Entertainment Studies Interest Group 2010 Abstracts
How (and why) Can Tragic Drama be Enjoyable? Cognitive, Affective, Physiological, and Motivational Accounts • Dohyun Ahn, University of Alabama • The hedonic principle governs human behaviors including media selection. However, the enjoyment of tragic drama poses a challenge to the hedonic principle. Two questions arise from this challenge: (1) why do people, particularly lonely individuals, select tragic content, and (2) why is the intensity of sadness positively associated with the degree of enjoyment of such negatively valenced content? This review suggests that feeling sad for others can be enjoyable, because (1) cognitively, it feels nice to feel bad for others’ pain, instead of being insensitive, (2) affectively, feeling sad for others enables individuals to feel the sense of social connection, (3) physiologically, the vagus nerve regulates the fight-or-flight system so that individuals can care for others, and (4) motivationally, the mu-opioid system rewards individuals for feeling sad for others.
Who lives, who dies, and why? Doctors, diseases, and mortality in TV medical dramas • Julie Andsager, University of Iowa; Rauf Arif, School of Journalism & Mass Comm., University of Iowa; James Carviou, The University of Iowa; Kyle Moody, University of Iowa; Erin O’Gara, University of Iowa • We examined contemporary, primetime TV medical dramas to ascertain implicit messages about the nature of disease, patients, and doctor-patient relationships. Cultivation and social identity theories undergirded the study. Forty randomly selected episodes of ER, Grey’s Anatomy, House, and Private Practice indicated that male doctors outnumbered female doctors. Female patients presented significantly different diseases/conditions than males. White doctors and minority doctors dealt with different types of cases. The diversity suggested in medical dramas is not straightforward.
Deconstructing Dust: Postmodern Superhero Extraordinaire or a Stereotype in Disguise? • Arthur Bamford, University of Denver • In 2002, a young Afghani woman and devout Muslim called ‘Dust’ joined the ranks of one of Marvel Comics’ most popular teams: the X-Men. This paper discusses the findings of a pilot study conducted with two interpretive communities: one comprised of comic book fans, and another of Muslim students, and considers whether or not Dust ought to be considered a vanguard, positive portrayal of an Arab, Muslim young woman in a medium that has historically vilified, marginalized, and/or ignored each of those three distinctions. In addition, this research considers comic books as what Baym (2005) has called discursively integrated texts, and explores how efficacious real-world social and political commentary is when it is interwoven into comic book narratives.
In with the Tweens: Appeal of Disney’s High School Musical Among College Students • Kelly Barrows, Syracuse University • This study examines the appeals of Disney’s High School Musical franchise for non-target audiences. When the original movie was released, current undergraduate students were beyond the targeted tween market. Using the lens of uses and gratifications, focus groups of self-fans explored enjoyment of the movies. The results show that in addition to emotional appeals of an escapist movie, the movies are able to provide viewers with a form of conversational capital to use with friends.
Watch What Happens: How People Watch and Talk About Reality Television • Kelly Barrows, Syracuse University; Simone Becque, Syracuse University • The purpose of this study was to explore how people watch and talk about reality television. Previous research reveals that motivations for watching reality television differ from those for serialized television. In a survey, college students indicated which reality shows they watched and answered follow-up questions regarding the shows. The 274 responses indicate reality television is typically watched in a group setting and that men and women watch different types of reality television.
Who Is the Loser?: A Critical Analysis of Contestant and Trainer Communication about Weight Loss on The Biggest Loser • Kim Bissell, University of Alabama; Lauren Reichart-Smith, Auburn University • This study used textual analysis to examine The Biggest Loser contestant comments during the weigh-in portion of the reality television show to determine how contestants framed their weight loss throughout the season. The overarching themes that emerged from the analysis of 13 episodes were themes of disappointment, expectations, game-play, positivity, and not being able to see the forest for the trees. While the reality-based show does offer viewers a glimpse into the world of morbidly obese individuals trying to make a positive change in their own lives, the commentary from the contestants during the vignettes largely represents weight loss as unachievable and disappointing because regardless of how much effort is exerted, disappointment on the scale will result. These messages communicated to viewers may not serve as motivation to lose weight but rather serve as a roadblock or detriment to even begin trying. Findings are related to entertainment theory and the ways in which reality programming is created to maintain ratings and viewers. These and other findings are discussed.
