Entertainment Studies 2018 Abstracts
Textual and contextual analysis of Moana • Nafida Banu; Jocelyn Pedersen, Price College of Business • This study applied a theoretical explanation of “hegemony” to analyze the gender portrayal and outside culture representation in Disney’s animated movie Moana. The findings of the textual analysis suggest that similar to other Disney female characters from outside cultures, Moana also has warrior-like characteristics. Contextual analysis findings suggest that the movie transforms the original Polynesian mythical story into a new version. The transformation of the original story was criticized for “cultural misappropriation.”
When 18 Days of Television Coverage Is Not Enough: A Six-Nation Composite of Motivations for Mobile Media Use in 2018 Winter Olympic Games • Andrew Billings, University of Alabama; Natalie Brown-Devlin, University of Texas at Austin; Kenon Brown, The University of Alabama; Michael B. Devlin, Texas State University • A survey of 2,296 people from six nations (Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) deciphered uses and gratifications for consuming content on a variety of media platforms during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. Results indicate that media diets significantly differed by platform and device, all 16 uses and gratifications were significantly different by nation, and that that the two inverse predictors of Olympic media consumption relate to the desire to interact (companionship and relationship building), while none of the four direct predictors (entertainment, arousal, competition, and Schwabism) pertained to interpersonal aims. Findings bifurcated by media platform as well; both inverse predictors of smartphone use (passing time and escape) were direct predictors of television use. Implications for uses and gratifications and cross-nation media research are advanced.
Soundtracking Shondaland: Televisual Identity Mapped Through Music • Jennifer Billinson, Christopher Newport University; Michaela Meyer • This paper examines how Shonda Rhimes’ rise to fame is informed by her innovative approach to using popular music for bolstering her show’s identities, framing television narrative, and developing storylines through positioning background music alongside character, plot, and genre development. Throughout Shondaland, musical soundtracks are tantamount to narrative development and audience engagement. More broadly, they establish a key facet of Rhimes’ signature as a showrunner and Shondaland’s style as a production company. To examine the important relationship music plays in constructing the stylistic vision of Rhimes’ work, we examine the soundtracking of three Shondaland shows to reveal the distinct ways music is employed for affect and style. Collectively, Grey’s Anatomy (2005-), Scandal (2012-), and How to Get Away With Murder (HTGAWM) (2014-) span Rhimes’ primetime career and demonstrate her evolution as an auteur. Linking new media developments to Rhimes’ ascendance and popularity in the television industry, this paper unravels her use of music and narrative to create unique identities for her shows, evoke emotion, and make critical statements about contemporary cultural politics.
Recreational video games as a value-supporting activity for cancer survivors • Maria Leonora Comello, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Diane Francis, Louisiana State University; Laurie Hursting; Elizabeth Breaux; Laura Marshall • We examined two underexplored areas: the potential for recreational video gameplay to have positive effects, and the values and experiences of cancer survivors. In a survey of survivors who reported regular gameplaying, we included an open-ended question asking what they value and the extent to which gameplaying supports the value. We content-analyzed the responses (N=496) using Schwartz’s value typology. Eighty-five percent mentioned a value, and among those, 84% said game-playing supported their values.
Exploring Character Development as a Central Mechanism in Viewer Responses to Morally Ambiguous Characters • Serena Daalmans; Mariska Kleemans; Allison Eden; Addy Weijers • The current study explored if character development (as a narrative characteristic) plays a role in the liking, moral evaluation, and enjoyment of narratives featuring morally ambiguous characters [MACs]. Additionally, this study explored the potential role of identification as a moderator. The results of a quasi-experiment provided support for the claim that character development is a central mechanism to explain viewer responses to MACs. As such, the study provides new directions for affective disposition research.
When TV Spin-offs Fail Fans: Narrative Dissonance in AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead • Jennifer Fogel • AMC’s The Walking Dead series has earned critical praise and fan approval, but its spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, has met a more indifferent response. With the lack of transportation into this burgeoning zombie-riddled world and absence of parasocial relationships with its cadre of characters, Fear the Walking Dead doesn’t breed the same thrilling appreciation as its predecessor and is hindered by the narrative dissonance of its shrewd built-in fan base.
“Mighty” Kacy: Gender Framing within American Ninja Warrior • Kevin Hull, University of South Carolina; Lauren Schwartz, University of South Carolina • While previous studies have demonstrated that sports and primetime television programming have traditionally treated women in a less flattering light compared to men, the show American Ninja Warrior has emerged to challenge that tradition. Using framing as a guide, an examination of episodes from season nine revealed that female and male competitors receive the same personality, performance, and physicality taxonomies when their athletic successes and failures are described by the announcers.
