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media entertainment (S_ME)
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media entertainment (S_ME); in depth notes, summary of required articles, practice questions, lecture comments and more.
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MEDIA ENTERTAINMENTLECTURE 1 WEEK 1
WHAT IS ENTERTAINMENT
Media use in US 2022
In 2022 the average daily time spent with major media including television,
newspaper, magazines, radio and digital formats of each amounted to 750min (12h
and 30 min)3.5 h of which was spent with entertainment.
why we care abbot the scientific study of media entertainment?
People spend a particular part of their day with consuming media for entertainment
Consumption has a strong influence on self, relation to others and the world
There is numerous amount of content available
defining media entertainment
o you cannot define media entertainment by the medium such as video games and
television / books and internet
o you cant define media entertainment by the content such as weather action movies are
more are more entertaining then documentary’s
o you cant define entertainment by the pleasantness of felt emotions such as if
something made you laugh it doesn't mean its more entertaining then something that
makes you cry
Experiences at the heart of media entertainment
Enjoyment
Anne Bartsch – enjoyment is a meta emotion, meaning that during media
entertainment we experience many different positive and negative emotions
that we evaluate as enjoyable when we reflect on experience.
Entertainment is constantly variable changing based on who we are with and what
we are doing or how we think about an experience; meaning the same content can be
experienced differently depending on the circumstances
Media entertainment has phycological functions/ purposes in peoples life’s
Media entertainment is = media content designed to be consumed by purposes of lesure
(rather then specifically for information gain, or persuasion) – leads to temporary change in
perceived reality
Media entertainment is a
• a form of playing, i.e., a form of coping with reality. An activity that is
most often characterized by different forms of pleasure, but -in certain
situations-also by unpleasant aspects. It is an intrinsically motivated
action that usually leads to a temporary change in perceived reality and
that is repeated quite often by people who are, during this process, less
intellectually vivid and attentive than they could be. (Vorderer, 2001, pp.
256-257)
Example exam Q
In the reading by Oliver (2009) for Lecture 1, she identifies three
important aspects of new technology that are changing the media
entertainment experience. They are selectivity, interactivity, and……
, Mobility
Video; mass media culture and society
Mass media; the dissemination of information or how information is transmitted in the
culture (including print media, and digital media) how media is consumed changes across
cultures and age groups.
4 perspectives
Functionalist perspective; Provide entertainment (occupy leisure time) + can
act as a agent of socialisation and a enforcer of social norms
presents a standardized view of society + provides a collective experience
for members of that society (shared experience of watching Olympics on TV)
community building (lgbt rights online community's)
tells us what society expects of us
Mass media also Functions as a promoter of consumer culture
Conflict perspective; how the media reflects and portrays divisions that may
exist within our society (race, ethnicity, gender, social class)
USES; Gatekeeping; to describe the process by which a small number of
people and corporations control what material is being presented on the media,
it describes how information moves through a series of gates before it reaches
the public it can also have more effect on some media then others
- in some country’s controlled by government
- in otherers it is decided by large immediate corporations
+often white male and wealthy = resulting in story’s reflecting minority
groups, women are under represented leading to stereotypes
resulting in tokenism instead of actual diversity
conflict perspective discusses how mass media often reflects the dominant
ideology – giving privilege to some social and economic interests wile
actively limiting other views
Feminist perspective; it holds that mass media stereotypes misrepresent
society towards the dominant ideology
specifically; focuses on how messages of men and women are represented
in the media, and that women are often underrepresented in media content
(men considered normal/ women considered other) eg; razors and razors for
women – often highly stereotyped emphasizing strict gender roles +
emphasising traditional sex roles
Women – victims
Men – aggressors
Interactionist perspective; looks at mass media on the micro level to see how
it shapes day to day behaviour + looks at how mass media blurs the line
between solitary and group activity’s (eg; watching movie not talking during
movie) + how we connect with people using media changes over time (email,
text)
,Readings
Oliver, M. B; the sage handbook of media process and effects
- Entertainment accounts for the largest amount of “acreage” in the media landscape
- Most theoritizing on entertainment media has occurred recently
- Any content, medium of communication or format of presentation could be considerd
entertainment
- Focus on 2 questions;
what variables predit viewers entertainment preferences and selections?
what variables and concepts play roles in viewers enjoyment of entertainment?
ENTERTAINMENT USES PREFERENCES AND SELECTIONS
Uses and gratifications – most basic and Widley known approaches to study
media entertainment
television generated the larges amount of attention (amusement, relaxation,
passing time)
audience members as active media users individuals choosing to consume
media on the basis of their felt needs and the degree to which media can
address these needs. (selectivity, interactivity, mobility)
o Instrumental needs; information seeking
o Social coinfection needs
o Social status needs
Herzogs (radio soap) – listeners gratification related to problem solving,
escape, emotional release
lazarsefeilds (radio quiz show) – listeners enjoyed program for testing self
knowledge + engaging in competition (educational)
Katz, Gurevitch, Hass – highlighted media for purposes of entertainment –
respondents addressed that media was better then all means in order to address
needs related to overcoming loneliness, escaping reality, killing time..
research on consumption of media violence; content viewed by
individuals higher in the traits of aggressiveness, sensation seeking
+ study of horror films (gratification); thrill seeking + higher level of sensation
seeking and lower levels of empathy
criticism of Uses and gratifications;
-questioning of broad characterisation of audience as active
-theory is more descriptive then predictive or explanatory
-conceptualizations only vaguely defined
-criticism on assumption that individuals are aware of or are willing to
articulate their motivations for media consumption questioning validity of
self report measurements
Mood management
, Because of criticism( additional models of entertainment); Mood
management – focused on more narrow and testable models employing
experimental methods + use behavioural mesures + self-reports
- Argues that one factor influencing entertainment selection is
individuals tendancys to arrange their environment to manage their
moods or affective states
- Hedonistic concepts important motivations for many behaviours ;
meaning individuals predicted to select media entertainment that
intensify positive moods + diminishing negative moods
- theory doesn't assume that individuals are aware of their motivations
for their behaviours instead they act in accordance with behaviours that
were successful in the past
- Theory tested; in experimental procedures in which positive/negative
mood states are first included and then measures of media selections
are then assessed.
arousing potential; assists individuals in avoiding unpleasant states
of overarousal (stress) + under arousal (boredom)
people in negative moods; avoid content that has negative bedonit
valance (sad/negative) + or high in behavioural affinity (similar to
context of reason for individual state) + may lead to grater attraction to
media content high in its absorbing potential ( distracting form
negative mood)
Bryant +zillman over aroused individuals where less likely then under
aroused individuals to chose calming content (nature shows) over more exiting
(sporting event)
Meawdowcroft +zillmann women in premenstrual phases were more likely
then other women to report preferences for viewing comedies.
Music context testing of mood management – individuals in negative moods
more likely then individuals in positive mood to select upbeat + joyfull music
over somber selection
+ gender differences in entertainment selections as a function of mood –
individuals may opt to prolong rather then diminish negative mood
individuals may use media to adjust their moods to be appropriate for
context or situation even if not positive
ENJOYMENT OF MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT
enjoyment –
o Vorderer, Klimnt ;model of media entertainment with enjoyment as core experience –
not conceptualized as happynes and joy but as a plesant state resulting from
experiences as serenity, sensory delight, achievement… + a result of motives, media
prerequisites
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