Chapter 21 Entertainment Media’s Effects on Child Audiences
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Tahleen Lattimer
Abstract
Children’s entertainment media has been the topic of great scholarly and public concern for as long as entertaining media have existed. Typically, this concern is focused on the potential for media to negatively impact young audiences’ social and academic development. But is this concern warranted? What exactly do children “get” from entertainment media? In this chapter, we attempt to answer these questions. We first provide an overview of several different age and developmental markers that characterize the heterogeneity of child audiences and review the factors that govern media’s influence on audiences at different developmental milestones. Next, we turn to research assessing entertainment media’s effects on children in three key areas: story evaluation, academic competencies, and social values. Finally, we look to the future of the field and consider questions left to be answered by scholars assessing the complex relationship between entertainment media and young audiences.
Abstract
Children’s entertainment media has been the topic of great scholarly and public concern for as long as entertaining media have existed. Typically, this concern is focused on the potential for media to negatively impact young audiences’ social and academic development. But is this concern warranted? What exactly do children “get” from entertainment media? In this chapter, we attempt to answer these questions. We first provide an overview of several different age and developmental markers that characterize the heterogeneity of child audiences and review the factors that govern media’s influence on audiences at different developmental milestones. Next, we turn to research assessing entertainment media’s effects on children in three key areas: story evaluation, academic competencies, and social values. Finally, we look to the future of the field and consider questions left to be answered by scholars assessing the complex relationship between entertainment media and young audiences.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- About the Editor XIII
- Preface to Handbooks of Communication Science series XVI
-
General Introduction
- Media Entertainment Theory and Research: Still an Amorphous Area 1
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Section 1: Retrospectives and Foundations
- Chapter 1 Media Effects Paradigms: Was There Ever a Magic Bullet? 13
- Chapter 2 The Early Development of Audience Entertainment Research, 1937–1940 25
- Chapter 3 Humor and Mirth 37
- Chapter 4 Emotion and Entertainment 55
- Chapter 5 Audio-Visual Formal Features of Entertainment Messages 69
- Chapter 6 Encoding/Decoding Entertainment Media 85
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Section 2: Key and Canonical Theories
- Chapter 7 Narratives and Entertainment Media 103
- Chapter 8 Parasocial Interaction and Parasocial Relationship 119
- Chapter 9 Affective Disposition Theory 133
- Chapter 10 Uses and Gratifications Theory 149
- Chapter 11 Cultivation Theory and Entertainment 163
- Chapter 12 Identification with Characters in Narratives 177
- Chapter 13 Media Selection Processes in Entertainment 189
- Chapter 14 Media Habits and Entertainment 203
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Section 3: Considerations of Content/Genre/Type/ Setting
- Chapter 15 Crime Entertainment Media 219
- Chapter 16 Horror as Entertainment 231
- Chapter 17 Sport as Entertainment 245
- Chapter 18 Representation Matters: Ethnic/Racial Depictions in US Entertainment Media and the Implications for Audiences 257
- Chapter 19 Political Satire 273
- Chapter 20 Love It and/or Hate It: Journalism as Entertainment 289
- Chapter 21 Entertainment Media’s Effects on Child Audiences 303
- Chapter 22 Risk Behavior and Entertainment 321
- Chapter 23 Sexual Content, Sexuality in Media 337
- Chapter 24 Aggression and Violence in Entertainment Media 351
- Chapter 25 Entertainment-Education Media: Where Learning Is Fun 369
- Chapter 26 Transcendence and “Inspiring Media” 383
- Chapter 27 Branded Entertainment as a Win–Win Strategy for Consumers and Advertisers 397
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Section 4: Critical and Cultural Considerations
- Chapter 28 Searching for Meaning: Positioning Fan Research within Trends in Communication Studies 415
- Chapter 29 Gender, Identity, and Entertainment 429
