The Political Effects of Entertainment Media: Theory and Methods

• In Event: Media, Social Media and Conspiracy Theories

Abstract

Over the past couple of decades researchers across social sciences have turned their attention to entertainment media, such as novels, movies, TV series, and/or video games, as a potential source of political information and perspectives for citizens. This makes sense for a fragmented and polarized media system dominated by entertainment, such as that of the U.S. (but true also of other political systems). The research that has emerged provided evidence of entertainment media’s political effects using various theories drawn from a variety of disciplines, theoretical approaches, and methods. For the work in this area to progress it needs an agreed upon theoretical and methodological foundation. The purpose of this paper is to start the conversation for the development of that foundation for future research on the political effects of entertainment media. In the paper, we review the extant research across disciplinary boundaries, offer a set of theoretical propositions of entertainment media’s political effects, and discuss the methodological issues that confront researchers who wish to test for the political effects of entertainment media. In many western democracies citizens lack trust in news media, seek sources to confirm their existing biases, adopt misinformation and conspiracy theories as plausible explanations for political phenomena, and/or develop apathy. At the same time, the consumption of all forms of entertainment media is at an all time high. Thus, political effects of entertainment media will play an important role moving forward. Our paper lays the critical foundation to guide the research on entertainment media’s political effects.

Authors

• Anthony "Jack" Gierzynski, University of Vermont

• Max Erdemandi, University of Maryland, College Park

• Tom van Laer