Entertainment Studies 2009 Abstracts
Entertainment Studies Interest Group
From Shakespeare to Disney: An Explication of Coleridge’s Suspension of Disbelief for Hollywood Musicals • Kelly Barrows, Syracuse University • While the term “suspension of disbelief” is commonly used and understood when explaining how audiences are able to negotiate implausible scenarios in fictional media, the theory lacks a comprehensive view of how the willing suspension of disbelief has been used.
What’s Entertainment? Notes Toward a Definition • Stephen Bates, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Anthony Ferri, University of Nevada, Las Vegas • This paper attempts to define “entertainment.” It considers the definitions of two related fields, leisure studies and popular culture; the definitions of entertainment used in law and regulation; and different scholars’ approaches to defining entertainment. It posits a set of criteria that can be used to determine what constitutes entertainment, including general passivity or spectatorship; communication; external stimuli that are principally auditory, visual, or both; pleasure; audience; and freedom.
Predictors of Attractiveness: The Role of Entertainment and Sports Media, Self-Discrepancy, and Sociocultural Attitudes in College Students’ Perceptions of Beauty in Women • Kim Bissell, University of Alabama • The objective of this project was to identify themes, patterns and predictors related to attractiveness ideals and appearance norms among a sample of men and women in the U.S. The sociocultural theoretical model has the strongest empirical support for understanding body image disturbance and appearance anxiety (Heinberg, 1996; Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, Tantleff-Dunn, 1999), by presenting to women through media representations the current societal standard for image and appearance.
Examining Humor in 30 Rock from Four Perspectives: Bergson, Frye, Freud, and Bakhtin • Lauren Bratslavsky, University of Oregon • The sitcom has long been a staple of network television, however, the sitcom has had a noticeable decline. The new sitcoms feature more parody and satire than before, particularly NBC’s 30 Rock. Using four approaches to humor, this paper draws on relevant examples to illustrate the theories of Henri Bergson, Northrop Frye, Sigmund Freud, and Mikhail Bakhtin.
Quarterbacks, engineers, and wingmen: Stereotypically male linguistic and semiotic content in “The Pick-Up Artist • Melissa Crosby, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Jennifer Billinson, The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University • This textual analysis examines the use of linguistic and semiotic content in the first season of the VH1 reality television show “The Pick-Up Artist.” We have created a framework for this study by building upon existing literature in the areas of gender communication, cultural studies, intertextuality relating to hyper-masculine popular culture icons, and semiotic theory.
Let’s Talk Soaps: An Exploratory Uses and Gratifications Study of Soap Opera Websites and Message Boards • Maria Fontenot, Texas Tech University • This exploratory study examines the motives of individuals who visit soap opera websites, and read and post on soap opera message boards from the uses and gratifications perspective. An online survey was posted on message boards of the three broadcast networks and the cable network SoapNet. Results revealed that entertainment and information seeking as the most popular motives for visiting soap opera website, reading soap message boards, and posting on such boards.
Enjoyment of Sad Endings: The Contributions of Empathy to the Eudaimonic Appreciation of Drama • Tom German, Muskingum College • This study explored emotional processes in the enjoyment of drama by way of negative affect. A 2 (CONTEXT: Present, Absent) x 2 (ENDING: Happy, Sad) fully factorial between-individual design was employed to test the effects of empathy toward protagonist and viewers’ affective states on entertainment of a dramatic television program. Results showed that the empathy interacted with ending type, resulting in sad endings being more entertaining than previous theory would predict.
Upper-Class Women Reading Celebrity News: Audience Reception Study on Celebrity News Viewed Through the Lends of Class • Gwendolyn Heasley, University of Missouri -Columbia • This research attempts to understand the reception of celebrity news magazines among upper class women in the U.S. The ultimate goal of this research is to identify cultural repertoires about the consumption and use of celebrity news. These repertoires are compared to ones found in Joke Hermes (1995) study on British tabloid readers. Qualitative research methods provide the framework for this study and in-depth interviews were conducted in order to collect detailed data.
Rhetorical Visions of Health: A Fantasy-Theme Analysis of Celebrity Articles • Amanda Hinnant, University of Missouri; Elizabeth Hendrickson, University of Tennessee • This research focuses on celebrity health stories in magazines, using fantasy-theme analysis to evaluate messages about health behavior and attitudes. The analysis compares stories about celebrities who have cancer with those about celebrities with health problems perceived as caused by overindulgence (addiction, obesity). The fantasy themes reveal messages about morality, privilege, access, authority, and authenticity. Overall, celebrity health messages could serve to establish moral communities that sanction or penalize health behaviors through their normative influence.
