Exploring the Effects of Television Viewing on Perceived Life Quality: A Combined Perspective of Material Value and Upward Social Comparison

American television programs have been criticized for being filled with images endorsing capitalist consumerism and for being weighted toward the upper middle classes. This study proposed that heavy viewing of these distorted representations may culminate in decreases in viewers' life satisfaction. A path model investigated this supposition, based on material value and social comparison perspectives. Surveys were administered to 225 adults in a northeastern town in the United States, and the data were subjected to path analysis. The findings of this study suggest that heavy television viewing may be associated with material value, estimates of other people's affluence, and perceived gaps between the self and others in material affluence. Of importance, the findings also suggest that the perceived gaps between the self and others may be associated both with dissatisfaction with personal life and dissatisfaction with current social equality, whereas material value may be associated only with dissatisfaction with personal life.     

Cultivating Conceptions of Masculinity: Television and Perceptions of Masculine Gender Role Norms

The potential of television to both reflect and shape cultural understandings of gender roles has long been the subject of social scientific inquiry. The present study employed survey methodology with 420 emerging adult respondents (18–25 years old) in a national U.S. sample to explore associations between amount of time spent viewing television and views about “ideal” masculine gender roles. The viewing of particular television genres was explored in addition to (and controlling for) overall amount of time spent with the medium, using cultivation theory as the theoretical foundation. Results showed significant statistical associations between viewing sitcoms, police and detective programs, sports, and reality television and scores on the Masculine Roles Norms Inventory–Revised scale. Biological sex of respondent (which very closely approximated gender identity in the sample) moderated a number of these relationships, with positive associations between viewing some genres and endorsement of traditional masculine gender roles stronger for biological male compared to biological female respondents.     

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.     

Affluenza Revisited: Casting Doubt on Cultivation Effects

The researchers use three secondary analyses to explore further the “affluenza” claims linking amount of television viewing with consumerist/materialist values and “affluenza symptoms” such as life dissatisfaction. Those links were generally supported by multiple regression analysis, though at low levels of explanatory power. Heavy news viewing ran in the opposite direction, with heavy TV news viewing correlated with less consumerist values. The authors also found that viewing by streaming on portable devices did not show affluenza correlations. These findings suggest that active audience program selectivity plays a broader role than that envisioned by cultivation theory.     

An integrated model of parental mediation: the effect of family communication on children's perception of television reality and negative viewing effects

This study proposed and tested an integrated model of parental mediation involving family communication, parental mediation styles, children's perceptions of televised realities and the actual world, and perceptions of the negative effects of television viewing. A total of 348 Korean adolescents participated in a nationwide survey. The findings demonstrated that parental, instructive mediation, in combination with open family communication, increased not only children's perceived disparity between televised realities and the actual world, but also children's perceptions of the potentially negative effects of television. Restrictive parental mediation styles were also found to mediate the role of open family communication on children's perception of negative effects of television. In contrast, co-viewing mediation was not found to directly affect either the children's perceived reality or their perception of negative effects of television viewing.     

Who talks how to their kids about TV: A clarification of demographic correlates of parental mediation patterns

A random telephone survey (N = 255) of Washington state parents of children between the ages of 2 and 17 assesses parents’ reported patterns of interaction with their children regarding television, along with parental viewing habits and perceptions of television content. Demographic differences in mediation and coviewing patterns, as well as parental attitudes toward television, are explored, and explanations for these differences are considered. It is concluded that education is a weak predictor of mediation levels, single parents do not differ from dual parents in attitudes about television, and that the negative relationship of income to positive mediation and use of television as a babysitter is related more to overall viewing patterns and environmental constraints, rather than to attitudinal differences. It is suggested that demographics hold little value jar explaining why and how parents hold particular attitudes or engage in particular behaviors relevant to television and parenting.     

Effects of Mergers and Competition on Consumer Benefits in the Multi-Channel Video Programming Industry in Korea

This article examines the welfare benefits of cable television (CATV) merger and acquisitions in the multi-channel video programming distribution (MVPD) market. In particular, it seeks to answer whether cable subscribers are better off in competitive markets than in concentrated markets. This article estimates the impact of mergers by examining Korea's regional market-share data for MVPD operators with a hierarchical-choice model. First, the estimation results show that the consumer value of the CATV platform, in terms of the category values in a nested logit model, was significantly lower in the concentrated markets than in the more competitive markets. Second, the study compares these findings with those in the literature about the U.S. market. The following question is prompted: Why is direct broadcast satellite competitive with CATV in the United States but not in Korea? This article points out that differences in regulatory policies, particularly as they relate to the treatment of vertically integrated networks, do have significant effects on the effective boundary of MVPD competition across platforms. To support this argument, this article provides details on the policies and market characteristics of the Korean MVPD industry.     

The Effects of Mass Media Use and Social Capital on Civic and Political Participation

More recently, many scholars have lamented the decline of social capital, civic and political participation in American society. This study attempts to clarify the concept of social capital and its major components. We differentiate two dimensions of social capital: trust and social connectedness. In addition, we investigate the differential effects of a full range of media use on civic and political participation.