Prevalence and Portrayal of Sexual Content in Adolescent Novels • Mark Callister, Brigham Young University; Sarah M. Coyne, Brigham Young University; Lesa A. Stern, Westmont College; Malinda Miller, Brigham Young University; Laura Stockdale, Brigham Young University; Brian Wells, Brigham Young University • Most media research on sexual content focuses on TV, film, advertisements, and magazines. The popularity of novels and their potential role in adolescents’ sex education heightens the importance in examining what messages such literature provides young readers. Results show that novels are replete with sex-related material, but impoverished as a source dealing with issues of abstinence, safe sex practices, and potential health risks and consequences. Implications for lack of a rating system are discussed.
Reading the Brandfan: Using Twilight to Explore Brands and Fandom • Barbara Chambers, Texas Tech University • This article examines the crossover appeal of the Twilight brand and fandom in females of different ages through original focus group research. It also provides an overview of the Twilight brand and promotion, history of fandom, vampire texts and romance genres. Parallels are made with Radway’s (1984) Reading the Romance. The paper concludes with future recommendations on brands and fandom through a new concept known as Brandfans .
Shining a Bright Light: An Analysis of Race and Identity in Online Messages • Naeemah Clark, Elon University; Amanda Gallagher, Elon University; Lori Boyer, Texas Tech In February 2010, Joanna Douglas, a writer for Yahoo’s Shine.com website, posted an article critiquing the lack of diversity in Vanity Fair magazine’s 2010 Hollywood issue. In response to Douglas’s story, Shine’s readers contributed more than 18,000 messages to the Shine site. Most of these messages included critiques of the state of race in the magazine industry, Hollywood, and America. This study is a textual analysis of these messages. The results indicate that while some of Shine’s readers think discussions of race and diversity are passé, most agreed that racism exists in the form of the entertainment industry’s marginalization of people of color and in a perceived double standard that permits racial/ethnic minorities to have media content that caters only to them. Furthermore, an analysis of the discourse appearing on Shine reveals that many of those who are posting highlight their own identities to take a stand when it comes to the issue of race. Personal confessions and words such as I, you, and they are used when the writers are positioning themselves in their messages and discussions with other Shine readers.
Keywords: Online messages, race, confessions, and identity
Cartoon Planet: The Cross-cultural Acceptance of Japanese Animation • Anne Cooper-Chen, Ohio U. • Japanese animation, the un-Disney, represents a major challenge to U.S. global entertainment dominance. Through interviews, survey research and content/ratings analysis, this study verifies the validity of cultural proximity (Straubhaar), given the enthusiastic acceptance of anime in Asia. It discovered two facets of between-nation cultural differences (Hofstede): 1) Japan’s domestic (Sazae-san) vs. overseas audiences’ favorite anime and 2) overseas audiences’ differing favorites (Doraemon in Asia, but not in the West). Ironically, overseas exports may save the domestic industry.
Changing Gender Stereotypes in Disney Films: A Content Analysis of Animated and Live-Action Movies • Bruce Finklea, University of Alabama • Disney has long been criticized for its gender portrayals in feature-length animated films. Being one of the most-watched entertainment providers for children, a great deal of research has been conducted into what Disney is actually portraying on the screen. This paper examines gender stereotypes in recent animated and live action Disney films. Results of the content analysis revealed that, while many traditional stereotypes are still being seen, there are some significant shifts in gender portrayals.
