Week 1
Lecture 1: What is Entertainment?
Defines entertainment, highlighting its complex boundaries.
Originates from Latin words meaning "to hold among" or "to keep."
Entertainment is anything that captures and keeps attention.
Examples include Marvel blockbusters, Call of Duty, live streams, and educational
content.
Discusses entertainment's overlap with news, politics, and culture, citing examples
like Ronald Reagan and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Entertainment defined as an experiential response rather than a product.
Introduces enjoyment as the core of entertainment, questioning what we enjoy and
why.
Lecture 2: Scientific Models and Frameworks
Introduces scientific models for understanding media entertainment.
Discusses the importance of models in representing complex systems and their trade-
offs.
Presents the media entertainment model, explaining its components and processes.
Highlights several foundational models, including Harold Lasswell's model, the
Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects model, and models by Vorderer, Klimmt,
and Ritterfeld.
Critiques and refines existing models, emphasizing the circular, self-perpetuating
nature of entertainment consumption.
Lecture 3: Users of Entertainment
Focuses on the users of entertainment, describing them as individuals with unique
demographics, traits, and states.
Identifies four key characteristics influencing entertainment preferences:
demographics, social characteristics, psychosocial traits, and emotional states.
Discusses the impact of media entertainment experiences from early childhood on
preferences.
Explores the concept of Popular Culture and its influence on entertainment
preferences.
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, Examines cultural differences and trends in entertainment consumption.
Lecture 4: Selection and Motivation
Explores how and why users select certain entertainment products.
Discusses motivations for entertainment selection, including escapism and mood
management.
Introduces theories explaining the selection of entertainment, such as the mood
management theory, the social cognitive theory, and the concept of media habits and
addiction.
Highlights the importance of familiarity, nostalgia, and brand loyalty in entertainment
selection.
Lecture 5: Entertainment Products
Discusses the nature of entertainment products as immaterial, experience goods.
Explains the concept of the label and its role in the selection process.
Details the importance of medium, title, category/genre, and brand as product
identifiers.
Discusses the design elements of entertainment products and their impact on user
experience.
Lecture 6: Entertainment Experience and Response
Examines the user's interaction with entertainment products and their responses.
Introduces concepts such as suspension of disbelief, immersion, presence,
transportation, and flow.
Discusses cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to entertainment.
Explores the relationship between these responses and user preferences.
Lecture 7: Entertainment Industry
Describes the role of the entertainment industry in the production and distribution of
entertainment products.
Introduces the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Affect) framework as it applies to
entertainment.
Discusses the structure of the entertainment industry, including major and
independent companies.
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, Explores the challenges of innovation, creativity, and marketability in the
entertainment industry.
Highlights the importance of brand integration and the financial aspects of
entertainment production and distribution.
Study Q:
1.In this article, the authors propose an integrated view of media entertainment. What are the
key factors discussed in this model?
Integrated View of Media Entertainment Key Factors:
The authors likely discuss a model that integrates cognitive, emotional, and
physiological responses to media entertainment. Key factors might include:
Cognitive Involvement: Engagement with the narrative or content, including attention
and curiosity.
Emotional Engagement: The affective responses to media content, such as empathy
with characters or emotional arousal.
Suspension of Disbelief: The willingness of the audience to overlook the unrealism of
media for the sake of enjoyment.
Identification with Characters: The process by which viewers relate to or see aspects
of themselves in characters.
Parasocial Interaction: Imagined interaction with media characters that can lead to a
sense of relationship over time.
Flow Experience: A state of deep absorption and immersion in the media content.
Escapism: Using media to escape from daily stresses or routine.
2. What are the prerequisites on the media user's side to be able to enjoy media?
Prerequisites on the Media User's Side:
Certain conditions or dispositions on the part of the media user are necessary for
enjoying media, including:
Media Literacy: Understanding the language of media and being able to critically
engage with content.
Openness to Experience: A willingness to engage with new and varied types of media.
Emotional Stability: The ability to manage one's emotional responses to potentially
intense or engaging media content.
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, Suspension of Disbelief Capacity: The ability to temporarily accept as real what one
knows to be fabricated in the media.
Motivation for Engagement: A personal interest or need that the media content
satisfies, such as relaxation, information, or emotional experience.
3. Can you recognize some of the concepts described in this article in a persons daily
entertainment media use? Make notes of some key words or situations (e.g., flow, escapism).
Recognizing Concepts in Daily Entertainment Media Use:
In everyday interactions with media, several of the discussed concepts can be
observed, including:
Flow: Becoming so absorbed in a video game or movie that one loses track of time.
Escapism: Watching a fantasy series to forget about a stressful day.
Identification: Feeling a strong connection to a character in a TV show who shares
similar life experiences or traits.
Parasocial Interaction: Following a favorite YouTuber or streamer and feeling like
you "know" them.
Suspension of Disbelief: Accepting the unrealistic aspects of a sci-fi movie to enjoy
the story.
Emotional Engagement: Crying during a sad film or feeling joy at a character's
success.
Cognitive Involvement: Trying to solve a mystery before the end of a crime show.
1.Most researchers identified positive feelings such as pleasure or enjoyment at the core of
entertainment experience. However, there are situations where use of entertainment media do
not solely center around such positive feelings. What are some examples discussed in the
text?
Examples of Entertainment Media Not Solely Centered Around Positive Feelings:
Media content that evokes sadness, fear, or anger can also be engaging and fulfilling
for the audience. Examples include:
Tragic Films or Books: Stories that end with the loss or death of beloved characters
can offer profound emotional experiences.
Horror Movies: Despite causing fear and anxiety, they captivate audiences through
the thrill and excitement of being scared in a safe environment.
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