Examining a Prototype versus Exemplar Approach to Understanding Viewer Categorizations of Morally Ambiguous Characters • Serena Daalmans; Benjamin Johnson, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Allison Eden • This study extends understandings of morally ambiguous characters (MACs) by comparing prototypical and exemplar approaches to descriptions of MACs. Participants described characteristics of a prototypical MAC in an essay, then nominated an exemplar of MAC and described this character in an essay. Impressions of and responses to exemplars were rated quantitatively; scores were juxtaposed with open-ended responses coded both deductively and inductively. The mixed-methods results provide a more comprehensive picture of essential characteristics of MACs.
Teens’ Interpretation of the Controversial Show “13 Reasons Why” • Colleen Kappeler, 1975 • “A high school class observation, of students discussing the show, as well as one-on-one interviews with teens between the ages of 12 and 17 showed that those who were watching were not coming away with suicidal thoughts or concerns, as the adults were worried they would. They were interpreting the show as a statement on how we need to have a kinder, more accepting world as they saw bullying as the main theme.
This article qualitatively looks at teens’ reactions to the show and how their interpretation of this particular media matched up with the intentions of the producers and writers. A content analysis of Beyond the Reasons, a show that followed 13 Reasons Why, was done to learn of intent by writers and producers and their work with highly trained professional psychologists.”
Factors Affecting Millennials’ Intentions to Consume Local and Foreign Media in Singapore • Daphne Lee; Ee Jin Liaw; Xing Mun Jolene Lee • This study examines effects of local-global identity and consumer-cultural nationalism on Singaporean millennials’ local and foreign entertainment media use intentions. The theory of planned behavior served as a theoretical foundation explaining media use intentions. Regression analysis of Singaporean millennials (N = 1,020) indicated that local identity and consumer-cultural nationalism positively correlated with local media use intentions. Global identity positively correlated with foreign media use intentions. Findings suggested importance of individual-level variables in determining media preferences.
Videos Games as Mindfulness Training Partners • Travis Loof, University of South Dakota • A 2 (trainer type: artificial intelligence/human) by 2 (trainer helpfulness: helpful/not helpful) study tested if trainer type and prior cooperation increased perceived training effectiveness and intentions to use a mindfulness. Participants played a video game that encouraged the use of mindfulness practices. The participants were trained either by a human or presumed advanced artificial intelligence. This study evaluated if cooperation in a video game task would influence perceptions of training effectiveness and intentions to use mindfulness. The results indicated that trainer type and prior cooperative behavior did not independently increase intentions or increase perceived training effectiveness. However, there were marginally significant differences in the interaction of the two factors.
Chinese Films Abroad: Balancing Soft Power and Orientalist Stereotypes in the “Big Three” Film Festivals • Bruno Lovric, City University of Hong Kong • “Through the past decade People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been making a progress in the international distribution of Chinese movies and the government has been adapting regulations in an attempt to strengthen the country’s film industry. At the same time, Chinese films have been winning prizes at some of the most prestigious international festivals and gaining broad international recognition. However, critics have argued that politicization is an important factor in film festivals and that film selections may favor controversial productions which are critical of the party. This article examines the contents of some of the internationally most successful Chinese movies and evaluates their soft power potential by identifying common thematic patterns and repeatedly enforced ideas. Results of the thematic analysis suggest that despite the government’s efforts to minimize negative messages abroad, the Orientalist film selections at big international film festivals are likely to enforce negative stereotypes of China. The article further gives practical suggestions in designing future soft power strategies in the PRC and highlights its most salient challenges.
Keywords: soft power, pop culture, Chinese film, orientalism, thematic analysis, self-orientalism, qualitative research, stereotypes, film tropes”
“But, he’s so serious”: Framing of masculinity among western hemisphere Indigenous Disney animated characters • Tim Luisi, University of Missouri • To date there has been only limited research examining indigenous characters in children’s media. Stereotyping or omission of underrepresented groups contributes to symbolic annihilation of underrepresented groups. Through a qualitative textual design, the researcher explored how western hemisphere Indigenous masculinity was framed in five Disney animated films. Although the characters had several positive traits, the researcher found that previous Indigenous stereotypes were upheld and that the characters had limited character growth across the films.