Soap Dish: An Exploratory Examination of Daytime Soap Opera Message Boards • Maria Fontenot, Texas Tech University • Employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, this exploratory study investigates motives for visiting, reading, and posting on soap opera message boards, and analyzes content from such message boards from the uses and gratifications perspective. Results revealed that entertainment and information seeking as the most popular motives for visiting soap opera websites, and reading and posting on such boards. Results also uncovered that nearly half of the threads analyzed fell into the information seeking category.
Moving out of the spotlight?: An analysis of Playboy Centerfolds’ career goals and ambitions, 1977-2001 • Amanda Gallagher, Elon University; James Gallagher, Triangle Business Journal • This qualitative study analyzes the career goals and aspirations of the iconic Playboy centerfolds from 1977 to 2001. These statements were gathered from the centerfold profile/data sheets provided each month in the centerfold section of the magazine. In total, 268 centerfold section issues were analyzed. Findings indicate that while many centerfolds embraced careers in entertainment and a desire to be serve in domestic roles in the early years of this analysis (1970s), these desires were not as prevalent in later decades (especially the late 1990s and early 2000s). As time progressed, centerfolds appeared to become more independent-minded and career-oriented, focusing less on their traditional, expected careers in entertainment and domestic roles, and, instead, focusing more on professional oriented careers. These changes reflect nationwide trends and call into question the changing role of the centerfold.
Reality Does Bite: Generation X Enters Adulthood • Timothy R Gleason, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh • Generational tensions appear in Singles and Reality Bites, two 1990’s films concerned with the Generation X label and entry into adulthood. Using the perspective of social representation and the context of American Studies, this paper identifies themes. In brief, characters try to pursue their art, or they just try being true to themselves in the face of sad economic realities. Additionally, these films address the problem of parenthood, or more accurately, the lack of parenting.
How the West was Family Friendly: Disney’s Westerns and Generation X in the 1970’s • Timothy R Gleason, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh • Disney’s Westerns The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) are as much slapstick as shoot-out, and they are as much social commentary as popcorn entertainment. Underlying the Disneyesque goofiness of these latter Westerns however, is a focus on establishing families at a time when the family structure was in crisis. These films reinforce Disney’s view that children need two loving parents to properly raise children.
People Watching: Genre Repertoires and Multichannel TV Environments • Chad Harriss, Alfred U.; Maria Fontenot, Texas Tech University • Locating and identifying contemporary television audiences is challenging. This essay builds on scientific and critical/cultural theories in hopes of doing that. The researchers employ a hybrid methodology (Q-methodology) to attempt to accomplish two goals. First, we hope to determine if Carrie Heeter’s concept of channel repertoires can be extended to focus on television genres. Second, we hope that this extension will provide some insight into whether audiences can be defined by their genre repertoires.
Fictional Minds and Symbolic Interaction: How the Act of Communication Facilitates Understanding between Characters • Megan Hill, The Ohio State University • Despite widespread growth in the study of narrative in the past decade, the study of communication within these analyses has largely focused on audience effects. This essay moves beyond the effects tradition by focusing attention on the act of communication between characters in the novel. Alan Palmer’s forthcoming research on social minds in the novel is considered in light of principles of symbolic interactionism. Possibilities for future interaction between narrative and communication are discussed.
Personally, I feel sorry for her A Focus Group Analysis of Journalistic Coverage of Celebrity Health • Amanda Hinnant, U. of Missouri; Elizabeth Hendrickson, University of Tennessee • This study assesses how magazine readers in a focus group setting say they negotiate celebrity health stories cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally. We use both symbolic convergence theory and play theory to examine ways in which celebrity health news might perform a functional role in society. This research illustrates how celebrity health coverage serves to patrol the boundaries of acceptable health behavior through readers’ interpretation of moral codes and their application to personal health.
Times Change, But Trailers Don’t: Violent and Sexual Content in a Decade of Movie Trailers Adrienne Holz Ivory, Virginia Tech; Julie E. Leventhal, Virginia Tech; James D. Ivory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Movie trailers are viewed widely, and they have been found to influence viewers’ media choices and anticipated experiences. This study expanded prior research on movie trailers by examining violent and sexual content in all available trailers for the top 50 movies from each of the years 1998-2007 (n = 498). Violent and sexual content were present in the majority of the sample’s trailers, but the prevalence of neither type of content varied consistently over time.