- Chapter 30 Globalisation 445
- Chapter 31 Surveillance and Entertainment 457
- Chapter 32 Postcolonial Theory and Media Entertainment 469
- Chapter 33 The Role of Paratexts in Media Entertainment 481
- Chapter 34 Feminist Media Studies and Entertainment 493
- Chapter 35 Mediatization and Entertainment 505
- Chapter 36 Spaces and Places in Entertainment 521
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Section 5: Digital Media and Technology
- Chapter 37 Extended Reality and Metaverse Technology 535
- Chapter 38 Streaming Media and Entertainment Experiences 549
- Chapter 39 Esports and Game Streaming 563
- Chapter 40 Video Games as Entertaining-yet-Demanding Interactivity 577
- Chapter 41 Media Multitasking and Entertainment 591
- Chapter 42 Analytics in the Entertainment Industry 605
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Section 6: Advances and Conclusions
- Chapter 43 Priming and Exemplification: Implications for Entertainment 623
- Chapter 44 The Biology of Entertainment 635
- Chapter 45 Computational Modeling Entertainment Media Choice and Decision-Making in Communication Science 649
- Chapter 46 The Role of Theory in Media Entertainment Research 665
- Author Biographies 679
- Index 691
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- About the Editor XIII
- Preface to Handbooks of Communication Science series XVI
-
General Introduction
- Media Entertainment Theory and Research: Still an Amorphous Area 1
-
Section 1: Retrospectives and Foundations
- Chapter 1 Media Effects Paradigms: Was There Ever a Magic Bullet? 13
- Chapter 2 The Early Development of Audience Entertainment Research, 1937–1940 25
- Chapter 3 Humor and Mirth 37
- Chapter 4 Emotion and Entertainment 55
- Chapter 5 Audio-Visual Formal Features of Entertainment Messages 69
- Chapter 6 Encoding/Decoding Entertainment Media 85
-
Section 2: Key and Canonical Theories
- Chapter 7 Narratives and Entertainment Media 103
- Chapter 8 Parasocial Interaction and Parasocial Relationship 119
- Chapter 9 Affective Disposition Theory 133
- Chapter 10 Uses and Gratifications Theory 149
- Chapter 11 Cultivation Theory and Entertainment 163
- Chapter 12 Identification with Characters in Narratives 177
- Chapter 13 Media Selection Processes in Entertainment 189
- Chapter 14 Media Habits and Entertainment 203
-
Section 3: Considerations of Content/Genre/Type/ Setting
- Chapter 15 Crime Entertainment Media 219
- Chapter 16 Horror as Entertainment 231
- Chapter 17 Sport as Entertainment 245
- Chapter 18 Representation Matters: Ethnic/Racial Depictions in US Entertainment Media and the Implications for Audiences 257
- Chapter 19 Political Satire 273
- Chapter 20 Love It and/or Hate It: Journalism as Entertainment 289
- Chapter 21 Entertainment Media’s Effects on Child Audiences 303
- Chapter 22 Risk Behavior and Entertainment 321
- Chapter 23 Sexual Content, Sexuality in Media 337
- Chapter 24 Aggression and Violence in Entertainment Media 351
- Chapter 25 Entertainment-Education Media: Where Learning Is Fun 369
- Chapter 26 Transcendence and “Inspiring Media” 383
- Chapter 27 Branded Entertainment as a Win–Win Strategy for Consumers and Advertisers 397
-
Section 4: Critical and Cultural Considerations
- Chapter 28 Searching for Meaning: Positioning Fan Research within Trends in Communication Studies 415
- Chapter 29 Gender, Identity, and Entertainment 429
- Chapter 30 Globalisation 445
- Chapter 31 Surveillance and Entertainment 457
- Chapter 32 Postcolonial Theory and Media Entertainment 469
- Chapter 33 The Role of Paratexts in Media Entertainment 481
- Chapter 34 Feminist Media Studies and Entertainment 493
- Chapter 35 Mediatization and Entertainment 505
- Chapter 36 Spaces and Places in Entertainment 521
-
Section 5: Digital Media and Technology
- Chapter 37 Extended Reality and Metaverse Technology 535
- Chapter 38 Streaming Media and Entertainment Experiences 549
- Chapter 39 Esports and Game Streaming 563
- Chapter 40 Video Games as Entertaining-yet-Demanding Interactivity 577
- Chapter 41 Media Multitasking and Entertainment 591
- Chapter 42 Analytics in the Entertainment Industry 605
-
Section 6: Advances and Conclusions
- Chapter 43 Priming and Exemplification: Implications for Entertainment 623
- Chapter 44 The Biology of Entertainment 635
- Chapter 45 Computational Modeling Entertainment Media Choice and Decision-Making in Communication Science 649
- Chapter 46 The Role of Theory in Media Entertainment Research 665
- Author Biographies 679
- Index 691