The Role of Narratives on the Enjoyment and Appreciation of Popular Music • Nikki McClaran, Michigan State University; Joseph Steinhardt, Michigan State University • Narratives have been found to influence enjoyment and appreciation of entertainment media, yet little research has explored narrative’s influence on popular music. Two experiments were conducted to test whether narratives about recording artists influence subsequent enjoyment and appreciation of a song, and what the role affective disposition may play. This exploratory study provides evidence that narratives positively influence enjoyment and appreciation of a song, and that the effect is mediated by affective disposition.
Out in Play: Openly Gay Athletes Navigate Media, Celebrity and Fandom • Leigh Moscowitz, University of South Carolina; Andrew Billings, University of Alabama • Featuring in-depth interviews with collegiate out-athletes in American team sports along with high-profile former professional athletes from the NFL, MLB and NBA, this project builds on the narratives of young out athletes to interrogate how their coming out experiences are shaped, transmitted and received through pervasive, powerful, albeit imperfect commercial media forms. This project critically examines where the young openly gay athlete is situated once they step into the media spotlight, advancing scholarly understandings of youth, sport and celebrity.
The “Ellen” Agenda: How One Entertainer’s Twitter Account Provides Content and Sources for Mainstream News • Jane O’Boyle, Elon University; Alex Luchsinger, Elon University • This qualitative content analysis examines news produced from Ellen DeGeneres’Twitter feed. Results show that, in 2016, network TV news shows at ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox aired 251 excerpts from DeGeneres’ Twitter stories, and Ellen’s posts were featured 1,291 times on local TV news and their websites, regardless of whether they carried her syndicated talk show, and in 298 print newspapers, including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Implications are discussed.
College Women’s Alcohol Refusal Beliefs and Perceptions of Refusal Scripts in Popular Television • Nicole O’Donnell, Virginia Commonwealth University; Stacey Hust; Stephanie Gibbons; Soojung Kang, Washington State University • This paper explores college women’s outcome evaluations, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs associated with alcohol refusal and portrayals of alcohol refusal on popular television shows. Data from four focus groups (N=37) revealed that college women hold competing positive and negative alcohol refusal beliefs. Themes identified suggest that individuals use proactive strategies to facilitate alcohol refusal, such as pre-planning refusal and recognizing and adhering to previously established limits. However, individuals cited direct and indirect social pressure, gender dynamics, and friend-group dynamics as inhibitors of alcohol refusal. Participants expressed that mass media rarely depict alcohol refusal, and current representations portray refusal as negative social behavior. These findings imply that there is an opportunity for mass media to frame alcohol refusal as a healthy behavior, and health practitioners may consider using an entertainment-education approach to reinforce positive alcohol refusal beliefs.
Playing Doctor on TV: Physician Portrayals and Interactions on Medical Drama, Comedy, and Reality Shows • David Painter, Rollins College; Alison Kubala, Rollins College; Sarah Parsloe, Rollins College • This investigation compares physician portrayals, behaviors, and patient-centered communication on a medical drama, comedy, and reality show. Specifically, we analyzed 1,353 scenes from Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, and New York Med, and the results indicate television physician doctors’ demographic characteristics and interactions differed significantly across shows. Since this study is the first to consider a medical comedy and to analyze programs by scene, the results provide important implications for parsing television physician portrayals by genre
What does it mean to be a woman in “indie” game storytelling? Narrative Framing in Independently-Developed Video Games • Mimi Perreault; Andrea Suarez, Appalachian State University; Gregory Perreault, Appalachian State University • Video games have long held a spotty history in their narratives regarding women. Most research has examined large budget games and identified issues of simplification, oversexualization and a general lack of agency among female characters. The present study looks at the gaming niche of “indie”–or independent game developer–video games in their representations of women, and in particular at Never Alone, Gone Home, and Her Story. This paper argues that these game narratives emphasized multilayered female characterizations, female-to-female interactions, and internal dramas as a way to potentially reach female gamers and present an alternative narrative on women.
Who loves the Biblical Epic? A mixed-method analysis of online community perception of epic Biblical movies • Gregory Perreault, Appalachian State University; Thomas Mueller, Appalachian State University • “In recent years, high profile Biblically-oriented movies have sought to find an audience in America. This approach is reasonable in that 70.6 percent of Americans identify with some denomination of Christianity (America’s Changing, 2015). Yet, how Christianity motivates those Americans, and more specifically, whether it motivates them to watch a Biblical epic movie remains a question.
This research reports on a survey of active participants on religiously-oriented Reddit threads. Prior research has shown that participants in online communities tend to be more enthusiastic and more invested on a given topic than non-participants (Duggan & Smith, 2013). We would like to assess the degree to which different religious groups feel motivated to attend Biblical epics and how religiosity predicts attendance at Biblical epic movies. Survey questions will be largely quantitative but some qualitative questions will be asked in order to provide context for the findings as per Creswell’s (2013) explanatory model.