Late-Night Talk Shows:Why People Watch and What They Seek to Gain • jin kim, university of iowa; Julie Kocsis, Hope College • This paper will examine the historical importance of the late-night talk show genre in the development of American television culture and why people watch for what purposes. Our main argument is that the popularity of the genre originates in broadcasting strategy (joint of interpersonal and mass mode of communication) and audiences’ imagination (in their para-social relationship with media celebrity). Based on para-social interaction theory and uses and gratification theory, we identified four major reasons for the popularity of late-night talk show: entertainment, education, habitual media use and emotional attachment. Further theoretical implications and future research agenda will be discussed in the conclusion.
The Mediating Role of Identification and Perceived Persuasive Intent in Overcoming the Resistance to Persuasive Narrative Messages • Kitae Kim, SUNY at Buffalo; Shin-Il Moon, The State University of New York at Buffalo; Thomas Feeley, The State University of New York at Buffalo • Theories on narrative message processing, such as Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (Slater & Rouner, 2002) and Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model (Moyer-Gusé, 2008), suggest that a narrative message is persuasive because the transportation into the narrative world reduces the resistance to the message such as counterargument and psychological reactance This study proposes and testes the mediating role of identification with a character in a narrative and perceived persuasive intent in the relationship between transportation and two forms of the resistance to the narrative messages (e.g., counterargument and psychological reactance), using a written narrative message regarding bone marrow donation. Results show that identification mediated the relationship while perceived persuasive intent did not. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.
The Family Osbourne: A Narrative of Domesticity Tames and Enriches the Godfather of Heavy Metal • Jacqueline Lambiase, Texas Christian University • Ozzy Osbourne, sometimes called the godfather of metal, has never been shelved in the where are they now? category because of his family’s willingness to share its straight and true narrative. This rhetorical project analyzes the storytelling acumen of Ozzy and his wife, Sharon, his longest running collaborator. With their children, they have written 10 memoirs in less than a decade, ensuring mainstream success. After decades, Ozzy still occupies a masculinized heavy-metal space, joined now by a matriarchal space of entertainment projects rooted in domesticity and storytelling.
Goffman in The Real World: Processes of Performance and Characterization Across Three Reality Television Series • Mark Lashley, University of Georgia • This paper looks at three reality television series (The Real World, Starting Over and The Osbournes) through the lens of Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life and Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale. Techniques of casting and performance of reality television participants are examined. It is argued that reality television comprises a performative sphere of action where archetypes are continually reproduced, through institutionalized casting techniques and participant performance.
Multimedia in the Website: How do the U.S. Professional Sports Team Websites Adopt and Use Media Technologies? • Yang-Hwan Lee, Sungkyunkwan University; Sung-Chul Ihm, Sungkyunkwan University • Internet and new media technologies plays an important role in establishing the relationship between consumers-marketers. This study investigates what kind of media technology the professional sport team Website adopt and how those media technologies are used as a marketing communication tool. The results showed that Website and its technologies can be useful to sell and promote products and to communicate with customers. In the U.S., therefore, many sports teams are interested in the Website as a pipeline of marketing communication, but it seems not to be a matter of primary concern for some professional sports teams.
Power and Violence in Angry Aryan Song lyrics: Exploring the Recruitment Strategies of the White Power Movement • Andrew Selepak, University of Florida; Belio Martinez, University of Florida • This paper uses a qualitative interpretive framework to analyze song lyrics by the skinhead band the Angry Aryans. It also explores the legitimacy of skinheads as a social movement and the role of power in asserting their status as an oppressed group. Social movements are typically viewed as positive constructs advancing the rights of oppressed people. However, racist extremist groups also portray themselves as grassroots social movements. Results indicate the Angry Aryans perceive ethnic minorities and homosexuals as inferior and subhuman and along with non-skinhead whites a threat to white superiority and survival in the United States. The song lyrics are used as a communication strategy to recruit, intimidate and promote violence. The concept of power and notions from social movement theory support the view of skinheads as a legitimate social movement. However, this study does not suggest that skinheads embody noble aspirations, only that they possess similar dynamics to progressive efforts that seek a common good.