Positive Benefits: An Exploratory Study of Crime Drama Viewership and Sexual Assault Prevention • Stacey Hust, Washington State University; Emily Marett, Washington State University; Hua Chang, Washington State University; Ming Lei, Washington State University; Chunbo “Richard” Ren, Murrow College of Communication; Anna McNab, Washington State University; Paula Adams, Washington State University • This study examines the effects of exposure to crime dramas on rejection of rape myths and attitudes and confidence levels related to sexual assault prevention behaviors. College students’ exposure to crime dramas, acceptance of rape myths and behavioral intentions for consent, bystander intervention, and victim empowerment were collected. This exploratory study provides evidence of positive effects of exposure to crime drama programming and suggests the need for further research in the area.
The Effect of Negative Persuasive Message on Communicator Credibility and Behavioral Intention: The Moderating Role of Group Identification • Mikyoung Kim, Michigan State University; Tom Isaacson, Michigan State University • This study investigated the effect of negative messages on communicator credibility and counter-arguing intention with the moderating role of group identity. We found when people have strong group identity, those with a negative in-group message were more likely to disbelieve the communicator than were those with a negative out-group message. Contrarily, there was no difference between the two messages in communicator credibility among people with weak group identity.
I play, therefore, I am persuaded • Nam Young Kim, Louisiana State University; Yongick Jeong, LSU; Meghan Sanders, LSU • This study examined the potential for game controller platform and co-playing to affect game player’s presence and their perceived effectiveness of in-game advertising. The relationship between players’ psychological outcomes during a game and in-game advertising memory has been studied, yet few studies have focused on attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.
“OK. If it’s for the family.”: Production and representation of family in Maya & Miguel • Emily S. Kinsky, Pepperdine University • This qualitative study is informed by cultural studies and seeks to examine the production and representation of family within one particular television program, Maya & Miguel (Forte, 2004), using the circuit of culture (du Gay, Hall, Janes, Mackay, and Negus, 1997). Production was examined through in-depth interviews with personnel connected to Scholastic Media, while representation was examined through a textual analysis of 12 episodes of Maya & Miguel.
Truthiness of Fake News: Individuals’ viewing characteristics of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report • Jennifer Kowalewski, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Daxton Stewart, Texas Christian University; Francesca Dillman Carpentier, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill • Scholars have investigated how individuals have tuned in to soft news programs for political information; but, not a lot of research has investigated how viewing characteristics influence what programs individuals tune to for that information. Using survey research, this paper examines how viewing characteristics influence the viewing of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Both shows have become increasingly popular over time, especially for younger viewers who tune more to Comedy Central than CNN.
The effects of individual differences on the enjoyment of morally ambiguous characters • K. Maja Krakowiak, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs • The present study tests how the individual difference factors of ambiguity tolerance (AT) and need for cognition (NFC) affect responses to purely good, purely bad, and morally ambiguous character types. Findings reveal that both AT and NFC affect enjoyment of content featuring different character types. This study thus reinforces the importance of individual differences in affecting media responses.
The Impacts of Intrinsic Motivation and Gender Difference on Video Game Genre Usage: A Multiple Group Comparison Approach • Doohwang Lee, University of Alabama; Jung Kyu Kim, University of Alabama; Robert LaRose, Michigan State University • By integrating Deci and Ryan’s (1985) theory of intrinsic motivation and Csikszentmihalyi’s (1975) theory of flow experience, this study sought to investigate the causal linkage among optimal balance of video game player’s perceived skill and challenge, flow experience, intrinsic motivation and video game genre usage. The results showed that the different types of video game usage were directly influenced by players’ intrinsic motivations, which were also reinforced by players’ flow experiences of enjoyment.
Veronica Mars: A modern-day teenager strolling the dark streets of film noir • Kathryn Lookadoo, Trinity University • This paper examines the teen-detective television show Veronica Mars and its connection to film noir. Film noir’s adaption to television has recently gained notice. The different medium and its constraints morph film noir into a form that retains certain genre characteristics while abandoning others to survive on television. This textual analysis of the pilot episode reveals how Veronica Mars exhibits classic film noir characteristics of past, loss, morality, and alienation while adapting them for television.
“They’re like my family”: An analysis of alternative families in “Friends” • Lisa Marshall, Muskingum College • This research analyzes alternative family structures and friendship rituals in all 10 seasons of Friends. The project offers a textual analysis of the entire series and demonstrates the disregard for blood ties and the construction of alternative families within the group of friends. The Friends narrative contained the idea that biological families are no longer prevalent or important to the characters’ lives. This research found that these six people formed their own kind of family.
Fast Pace, Smart Show?: An Analysis of Educational Quality and Pacing in Children’s Television Programming • Cynthia Nichols, The University of Alabama; Creshema Murray, The University of Alabama • Little research has examined the relationship between the pace and educational quality of children’s programming. The following study uses a systematic content analysis of 100 top-rated U.S. children’s television programs to explore the relationships between these two variables.