Such research theoretically contributes to the understanding of the audience for Biblical epics and more broadly contributes to our understanding of the religious motivations for media consumption. More practically, understanding the audience for Biblical epics could help media producers understand the boundaries of their audience and the preferences of their audience.”
Reading between the lines: A content analysis of vinyl records’ run-out groove etchings • Waleed Rashidi, California State University, Fullerton • The “Easter egg” phenomenon exists in various formats of digital entertainment media, including DVDs, computer applications and video games. However, such “Easter egg” content can also be attributed to analog formats, including vinyl records. This study examines messages etched into run-out grooves of rock music vinyl records. The author argues that music media often provides multi-layered messaging, including album artwork, photography, artist statements and lyrics, and that the run-out groove message is an additional layer of messaging not commonly examined, largely due to difficulty in being noticed. Of the 616 7-inch vinyl records by 1990s independent and alternative rock artists examined, 136 featured custom message etchings. Seven categories emerged, including artist reference, release reference, song reference, label reference, listener reference, and media reference. Messages referenced the artists’ themselves, the record itself, the record’s songs, the label releasing the record, the record’s audience, and other media (e.g., books, television, film). A majority of messages reviewed (52.9%) were unable to be placed into the aforementioned categories, and were instead categorized as unknown references. Ways in which messages were presented, coupled with types of messages etched, echoed characteristics of “Easter eggs.” With recent upticks of analog music media sales, musicians may have opportunities for additional messaging via such etchings, providing a novel, idiosyncratic view of mediated communications that many audiences may not know even exists, and offering additional consideration to how media producers—artists and record companies—deliver messages to their publics.
Learning politics from political films: Exploring the effects of fictional political entertainment • Azmat Rasul, Valdosta State University • This study examined the effects of entertainment narratives on political knowledge gain and attitude change in audiences of fictionalized accounts of female politicians. Data from 310 participants indicated that political knowledge significantly increased and general attitudes about female politicians became more positive after exposure to biographical political movies. A proposed model of the political entertainment effects process indicated that initial political knowledge transported the audience into the biographical narrative. Increased transportation was associated with greater enjoyment, as well as political knowledge gain and more positive attitudes towards female politicians. The study also highlights implications of results and directions for future research.
Binge-watching: Social and Psychological Factors Behind Audience’s Binging Behavior • CHUN SHAO, Arizona State University; Paisley M. Benaza, Arizona State University • Various streaming media platforms and Internet entertainment services have dramatically changed the way audiences consume media content. Interactive media technologies also provide individuals with more control over their media consumption. Although binge-watching is now considered “the new normal”, the underlying motives behind it deserve more scholarly attention. By integrating constructs from various theoretical bases into a single framework, the study introduces a structural model that explained the underlying factors behind audience binge-watching behaviors. The results from an online survey (N = 208) demonstrated that enjoyment, easy accessibility to content, and social recommendation were the most salient factors for audiences to binge-watch. Moreover, the results revealed that perceived control has indirect effects on behavioral intention, mediated by enjoyment and perceived easy accessibility to content. This study provides an empirical overview of why individuals are motivated to binge-watch streaming media content, and explores how demographic variables are related to audiences binge-watching behavior.
In the Dark but Not Alone: The Fear of Missing Out, Social Capital, and Social Gratifications of Moviegoing • Alec Tefertiller, Kansas State University; Lindsey Maxwell, University of Southern Mississippi; David Morris II, University of Oregon • The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of participation in social media networks on cinematic movie attendance decision-making, with particular attention paid to the fear-of-missing-out (FoMO) and social capital. Using a national survey (N = 472), it was determined that the social utility of a movie was a better predictor of movie attendance than FoMO or social capital. However, both bridging social capital and FoMo are predictors of social sharing.
Certified Fresh: Rotten Tomatoes, Gratifications, and Motivations for Cinema Attendance • Alec Tefertiller, Kansas State University; Lindsey Maxwell, University of Southern Mississippi • Critic aggregate scores from the popular website Rotten Tomatoes have been blamed for the success and failure of recent Hollywood blockbusters. Using an online experiment (N = 469) examining four different films released within a two-week period, this study found that the presence of Rotten Tomatoes scores did not influence consumer decisions to see a film during its theatrical release. However, expectations of meaningful experiences and their communication utility best predicted theatrical attendance.