Awe and disgust: American Idol press coverage • Amanda McClain, Temple University • This paper contains discourse analyses of the 2002 and 2008 American Idol news coverage. It finds that both analyses focused on economics, power, and contestants; other topics include Simon Cowell and authenticity versus artificiality. However, while the 2002 coverage included themes of awe and derision, these were absent in the 2008 coverage. American Idol is now so ingrained into American culture, that contempt for it may be tantamount to contempt for American ideals.
Alcoholic content: a textual analysis of Rock of Love • Tim Hogarth, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Mike McComb, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Kareema Pinckney, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Sandra Smith, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University • Although there have been studies about reality television, there is a lack of research on the affects of alcohol within competitive dating reality shows. We conducted a textual analysis of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels examining the role alcohol plays within the narrative structure of the program. We determined that alcohol is presented as a positive influence on the participants and a connective thread within the major story arcs of the program.
Quick Measures of Transportation • Daniel G. McDonald, Ohio State University; Jonathan J. Anderegg, Ohio State University; Erin M. Schumaker, Ohio State University; Andrea Quenette, Ohio State University • This study provides an overview of the development of six subscales designed to measure the concept of transportation. The subscales measure multiple dimensions of transportation, but do so in a way that provides a more efficient and more exact measure than is currently available. We examine the reliability of the measures and their validity in several different ways, finding them as powerful as current measures but more sensitive to content variation.
How moviemakers frame the media: An analysis of the portrayal of journalism in popular Vietnam-era cinema • Alexa Milan, Elon University • This research project, guided by framing theory, explores how journalism as a profession and the media were portrayed in film during a time in which journalism was arguably transforming its role in society – the Vietnam War. Rather than studying films focused primarily on journalism, a content analysis of the most popular films was conducted and the presence of the media in everyday life situations coded. The top five highest grossing films from 1968-1977 were included in the sample. These films were in production during the war, and their images reached up to 120 million Americans. The 50 films studied contained 460 representations of media that paint an overall picture of how media was portrayed to audiences in this era. Variables studied included what type of media was present (i.e. newspapers, television), whether it was in the foreground or background of the scene, whether its use moved the action forward, and the reporter’s demographic information. Some key findings include that 53.3% of the media frames were of newspapers, characters responded to the media 32.6% of the time, the media moved the plot forward 45.4% of the time, 30.2% of television portrayals were framed as sensationalistic, and more Black and female journalists appeared in the last four years of the sample. This research is significant because by making the deliberate choice to utilize media in their movies, filmmakers are revealing the media’s importance. Framing theory argues that unconsciously, these portrayals drive public opinion about the media and its role in everyday life.
How to Make a Bully: Examining the Impact of Violent Entertainment on Adolescents • Patrice Oppliger, Boston University; Denis Wu, Boston University • This study explores the connection between different genres of violent media and adolescents’ attitudes toward fighting and bullying behavior. We tested the impact of masculinity on bullying using Bem’s Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Parental attitude toward violence is also incorporated in the regression models. Results showed that scoring high on the BSRI dominance factor predicted adolescent attitudes and bullying behavior. Individual genres of violent media were predictive of attitudes bullying depending on the gender of the participant.
