How Do We React When Our Favorite Characters Are Taken Away? An Examination of a Temporary Parasocial Breakup

This study examined reactions to a temporary parasocial breakup situation during the television writers’ strike of 2007–2008 when many television shows stopped airing new episodes. Past research on parasocial breakups and uses and gratifications theory was used to predict emotional and behavioral reactions. Questionnaire results revealed that participants with stronger parasocial relationships experienced greater distress—even after controlling for the number of favorite programs that went off the air. Moreover, those with greater television affinity reported greater distress when their favorite show was disrupted, although television viewing motives also played a role in this process. Finally, when their favorite shows were no longer airing new episodes, viewers primarily replaced television viewing time with other media exposure rather than increasing nonmedia activities such as social interaction. However, a number of these activities varied by gender.     

Predictors of Social Television Viewing: How Perceived Program,Media, and Audience Characteristics Affect Social Engagement With Television Programming

This study investigated social television viewing by introducing the social engagement construct. Three categories of factors, television program related perceptions, social media characteristics, and audience attributes, were proposed to predict the social engagement experience. This investigation tested 10 audience motives for using social media to engage with television content. It was found that social engagement is a complex process driven by multiple factors, particularly, program-related variables such as affinity, involvement, and genre preferences, as well as individuals' innovativeness trait.     

Minority Stress and LGB-Inclusive Television Viewing Frequency Among LGB Adults: The Roles of Community Connectedness and Perceived Social Support

Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, the present study examined the moderating roles of perceived social support and community connectedness in the relationship between minority stress and viewing frequency of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)–inclusive television shows among LGB adults. Participants identified predominately as White and female, and the largest group identified as bisexual. Participants completed self-report measures of minority stressors, social support, LGB community connectedness, and viewing frequency. A multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationships among these variables. Findings revealed that perceived social support moderated the effect of prejudice events on viewing frequency, such that LGB viewers who reported high levels of prejudice events and low perceived social support endorsed the highest levels of viewing frequency. These findings provide further insight into the ways in which LGB individuals consume media content and may be informative for clinicians in understanding coping strategies for minority stress among LGB clients.     

What Children Watch When They Watch TV: Putting Theory Into Practice

If advertisers and programmers are to keep pace with the rapid structural and contextual changes in broadcast and cable television, and maintain their young audiences, they must gain a better understanding of children's viewing motives and viewing patterns. The authors assess the interrelatedness of television use motives and viewing patterns, and investigate perceptions of viewer loyalty network and station identification, and the generalizability of these perceptions to times when local television stations change network affiliation. This study profiles the child televiewing audience and expands the known parameters of television viewer uses and gratifications by identifying three distinctive viewer archetypes-medium- oriented viewers, network-oriented viewers, and station-oriented viewers.     

When TV and Marriage Meet: A Social Exchange Analysis of the Impact of Television Viewing on Marital Satisfaction and Commitment

Although several studies have examined the association between television viewing and romantic relationships, differences in theoretical grounding, methodology, and findings have produced a picture that is decidedly unclear. Furthermore, past research has been directed primarily toward general relational attitudes and hypothetical relational behaviors without considering potential effects of viewing on existing, long-term relationships. This study sought to address these issues by drawing on the theoretical traditions of cultivation analysis, uses and gratifications, and social exchange theory to explore the associations among relationship variables and measures of both television viewing and belief in television portrayals by analyzing data collected from 392 married individuals. Results revealed that both heavier viewing of romantically themed programming and greater belief in television's portrayals of romantic relationships were associated with lower marital commitment, higher expected and perceived costs of marriage, and more favorable perceptions of alternatives to one's current relationship.     

A NEW LOOK AT TELEVISION VIEWING AND ADULT VOCABULARY

An analysis of a multiyear General Social Survey data set supportsprevious findings (Gaddy 1986; Gortmaker et al. 1990) that,with rigorous controls in place, the negative correlation betweentelevision viewing and achievement disappears. Results of ahierarchical regression procedure reveal that television viewingis not a significant predictor of adult vocabulary, over andabove demographic variables and newspaper readership. But thefindings suggest that new methods of measuring television consumptionmay be needed. Based on 1993 GSS data, the analysis revealsthat frequent viewing of certain types of television programmingis related positivelyand significantly to adult vocabulary scores.The finding highlights the need for new methods of measuringtelevision consumption, for the traditional hours-per-day methodof measuring television viewership may be preventing researchersfrom understanding the true relationship that exists betweentelevision and learning.     

