The purpose of this research is to broaden the conceptualization of entertainment selection to identify not only pleasure-seeking (hedonic concerns) as a motivator, but to also recognize that individuals may choose media as a means of ''truth-seeking'' (eudaimonic concerns). This article conceptualized and developed measures to illustrate that entertainment can be used as a means of experiencing not only enjoyment, but also as a means of grappling with questions such as life's purpose and human meaningfulness. Four studies were conducted in the development of these measures, providing evidence for their validity in terms of entertainment preference and individual differences, and illustrating how these motivations predict preferences for entertainment that elicits unique affective experiences.
In an attempt to expand the scope of the disposition theory of drama and to further explore the enjoyment of media entertainment, this article reexamines how viewers form and maintain strong feelings toward media characters. To that end, schema-theory literature is employed to offer possible alternative processes by which these bonds are first formed. Secondly, the article investigates the ways that viewers seek to perpetuate and defend those strong feelings for the sake of enjoyment. Several attitude and perception theories are examined to further inform our understanding of enjoyment. Finally, the article considers the potential implications on the disposition theory of drama and on our understanding of media enjoyment in general.We want to enjoy watching films and television. No doubt, as media consumers, we want to get a lot more out of these media experiences as well: accurate weather reports, thoughtful analysis of current affairs, a snapshot of our (and others') culture, to see just how much of our wardrobe is out of style, and on and on. Nonetheless, simply put: We often want to enjoy-and to enjoy thoroughly at that-what we are watching. Who can blame us? The ritual of television and film viewing involves a tremendous investment of time, attention, and mental and emotional energy, often to the neglect of other, more pressing matters like laundry, exercise, and scholarly writing. Consequently, we desire a guaranteed return on our investment; we want to think and feel that our energy has been well spent. So, we seek out media products we think will help us reach this ultimate goal of enjoyment. The purpose of this paper is to further examine enjoyment and the steps that we as viewers often take to help ensure that we will experience it.
This study employed a cognitive psychological approach to examining a little studied phenomenon – university image – among two groups of evaluators. The study found that different groups used different criteria when rating ten major US universities. Found to significantly predict the image of the universities among a sample of current university students were three factors: academic factors, athletic factors, and the extent of news coverage of the university. Found to significantly predict the image of the same universities among an adult, non‐student sample were four factors: a combined factor including all university attributes (including academic and athletic); the extent of news coverage; the education level of respondents; and the respondents’ level of sports fanship. Recent research in attitude structure is used to explain how different image criteria are recalled and employed by the different groups.
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This study examined the interaction among different news sources, individual levels of partisanship, and the hostile media effect in sports news. Two hundred and three participants read a balanced story about their home-town college football team in one of three newspapers: the home-town, the cross-state rival university's town, or a neutral-town paper. The study found differences in the hostile media effect across conditions, suggesting the importance of news source in the phenomenon. Further, findings indicate strong support for the hostile media effect among sports news consumers.
An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of including entertaining and/or interactive content on evaluations of automotive Web sites and automotive brands. Research participants visited and evaluated four Web sites from major automotive manufactures. The four sites exhibited varying degrees of entertaining content and interactivity. The highly entertaining site (which included a mini, suspenseful movie) was associated with the most positive site evaluations, greatest intent to return to the site, and highest levels of arousal, as compared to the three other sites that included video product footage only, video footage and audio, or video footage and audio with an interactive feature. Significant increases in purchase intent were associated only with the brand featured in the site with the mini movie.
Despite the increased attention to eudaimonic media experiences, to date scholars have paid little attention to the specific portrayals responsible for those experiences. Study 1 of this project reports the first systematic content analysis of self-transcendent media-a particular type of eudaimonic media-using a sample of 100 "inspirational" YouTube videos. The presence of 20 specific elicitors associated with self-transcendent emotions was examined and reported. In Study 2, respondents provided real-time self-transcendent emotional reactions while viewing 3 "inspirational" videos. As expected, ratings significantly increased immediately following exposure to each specific elicitor. Thus, this project reports the first empirical evidence directly linking specific representations to content identified as "inspirational" and directly linking those representations to self-transcendent emotional reactions.
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