s inherent nature empirically. Using a random sample of films (1895-2011, N = 564) from the database of a popular film-review websites in China, we found although the online community members were fond of new movies and award-winners, the EWOM factors still positively affect the potential box office. The number of comments online, rather than the raters, was effective to enhance the intention to view a film. Both the positive and negative feedback percentages would significantly affect the group size of potential film viewers. Those effects were moderated by a film’s release year, location and award-winning. The findings were valuable for cross-cultural online movie marketing and reexamining the interpersonal influence in the collectivism, high-context cultures.
Music television online: Pitchfork Weekly and the ideology of consumerism • Jordan McClain; Amanda McClain, Holy Family University • Traditional music television features a nexus of advertising, celebrity, and music, supporting philosophies such as consumerism and capitalism. This study examines if similar ideals are evident as music television moves online. A discourse analysis of Pitchfork Weekly, an online music television series, finds consumerism is a primary ideology constructed throughout the program. Despite the democratic potential of the Internet, representative examples of Pitchfork Weekly expose how the program nevertheless upholds the same ideological content that has historically defined music television.
Representations of Female Scientists in The Big Bang Theory • Heather McIntosh • The Big Bang Theory offers a unique moment to explore the representations of female scientists within the situation comedy. This article begins with a brief discussion about representations of scientists in media genres, highlighting the differences created by the situation comedy. Focusing on Bernadette and Amy, this article then analyzes these characters’ representations within the contexts of representations of scientists, focusing specifically on their professional roles, their gender roles, and their intelligence. It concludes with suggesting that while on the surface some challenging and even undermining of these stereotypes do appear, those challenges remain short-lived in light of the situation comedy’s goals to entertain while reinforcing the status quo.
The Non-Normative Celebrity Body: Constructing Peter Dinklage in Entertainment Journalism • Russell Meeuf • Analyzing the descriptions and discussions of dwarf actor Peter Dinklage in contemporary, entertainment journalism, this article examines the possibilities for celebrities with non-normative bodies to challenge dominant stereotypes and stigmas concerning bodily difference. While Dinklage’s career provides an opportunity for entertainment journalism to challenge Hollywood’s bigotry concerning little people, the prominence of a dwarf actor also elicits condescending descriptions, puns, and other language that makes a spectacle of bodily difference.
Out of Harlem: A historical comparison of race in comic books • Ben Miller, Univeristy of Minesota • This study performed a comparative qualitative content analysis to examine how the initial portrayals of African American super heroes have changed from their early conception following the civil rights era to more recent times. Using hegemony as a theoretical framework, this study compared the first appearances of three heroes from 1969-72—John Stewart, the Falcon, and Luke Cage—to the first appearances of Miles Morales as the new black Spider-Man in 2011-12. The findings found clear differences between the ways the earlier heroes were presented compared to the present day character. In particular, the locations of the characters, their dealings with authorities and the visual representations were discussed. Finally, the conclusions section used previous literature on African American stereotypes and the evolution of minority portrayals to interpret the findings.
What’s Funny About That? Late Night Comedy’s Portrayal of Presidential Candidates • Tyler G. Page, Brigham Young University; Melissa Steckler; Tom Robinson, Brigham Young University • Late night comedy gets viewership in excess of three million people each night. This study explores the narratives embraced by late night comedians about the major party presidential candidates in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 United States Presidential Elections. Using a content analysis of over 1200 jokes, researchers discovered trends in the narratives promoted by comedians and the way those changed for incumbents during their re-election campaigns.
Understanding the Appeal of Reality Television (RTV) using IMSD Theory • Jeffrey Ranta, University of South Carolina • This paper explores the use of Individual Media System Dependency Theory as a way of interpreting the use of Reality Television (RTV) by television consumers. Utilizing Mechanical Turk to access responses to an online survey about RTV dependence and containing a brief examination of the role of social media in RTV program selection, the study also provides insight into the appeal of social media for enjoyment and selection of RTV programming.