Celebrity Persuasion in the Political Arena: A Study of Message Effects on Voter Opinion • Cynthia Nichols, The University of Alabama; Carly McKenzie, The University of Alabama • Prior to the 2008 election, more than 200 participants from a large southern university participated in a study examining the impact of celebrities on voter opinion. Two different formats of the same message were used to determine if message type and content have an impact on voter opinion. Participants viewed two different videos of statements made by Barack Obama. The first video simply showed Obama making a speech.
Do “Sad” People Like “Sad” Entertainment? • Mary Beth Oliver, Penn State University; Julia Woolley, Penn State University; Anthony Limperos, Penn State University; Daniel Tamul, Penn State University; Keunmin Bae, Penn State University; Marlena Freeman, Penn State University • In addition to consuming entertainment for pleasure (hedonistic motivations), individuals may also consume entertainment to experience meaningfulness (eudaimonic motivations). Consequently, extant research suggesting that “sad individuals enjoy sad entertainment” may be better interpreted as illustrating that the meaningful affective states heighten preferences for poignant, dramatic entertainment. In support, this research shows that eudaimonic motivations mediate the relationship between “meaningful” affective states (e.g., contemplative) and interest in entertainment that elicits “meaningful” responses (e.g., inspired, compassionate).
Annie Wilson Wears Versace: The representation of high school females’ socioeconomic class on current fictional television series • Bene Petty, Trinity University • It is important to identify particular ideals, if any, that female youth are exposed to on television. This paper considers how high school females are portrayed in terms of socioeconomic class on fictional television series. Categories such as clothing, home environments, relationships, and behaviors were studied in relation to contemporary female television characters. This study examines 10 shows airing on The CW, ABC Family, Nickelodeon, and The Disney Channel during the fall 2008 television season.
Protecting Children’s Privacy on the Internet: COPPA Compliance on Children’s Websites • Erin Ryan, The University of Alabama; Carly McKenzie, The University of Alabama • Since the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was passed, websites must follow specific guidelines regarding collection and dissemination of information from children under 13. This content analysis of 165 children’s websites investigated COPPA compliance. Results indicated most websites adhered to privacy policy content requirements, yet many did not follow policy positioning rules. Educational and entertainment websites were less likely than specialty sites to properly position policies, and several sites collected information without stating proper protections.
The Heat is On: The Effects of Temperature on Presence and the Gaming Experience • Ashleigh Shelton, University of Minnesota • This study examines the potential for the contextual element of room temperature to affect presence-related outcomes of video game exposure. Interactivity in the form of natural mapping, High-Definition TV, and surround sound has been advocated as possible contributors to presence experiences, yet no studies to date have investigated the impact of temperature, particularly as it applies to video games.
Swamps, Snakes and Storms: The Negative Portrayal of Louisiana in Film • Danny Shipka, Louisiana State University • Louisiana has long been a popular spot for filmmakers to weave their artistic tapestries. With its unique culture, evocative landscapes as well historical importance to the US, the state and its people have been the subject of intense scrutiny by the entertainment media. Almost without exception, the depiction of Louisiana in these films has been overridingly negative proliferating stereotypes.
The One with All the Heteronormativity: Lesbian Images in Friends • D. Renee Smith, University of Tennessee • Broadcasts networks tout their progressiveness and diversity in presenting lesbian images. In many instances these characterizations result in a heteronormative view of a lesbian world. A patriarchal voice greatly influences the actions of lesbian characters through the use of narrative scripting and specific production techniques. Wardrobe and casting heterosexualize and thus de-politicize lesbian characters. This study uses episodes from the popular situation comedy, Friends, to illustrate the heterosexual hegemony tightly controlling the broadcast television narrative.
Rhymes for sale? A Content Analysis to Determine the Frequency of Use and Implementation Methods of Brand Mentions in Hip Hop Lyrics • Jang Ho Moon, University of Texas at Austin; Kevin Thomas, The University of Texas at Austin; Min Woo Kwon, The University of Texas at Austin; Ryan Turner, The University of Texas at Austin • Hip hop music contains lyrics that are very conversational and can be utilized like forms of marketing communication. However, unlike publicly known forms of marketing communication, products mentioned in hip hop music are free of promotional stigma.
Theorizing Parasocial Interactions Based on Character Authenticity: The Development of a Media Figure Typology • Mina Tsay, University of Kentucky; Mitchael Schwartz, University of Kentucky • The relationships viewers develop with media figures have received substantial attention in the scholarship of entertainment. The present research proposes a four-level PSI typology, theoretically based on authenticity of media figures across the dimensions of depiction (live action vs. animated), story (fiction vs. non-fiction), form (human vs. non-human), and traits (super vs. normal).
Striking the Brand: The Political Economy of TLC’s Miami Ink • Kristine Weglarz, University of Minnesota—Twin Cities • The plethora of reality television available to audiences invites an examination of the role and representation of labor in producing the television series. This paper examines the reality television series Miami Ink and looks at the role of labor as theorized by Christopher Martin in creating the conditions for commodities to have magical, transformative and healing properties.
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