Uses and Gratifications Structural Model of Videogame Play • Emil Bakke, Ohio University; L. Meghan Peirce, Ohio University • This study deductively tests the structure of a uses and gratifications model where audience background characteristics, viewing motivations, exposure and attitudinal factors are considered in how one constructs their reality. Specifically, it examines how users’ locus of control predicts entertainment, companionship and pass time motivations. It then looks at how these motivations predict users’ perceived reality. Results suggest a significant negative relationship between users’ locus of control and the motivations of entertainment, companionship and pass time. Users who hold an external locus of control proved more motivated to play video games. Videogame play as a source of entertainment is a negative predictor of casual gaming. Individuals who were motivated by companionship were significantly likely to be classified as hardcore and casual gamers; and no significant relationships were found by individuals motivated by pass time. The more exposure a user held with the media, the more likely they were to construct their own world based on video game content. By understanding this relationship as a complete structural model, a deeper understanding will be gained of how users construct their reality based on video game play.
Girl power: A content analysis of gender portrayals on popular children’s cable networks • Jack Powers, Ithaca College • A two-week sample of after-school television programs (3-6 p.m.) for The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network was constructed to represent popular after-school cable programming for children. In a systematic content analysis, the frequencies and character attributes of the male and female characters were documented with particular attention paid to how females were presented. This study’s findings update the current state of gender depictions on cable television programs geared toward children, depictions that may influence child viewers. The results suggest that girls are presented more favorably than boys across several variables, but that boy characters still far outnumber girl characters.
Bollywood and the Indian Premier League (IPL): The Political Economy of Bollywood’s New Blockbuster • Azmat Rasul, Florida State University; Jennifer Proffitt, Florida State University New forms of cricket have been introduced for the last four decades to maintain the interest of the audience in the game and, in recent years, to make the game more media-friendly. In India, an innovatively formatted tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL), was started in 2008. The IPL magnetized cricket fans and corporate sponsors when Bollywood superstars not only promoted but also purchased teams in the league. The interlocking of industry and showbiz carries heuristic value and stipulates the need to examine this phenomenon from a political economic perspective. As such, we argue that the IPL-Bollywood alliance is a new synergistic mechanism that is attracting the attention of global entertainment corporations.
More of the Same from Television Doctors: A Content Analysis of Their Portrayal, Interactions, and Ethical Behavior • Tom Robinson, Brigham Young University; Jessica Danowski, Brigham Young University; Kenny Trent, BYU • The medical drama has been part of television programming since its infancy. Each week on early television medical dramas, doctors were asked, under unbeatable odds to perform a miracle and more often than not – they did. With an almost uncanny ability to dominate and control the lives, these doctors exceeded the abilities of a natural man to a point where they seem almost omnipotent. Then in the 1994-95 television season, ER was introduced to the television audience and although many of ER’s doctors often performed under unbeatable odds, and showed skills well beyond normal doctors, these doctors contained character flaws that presented them as fallible, human-like beings. Views are now seeing doctors who made mistakes, make bad decisions, and who have patients who died. The purpose of this research is to look at the evolution of the medical show and the TV doctor, and determine their role in influencing mass audiences today. Through a content analysis of 10 medical dramas, 55 doctors were coded and the results show that most are male, Caucasian, middle-aged, and attractive. These doctors do make mistakes and many have personality flaws, but most are shown beating medical odds, breaking restrictive rules, dealing with patients’ families, fighting hospital administrators, and still having time to cure their patients.
The Man Without Fear at a Time of Great Fear: A review of Countercultural Themes in the First 100 Issues of the Comic Book, Daredevil. • Bill Schulte, Ohio University • This study reviewed the first 100 issues of Marvel Comic’s Daredevil: The Man Without Fear for countercultural themes prevalent the 1960s and 1970s. This comic book was examined for three countercultural themes: youth interacting with establishment and moving away from 1950s style and values, racial issues and civil rights in the face of a world becoming more integrated, and commentary on the Vietnam War. The study follows the book from its wholesome 1950s style roots, through the free but often pessimistic years between 1964 and 1973. The Marvel comic book, Daredevil, was a previously unexplored medium for creating meaning and engaging countercultural social issues.