Social Interaction and Co-Viewing With YouTube: Blending Mass Communication Reception and Social Connection

This study examined whether motives and individual differences (social activity, interpersonal interaction, locus of control, sensation-seeking, innovativeness and YouTube affinity) predicted viewing videos on YouTube and sharing videos with others. Consistent with uses and gratifications assumptions, motives and individual differences differentially predicted viewing and sharing behaviors. Participants viewed videos for information seeking, and viewed and shared videos for entertainment, co-viewing and social interaction. Results suggest that while people watch videos on YouTube for some of the same reasons identified in studies of television viewing, there is a distinctly social aspect to YouTube use that reflects its social networking characteristics.     

Sex in College Relationships: The Role Television Plays in Emerging Adults’ Sexual Expectations in Relationships

The purpose of this study was to determine whether emerging adults use relationship television to form their expectations for sexual interaction in romantic relationships. Considering emerging adulthood is a unique period of development providing opportunities to experiment with adult identities, and relationship television contains multiple consistent messages about gender roles in sexual relationships, we questioned whether emerging adults’ relationship television viewing may be related to their sexual expectations in relationships. Our findings indicated women's relationship television viewing was associated with expecting more sexual interaction in their relationship. Men's sexual expectations were moderated by perceived realism. Men who watched more relationship television, and perceived that television to be less realistic, reported expecting less frequent sexual interaction.     

Primacy Effects of The Daily Show and National TV News Viewing: Young Viewers,Political Gratifications,and Internal Political Self-Efficacy

This study examines program ordering effects derived from viewing CNN television news relative to The Daily Show on the political gratifications associated with both types of information sources. Internal political self-efficacy is assessed as an individual-difference moderator. Main primacy effects are found on the gratifications associated with both national television news viewing and The Daily Show viewing. However, The Daily Show primacy effect on the political gratifications associated with national television news viewing was isolated among those participants who retain low internal political self-efficacy. Ramifications for these findings are outlined and future lines of research are summarized.     

Motivation for Watching Television Violence and Viewer Aggression

We examined whether motivation for watching television violence explains viewer aggression and considered the contribution of individual viewer differences, including locus of control, experience with crime, exposure to television violence, perceived realism, and viewer involvement. Several viewing motives and individual differences predicted aggression. Where exposure to television violence was a significant predictor of aggression, experience with crime, locus of control, or motivation were stronger predictors. Path analysis revealed direct and indirect links between audience predictors and aggression outcomes. Results were consistent with uses and gratifications assumptions that individual characteristics and expectations mediate the impact of exposure. Individual characteristics predicted aggressive attitudes, often independent of motivation, contextual factors or attitudes, and exposure. There was no conclusive direct link between exposure and aggression. Because motivation for watching television violence differentially affected aggression, research that neglects to consider viewer motivation and other audience characteristics when drawing conclusions about the effects of violence on aggression is called into question.     

Cultivation Effects on Quality of Life Indicators: Exploring the Effects of American Television Consumption on Feelings of Relative Deprivation in South Korea and India

A hypothetical path model investigated how viewing U.S. television would be associated with feelings of relative deprivation among Asians. The South Korean survey data (N = 352) revealed that viewing U.S. television was associated with estimates of Americans' affluence, and the estimates were in turn associated with dissatisfaction with Korean society. The Indian survey data (N = 333) showed that viewing U.S. television was directly associated with both dissatisfaction with personal life and dissatisfaction with Indian society. The findings suggest that people in both countries may universally experience perceptions of relative deprivation associated with U.S. television consumption.     

The American Filter

This study explored the television viewing habits of a cohort of Asian Indians who migrated to the US more than 40 years ago. This cohort eventually became acculturated into watching Indian television via the satellite dish. The study used the integrative communication theory and examined how two concepts of the theory relate to adaptation: enculturation and acculturation. The study produced findings that described how these Asian Indians used American television to acculturate to the US, but used American television as a filter through which they judged Indian television and distinguished between what they believed to be good and bad programming.     

Determinants of repeat viewing to prime‐time public television programming

This study explores the relationship between several structural level variables and repeat viewing of prime‐time public television programming. A strong positive correlation was found between audience ratings and repeat viewing. Analyses of variance were performed on repeat viewing using program scheduling, presence/absence of continuing dramatic story line, and household cable status, and significant effects for repeat viewing occurred for all. A regression model utilizing these variables accounted for a moderate degree of variance in repeat viewing.     