Out of the Box: An Attitudinal Analysis of The Perception of LGBT Characters on US Television • James Triplett, Georgia State University; Erin Ryan, Kennesaw State University • The number of LGBT characters on US television is on the rise. Social Identity Theory suggests this increased visibility may lead to more social acceptance of the LGBT community in American society. Thus, this study is an attitudinal analysis of straight and non-straight television viewers regarding perceptions of LGBT characters on television. Research questions included: What attitudes do straight viewers have regarding homosexual characters on scripted television? and; What attitudes do homosexual viewers have regarding homosexual characters on scripted television? Survey methodology was utilized with questions falling into three categories: visibility, representation, and attitudes. Pearson correlations and ANOVAs were performed, using sexual orientation of participants as the grouping variable. Several findings were statistically significant. Regardless of a participant’s sexual orientation, there is general agreement that LGBT individuals are not adequately represented on television. Analysis of the optional open-ended question found that participants believed there were unrealistic representations of LGBT characters on television.
“She’s the Wittiest Person You’ll Ever Meet”: Predictors of Audience Thoughts about Media Figures • Victoria Shao; Xizi Wang; Angeline Sangalang • Scholars have attempted to understand the importance the way in which audiences connect to media characters. In this study, we analyze open-ended responses audience members make about their favorite media figures. We explore the degree to which audiences list descriptive or evaluative thoughts. Additionally, we explore whether individual differences for affect predict the types of thoughts when thinking of their favorite media figures. Finally, we discuss implications for character involvement and enjoyment.
To Be Romanian in Post-Communist Romania: Entertainment Television and Patriotism in Popular Discourse • Adina Schneeweis, Oakland University • This article uses the case study of the entertainment program Garantat 100%, broadcast on Romanian public national, international, and local channels, to describe an exceptionalist type of patriotic discourse – unique in the public sphere of democratizing Romania. The study identifies the program’s primarily educative and moralizing role, and its call for an out-of-the-ordinary, resilient living. Further, in the context of developing Romania, high rates of emigration to Western Europe and the United States, and politico-economic crises, the show illustrates the challenge in grappling with Western influences, on the one hand, and the desire to celebrate localism, on the other.
BUYERS BEWARE: Brett Favre is not in this Paper: A Textual Analysis of Online User Reviews for Madden NFL 12 • Brett Sherrick, Pennsylvania State University • The value of online user-generated content is debatable. Critical scholars argue that it reinforces hegemonic control, but Cultural Studies scholars argue that it provides an outlet for resistance of hegemonic control. This textual analysis examines online user reviews for EA Sports’ Madden NFL 12 from Amazon.com and determines that both existing Critical and Cultural Studies literature can help explain the content of the reviews, but a varied perspective is necessary to provide full explanation.
I Did it Myself!: Pinterest and the Evolution of DIY Communities • Danny Shipka, Oklahoma State University; Steven Smethers, Kansas State University • The rise of Pinterest as a social/entertainment site has transformed the Internet landscape. Though the media platform may be new, the concept is only the latest in the line of mediated DIY platforms that began with the introduction of women’s magazines in the 1830s. This paper examines how the concept of community has shifted away from geographical boundaries onto a virtual environment giving the user more control over their informational and entertainment choices.
Motivations for fan fiction participation • Jessica Smith • More than a million fan fiction stories have been posted online, and their authors and readers spend hours creating and consuming the content. A survey (N = 321) of members of fan fiction communities based on popular television shows revealed greater involvement with shows for which participants read and wrote fan fiction than with other shows they liked but didn’t follow in fan fiction. Higher levels of involvement correlated with greater degrees of parasocial interaction with participants’ favorite characters. In addition, participants found four gratifications from their membership in a fan fiction community: personal expression, entertainment, pass time, and social connection.
What Children’s Book Say About Watching Too Much Television • Tia Tyree • With such strong and negative effects connected to watching television and consistent benefits of associated with reading, parents could use books as a tool to not only obtain positive educational benefits for their children but teach them about the perils of too much television watching. This is a study of children’s literature about watching too much television. The purpose of this study was to address these issues by 1) examining what messages are placed in children’s literature about television watching, 2) identifying whether children’s literature is used as a tool against television watching, and 3) analyzing the approaches used to teach children about watching television. This research found that behavior change approaches depicted in children’s books about television viewing focused on fear as a major factor used in drawing children away from watching television; the pointless pressure to purchase products advertised; the chance to learn other activities they could do rather than to watch television and that the children’s self-realization of the destructive effects of watching television mainly occurred absent parental influence. In fact, parents and adults were largely absent from the plots or contributed to the children’s negative behavior.
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