No Future No Longer: Pop-Punk and the Second-Wave Legacy • Alexandra Smith, Penn State University, College of Communications • To date, there has been very little academic research focused on the political potential of today‟s pop-punk musical genre. This paper seeks to address that lack by analyzing the music of the pop-punk band NOFX. Drawing on past scholarship examining the political nature of first-wave punk music, an intertextual lyrical analysis of several NOFX songs, the members‟ activist tendencies, and the band itself reveals that the music does contain activist messages and uses intertextual methods to effectively create its own model listener.
Critic-Adored, Award-Ignored: Roots and Consequences of Emmy Gone Wire-less • Todd Sodano, St. John Fisher College • The Emmy Award is an overused yet undervalued piece in countless conversations about television. Fans, viewers, and critics lament the broken system that rewards the same talent year after year but ignores cutting-edge, diverse television. This article examines paid journalistic TV critics’ commentaries about the Emmy and why HBO’s The Wire, a critic-adored, award-ignored series, was overlooked by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a group whose mission includes the promotion of diversity. Furthermore, this essay looks at what the consequences are of this oversight in today’s era of niche market programming.
Motivated Cognitive Processing of Risky and Sexy Video Game Content • Sarah Miesse, The University of Alabama; Johnny Sparks, Texas Tech University; Harsha Gangadharbatla, University of Oregon; Curtis B. Matthews, Texas Tech University • The current study examined the influence of risky and sexy content on motivated cognitive processing of video game content. Participants viewed video clips from the games Fable II and Grand Theft Auto. Negative emotional experiences increased with risky and sexy content. Positive emotional experiences were associated with nonrisky and nonsexy clips. The guiding theoretical perspective predicted that resources allocated to encoding would be greater for positive (nonsexy and nonrisky) than negative (sexy and risky) content because both elicited a low level of arousal. As predicted, recognition sensitivity was greater for nonrisky and nonsexy video game content. Although the findings supported the theoretical predictions, the results do not necessarily correspond with conventional expectations.
The Lady Is (Still) a Tramp: Prime-Time Portrayals of Women Who Love Sex • Jan Whitt, University of Colorado • Expressing their sexuality while being ridiculed by others unites several controversial television characters, including Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) of The Golden Girls, Jackie Harris (Laurie Metcalf) of Roseanne, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) of Sex and the City, and Paige Matheson and Edie Britt (both played by Nicollette Sheridan) of Knot’s Landing and Desperate Housewives, respectively. Because this study does not focus upon lesbians or women of color, it underscores the manner with which straight white women are caricatured when they disrupt suburbia (Knot’s Landing The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Desperate Housewives) or an urban community (Sex and the City). The Lady Is (Still) a Tramp suggests that women who subvert unwritten heterosexual codes of conduct must be punished; in fact, their conniving and sometimes narcissistic behavior is the object of humor at the same time that it allows other characters (and viewers of the television program) to bask in moral superiority. It also argues that women who love sex are often the ones who are most unruly by society’s standards; furthermore, although they may be objects of ridicule, they often use wit to retaliate against those who judge them.
An examination of college sports fans’ perceptions of scandal coverage in the media • Molly Yanity, Ohio University; Ashley Furrow, Ohio Universtiy • This study examines which factors motivate how and where college football and men’s basketball fans get their news on scandals, or negative off-field incidents that involve misconduct by coaches and/or players. The main factors examined in this study are trust, bias and characteristics of coverage as distinguished between local and national coverage. This research is important because it could ultimately help to determine how those motivating factors influence what local media outlets cover, and how they cover – or do not cover – controversial topics and scandals in the sports arena.
Using Sense of Control and Sense of others to Explicate User Experiences and Impact of Online Games • Gunwoo Yoon, Graduate School of culture Technology, KAIST; Seoungho Ryu, Department of Visual Culture, Kangwon National University, Korea • This study examines how the sense of control and sense of others influence idiosyncratic experiences and the impact of violent online games. All participants were assigned to one of the four game conditions according to involvement (watching vs. playing) and social interaction (alone vs. together). The participants’ feelings of presence and aggression were measured after the experiment. Results indicated that networked game playing conditions and social interaction entail users to feel more presence and aggression.
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