Developmental Changes in Adolescents' Television Viewing Habits: Longitudinal Trajectories in a Three-Wave Panel Study

Trajectories of television viewing throughout adolescence were described using the data of a panel study in 12- to 17-year-olds. Results indicated that changes in viewing habits are different when daytime, prime-time, and late-night television viewing are examined separately. Although daytime and prime-time viewing showed a decline, viewing during later waking hours increased. Teenagers who have access to a television set in their room watch more; male viewers tend to avoid the "family hour" and "female contents." Findings are discussed within the framework of developmental processes as separation, the growth in alternative opportunities, and identity formation.     

Television Viewing Preferences: Programs,Schedules, and the Structure of Viewing Choices Made by Israeli Adults

Using analysis of program content and programming features, this study identifies patterns of television viewing preferences that explain why certain shows are frequently watched with certain other shows. Principal components analysis (PCA) of data collected from a sample of 750 Israeli adults was used to identify groups of shows often watched by the same viewers. A further analysis was conducted to uncover common features of these shows. The results replicate earlier findings indicating that program viewing preferences are explained by channel loyalty and genre loyalty, but the study adds a focus on the importance of programming language in non-English-speaking television markets.     

Attitudes and parental factors as intervening variables in the television violence‐aggression relation

This study examines the relationship of cognitive and parental factors affecting adolescents viewing of television violence. Participants in the study were 422 adolescents and 298 of their parents who were surveyed for their viewing behaviors, perceptions of violent portrayals, and aggressive behavioral tendencies. Regression analysis indicated that attitude was the strongest predictor of aggression. The more adolescents reported liking television violence, the more aggressive were their intentions. Results suggested that while exposure to violence and parental factors both play a part in mediating subsequent aggression, viewing violence is less important than liking violence.     

Parental Mediation of Preschool Children's Television Viewing

This study examines parental mediation of preschool children's television viewing. Becker's (1981) theory of parent-child relations is used to frame mediation in terms of parenting resources. A survey of 129 parents of preschool children (ages 1-5) reveals that when resources are in highest demand, attitudes toward television are a factor in deciding whether television mediation will benefit children. Demographic variables, parents' attitudes about television, and parents' involvement with children all significantly predicted restrictive and instructive mediation. The findings are discussed in light of young Children's needs for mediation as a guide to television's novel set of technical and cultural codes.     

Gender differences in television use: An exploration of the instrumental‐expressive dichotomy

This study applied an interpersonal approach to understand gender differences in television use. Research shows that males are socialized to be instrumental in communication while females are socialized to be expressive, or focused on relationships. We expected this instrumental‐expressive dichotomy to emerge in television use. In two studies we found limited support that males had an instrumental viewing style, with goal‐directed reasons for watching and intentional, concentrated, and selective use of television. Females had a relationship‐oriented approach to television similar to the expressive orientation. These findings are linked to prior research on the uses of television.     

Television and Movie Viewing Predict Adults’ Romantic Ideals and Relationship Satisfaction

The current study examined the associations between television and movie use, romantic ideals (belief in love conquers all and soul mates), and relationship satisfaction among adults who were currently in romantic relationships. Participants were 306 individuals aged 18–64. They were asked about their media use, their romantic beliefs, and their current relationship. In addition to overall time spent watching television and movies, seven specific genres were measured. Results indicated that viewing each genre of television and movie analyzed (including relationship reality TV, TV drama, TV comedy, soap opera, and romantic movie) was positively associated with romantic ideals. The results for television were not in the hypothesized direction or consistent with prior studies. Television drama and romantic movie viewing were the strongest predictors of belief in love conquers all and relationship satisfaction, whereas soap opera viewing was the strongest predictor of belief in soul mates. None of these associations were moderated by age or relationship length. Mediation analyses also showed that specific genres of viewing were positively associated with relationship satisfaction via romantic ideals. The implications of viewing television and movies for adults’ romantic relationships are discussed.     

Television Viewing,Perceived Similarity,and Adolescents' Expectations of a Romantic Partner

This study aimed to explore the relationships between overall and romantically themed television viewing and adolescents' expectations of a romantic partner. A sample of 428 15- and 76-year-olds from Belgium rated the importance of physical attractiveness and a pleasant personality in a romantic partner. Results show moderate but significant associations for overall television viewing, after background variables and the quality of other relationships were accounted for. These associations are unrelated to direct experience and the perceived similarity of televised portrayals. Discussion focuses on the need for continued research in this area and on the role of direct experience.