Reality Television Predicts Both Positive and Negative Outcomes for Adolescent Girls

Ferguson, Christopher J.; Salmond, Kimberlee; Modi, Kamla

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.11.067

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Rather than a unidirectional relationship leading directly from media exposure to alcohol or sexual outcomes, a reciprocal relationship between media selection and effects is likely, such as that predicted by Uses and Gratification theory (Blumler & Katz, 1974;Palmgreen, Wenner, & Rosengren, 1985;Rubin, 2002) or the Media Practice Model (Steele & Brown, 1995). In line with these theories, research indicates that individuals often seek out media that fulfills certain needs tied to learning, entertainment, identity, and/or other feelings related to the self (Aubrey et al, 2012;Nabi et al, 2003;Nabi, Stitt, Halford, & Finnerty, 2006;Patino, Kaltcheva, & Smith, 2012;Reiss & Wiltz, 2004); in turn, those motives, as well as past experiences, age, and other identity-related factors, may shape how viewers both interpret and are affected by media content (Ferguson, Salmond, & Modi, 2013;Smith, Atkin, & Roznowski, 2006). Thus, individuals with positive alcohol or sexual expectancies and with greater drinking or sexual experience may be drawn to media like reality dating programs, which generally portray alcohol consumption and sexual behavior in a positive light; they may also be more likely to internalize the programs' messages.…”

Section: Implications and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing alcohol and sexual content on reality dating programs.

Kim

Wells

2017

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and type of alcohol and sexual messages portrayed on reality dating TV programs, as well as the extent to which these 2 content areas overlapped within a scene. Reality dating programs were chosen because they are unique in their portrayal of “unscripted” dating and sexual encounters among “real-life” people, set in a competitive context. A total of 45 episodes from 9 reality dating programs were coded for visual and verbal references to alcohol and sexuality. Results indicate that visual references to alcohol consumption, especially portrayals of light drinking, were the most the common type of content, appearing in 58% of all scenes. The majority of verbal references to alcohol were positive in slant, except when specific reasons for or consequences of using alcohol were mentioned, which were more often negative. Visual or verbal references to sexuality occurred in 37% of all scenes, with most depicting physical flirtation and general sexual interest, and few portraying consequences of sexual behavior. Alcohol and sexual content were depicted concurrently in 25% of all scenes, indicating that alcohol is an integral component of dating and sexual scripts portrayed in this genre. This overlap largely reflected the visual depiction of light alcohol consumption in scenes with sexual talk or sexual behavior. Findings are discussed in light of the possibility that reality TV may serve as a source of young people’s alcohol and sexual expectancies.

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Section: Implications and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing alcohol and sexual content on reality dating programs.

Kim

Wells

2017

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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“…Future directions may also include consideration of how White low‐income parents can buffer or filter the effects of media on youth. For example, reality television has been linked to a range of psychosocial outcomes for adolescent girls, including self‐esteem (Ferguson, Salmond, & Modi, ). If low‐income and working‐class White girls tend to be exposed to largely negative portrayals in the media, as discussed earlier, then better understanding of parental mediation of the media has the potential to optimize youth outcomes in this context (Nathanson, ).…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent–Adolescent Socialization of Social Class in Low‐Income White Families: Theory, Research, and Future Directions

Jones

Loiselle

Highlander

2018

J of Research on Adolesc

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The formative role of social class in the United States has long been a focus of fields such economics, history, and political science. Yet, little psychological theory or data is available to guide our understanding of what messages regarding social class are transmitted within and across generations and how those transmissions are most likely to occur. As a launching point for such work, we focus this initial contextual and largely theoretical review on parent-adolescent socialization of social class in low-income, White families of adolescents in particular. To this end, our goal was to raise potential hypotheses about the implicit and explicit ways that White low-income parents may shape adolescent views of class, as well as the meaning and implications of status socialization for adolescent health and well-being.

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“…Furthermore, Lippman et al (2014) report a positive link between 'marriage-themed' reality TV viewing and idealization of love and the belief in 'love at first sight'. While these two studies employ experimental designs, Ferguson et al (2013Ferguson et al ( : 1179 surveyed girls on their actual reality TV viewing habits across four sub-genres, including dating shows, and suggests that 'the relationships and conflicts viewed in reality programming may serve as a kind of mental dress rehearsal for girls' own future relationships, as well as their sense of efficacy in handling such relationships'.…”

Section: Romance Reality Tv Gender Typologies and Stereotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

They’re Not Mean Girls If They Are Adult Women: Reality Television’s Construction of Women’s Identity and Interpersonal Aggression

Downing

2017

Sociological Research Online

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Drawing on a first-hand account from co-author and participant in a recent season of a popular romance-based reality TV show, this study considers how such shows construct and reinforce stereotypes about women’s relational dynamics with men and other women. It is argued that through careful production and gender scripting, these typologies are situated within a hierarchy of women’s relational interaction that normalizes aggression and bullying among adult women, reframing the ‘mean girl’ from an undesirable role to one that is portrayed as a normal and empowering role for adult women, especially in service of the pursuit of a male partner. The implications of this transformation extend to other women who are portrayed as ‘the other’ and as a result often subordinately positioned in the relational hierarchy reflected on the show. Implications for future research on gender scripts in popular media, the social construction of women’s relational dynamics, and manifestations of covert and overt bullying in these dynamics are discussed.

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Reality Television Predicts Both Positive and Negative Outcomes for Adolescent Girls

Cited by 17 publications

References 15 publications

Assessing alcohol and sexual content on reality dating programs.

Assessing alcohol and sexual content on reality dating programs.

Parent–Adolescent Socialization of Social Class in Low‐Income White Families: Theory, Research, and Future Directions

They’re Not Mean Girls If They Are Adult Women: Reality Television’s Construction of Women’s Identity and Interpersonal Aggression

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