Pervasive Pokémon: Location-Based Augmented Reality Game Enjoyment and Place Attachment • Shaojung Sharon Wang, National Sun Yat-sen University; Chih-Ting Hsieh • This study explores the complexity of the connection between Pokémon Go play experience and players’ affection towards their physical surroundings from the environmental psychology and the media entertainment perspectives. A stratified sampling method was conducted and a total of 1172 respondents participated to take the online survey. The results showed that simulational realism, freedom of choice, integrated presence, and perceptual pervasiveness all positively influenced game enjoyment. It also found that co-presence positively predicted game enjoyment while perceived crowding was negatively related to game enjoyment. Game involvement partially mediated the relationship between co-presence and game enjoyment and game involvement also mediated the relationship between game enjoyment and place attachment. Theoretical implications on linking physical places to virtual world are also discussed.
Binge-Watching as a Predictor of Narrative Transportation • Stephen Warren, UMass Amherst • This study explores the changing state of television by measuring binge-watching and its association with narrative transportation using longitudinal data. Hierarchical Linear Modeling found that binge-watching had a positive logarithmic association with transportation – the power lessens as binge-watching rate increases. Further, one’s typical binge frequency weakened the relationship between viewing session length and transportation. Overall, more frequent binge-watching reduces its effect power on transportation. Implications for theory and industry are also discussed.
Forever foolish? A content analysis of depictions of fathers in U.S. sitcoms • Stephen Warren, UMass Amherst; Eean Grimshaw; Gichuhi Kamau, UMass Amherst; Menno H. Reijven, University of Massachusetts Amherst; congcong zhang • This study examines the depictions of fathers in U.S. family-oriented television sitcoms, in relation to the father character being the teller or target of disparagement humor. In “real world” families over the last few decades, the roles and values assigned to fathers as well as the composition of how families are constituted have shifted in response to changing gender and family dynamics. This content analysis explores if and how these changes are reflected in media by looking at a sample of 578 scenes within 35 of the top-rated sitcoms featuring families from 1980 through 2017. Our findings suggest that sitcom fathers have largely remained foolish over time, with a slight decrease in foolish portrayals since the 1990’s. Yet, fathers have increased in being the butt of the joke as told by other characters. It seems that the most recent U.S. sitcom fathers continue to tell their fair share of disparaging jokes at the expense of other characters while simultaneously slightly appearing less foolish than they had in the past, overall. Dynamics of class, gender, and race among sitcom families as well as variables pertaining to how often sitcom fathers are shown engaging in parenting interactions are also discussed.
Down With the Clown: Taste, Class and Protest in American Journalistic Coverage of Juggalos • Kelsey Whipple, University of Texas at Austin • This research examines depictions of poor taste and low class in journalistic portrayals of juggalos through the lens of two 2017 events: the Juggalo March on Washington and the Gathering of the Juggalos. Through a multimodal analysis of text, images and their synergistic connections, this research analyzes the main themes and the differences between American music and news coverage to understand how the fan community is situated on a social hierarchy within American media coverage.
Gossip at one’s fingertips: Influential factors of celebrity news on Twitter • Yan Yan; Wanjiang Zhang • The present study collected 2223 tweets of news by the Twitter account of People Magazine about the Top 100 celebrities during the year 2016. The content analysis method was used to collect data on celebrity attributes and news features, and the social network analysis method was used to collect and analyze data on the relationships between celebrities and news topics. Results indicated that news agendas and audiences’ responses were highly different. News coverage was primarily determined by news features, yet audiences care about only about big stars. Regular topics centered the themes of celebrity news. The celebrity-by-topic network was theme-driven rather than human-driven, demonstrating the nature of the celebrity industry as embodiment of the capitalist society.
Measuring Virtual Reality Engagement: Survey and Electroencephalography (EEG) • Gi Woong Yun, University of Nevada, Reno; Claire Youngnyo Joa, Louisiana State University Shreveport; Daiwon Hyun; Sooyoung Lee; Hongsuk Kim; Sanghee Park; Sasha Allgayer, Bowling Green State University • This research tapped into the area of research connecting Virtual Reality (VR) and mobile EEG measurement tool. A two by two experimental design using both repeated measures (exciting VR content vs. experiential VR content) and between subject stimulus (social vs. no social) was implemented and the effects were measured with a mobile EEG tool, Emotiv EPOC, and post-test surveys. The mobile EEG tool was able to detect stimulus content showing increased brain activities in T7 temporal cortex and two frontal lobe, F7 and FC5, areas. However, social interaction stimulus did not make a difference in EEG measurements and showed no interaction effect. The research framework developed in this research can be adopted in the areas of research on contemporary VR production, audience research, content regulation, game development, and many other areas.
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