Alcohol Messages in Prime‐Time Television Series

Abstract

Alcohol messages contained in television programming serve as sources of information about drinking. To better understand the ways embedded messages about alcohol are communicated, it is crucial to objectively monitor and analyze television alcohol depictions. This article presents a content analysis of an eight-week sample of eighteen prime-time programs. Alcohol messages were coded based on modalities of presentation, level of plot connection, and valence. The analysis reveals that mixed messages about alcohol often coexist but the ways in which they are presented differ: whereas negative messages are tied to the plot and communicated verbally, positive messages are associated with subtle visual portrayals.The role of television as a socialization agent is well established (Way 1984). Television programs provide vivid insights into the lifestyles of influential and often aspirational characters (Diener 1993;Russell, Norman, and Heckler 2004), showing what they do, eat, or drink (Avery and Ferraro 2000;O'Guinn and Shrum 1997). As a result, consumers acquire a lot of knowledge, including health-related information (Beck et al. 2004;Gerbner 1995), from watching television dramas. This can become an issue when the information presented or lifestyles depicted do not accurately reflect reality or when behaviors displayed are not recommended (Way 1984). For instance, studies in the 1990s showed that viewers who spend more time consuming mass media held beliefs that were less supportive of good health and nutrition (Avery et al. 1997;Signorielli 1993).One topic of great societal concern, given the potential influence of television programs on viewers, is the presence of messages about alcohol. Worldwide alcohol consumption and the related problems are on the rise. Globally, alcohol is linked to at least 773,600 direct deaths and a multitude of other health and societal problems (WHO 2007). In the United States alone, alcohol consumption is directly responsible for 85,000 deaths (Mokdad et al. 2004), including 12,700 vehicle fatalities (Yi, Williams, and Hilton 2005), and 1,574,000 hospital admissions annually (Chen, Yi, and Hilton 2005). These numbers do not truly reflect the full array of negative consequences (e.g., lost productivity, prevention programs, and healthcare expenditures) related to alcohol consumption. Portrayals of alcohol in the media have been linked to the development and maintenance of beliefs about and attitudes toward alcohol. Some studies have shown, for instance, that young people who are more exposed to positive alcohol portrayals and advertising have more favorable beliefs about drinking, say they are more likely to drink in the future, and are more likely to consume alcohol (Grube and Wallack 1994;Snyder et al. 2006;Stacy et al. 2004). Alcohol portrayals in the content of television programs also reinforce existing alcoholic behaviors. For instance, research has shown that exposing people with high alcohol dependence to a television program with alcohol scenes made it more difficult ...

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