Analysis of data from a telephone survey in Clarksville, Tennessee in 2002 showed that people's social connectedness enhances both civic and political participation. Time spent in reading newspaper and watching public affairs on television was positively correlated with political participation whereas frequency of Internet use and entertainment TV viewing was not. The results also showed no correlation between media use and civic participation. Implications of the findings for future research on democratic citizenship were discussed.     

Television Use and Social Capital: Testing Putnam's Time Displacement Hypothesis

Robert Putnam (1995a, 19956) charged that television is the driving force behind the decline in social capital in America. He argued that television viewing has privatized our leisure time, thus inhibiting participation outside the home. However, Putnam's time displacement hypothesis never has been tested. We empirically examined the extent to which television reduces social capital through time displacement. Analyses of data from a Midwestern city (N = 416) did not support the time displacement hypothesis; time spent with television did not affect civic engagement through perceptions of time pressure. There was only a direct negative impact of television viewing time on civic engagement. Time spent reading newspapers enhanced engagement. Moreover, this relation worked indirectly through time pressures-the more time spent with newspapers, the less time pressures one perceived.     

Gender,Sports, and New Media: Predictors of Viewing during the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics was the most watched television event in U.S. television history, and represented a broad expansion and emphasis on online sports content. This study examined audience's multiplatform experience with the 2008 Beijing Games, particularly the interactions between and among gender groups, viewing the Olympics, and use of new media. Results indicate that although men and women were significantly different in sports viewing and media use in general, they shared similarities in seeking Olympic content on various media platforms.     

Long-Term Sociopolitical Effects of 9/11 Television Viewing,Emotions, and Parental Conversation in U.S. Young Adults Who Were Children in 2001

This research used a survey to examine how 9/11 television viewing, emotions, and parental conversation influenced current sociopolitical attitudes of young adults who were children in 2001. Young adults who watched more television coverage of the 9/11 attacks as children were found to exhibit lower levels of social trust and support for immigration now, whereas young adults who had more frequent conversations about 9/11 with their parents as children were found to have more confidence in U.S. political institutions and to exhibit more support for immigration. These results illustrate that, although the psychological distress from an event like 9/11 may fade for children not directly affected by the event, the influence of that event on how young people think about the world may remain, and that media coverage of and parental conversation about the event play significant roles in influencing these long-term effects.     

Daytime Television Talk Shows and the Cultivation Effect Among U.S. and International Students

Many critics have chided daytime television talk shows because of deviant behavior that they highlight. This study examined if exposure to daytime television talk shows cultivated negative attitudes and perceptions of interpersonal relationships in the U.S. among international and U.S. students. The hypothesis that international students would demonstrate more of a cultivation effect than U.S. students was tested using three dependent measures: (1) estimates of the frequency of certain inappropriate behaviors in the U.S., (2) attitudes about interpersonal relationships among certain primary groups in the U.S., and (3) perceptions of certain interpersonal relationships among primary groups in the U.S. The hypoth-sis received support on all three measures.     

Olympics Everywhere: Predictors of Multiplatform Media Uses During the 2012 London Olympics

The 2012 London Olympics was the most-watched TV event in U.S. history and represented a vast expansion to online and mobile environments. This study examined audience's multiplatform media uses during the 2012 London Games. Results indicate that significant positive relationships existed between and among Olympics viewing on television, on the web, and via mobile. Motivations, preferences, audience availability, and media use routine significantly predicted Olympics viewing on various platforms. Findings highlight the interplay between active choice, habit, and structure in determining viewing of big sporting events through both traditional and newer media.     

The Effects of Government Censorship of War-Related News Coverage on Interest in the Censored Coverage: A Test of Competing Theories

Using experimental data from a split-ballot survey conducted just after the 2004 U.S. presidential election, we tested competing predictions from reactance and balance theories on the effect of government censorship of images of ceremonies that include caskets containing dead U.S. soldiers on interest in viewing such images. In contrast to the reactance theory prediction that knowledge of the censorship should prompt increased interest in viewing the images, the effects of knowledge of the policy depended on attraction to George W. Bush, and sometimes knowledge of the policy prompted reduced interest in the photographs. Inconsistencies between the results and predictions derived from reactance and balance theories are resolved using a simple cognitive response model from the persuasion literature.     

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.     

Family Television Viewing and Its Alternatives: Associations with Closeness within and between Generations

Audience research on family television viewing flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. These studies highlighted watching television as a family as a valuable family routine, structuring the rhythm of daily life and generating family harmony. Ever since, we have witnessed changes in both family structures and media structures, which have affected the ways television is consumed within the household. This begs the question whether earlier findings considering family closeness still hold up. Therefore, this study conducted a cross-sectional survey among a sample of 691 Belgian individuals, nested in 288 families. Drawing upon insights from literature on family rituals and media generations, the results of this study indicate that despite a robust prevalence of family viewing, alternative social patterns emerge coinciding with the appropriation of screen technologies beyond living room television. Further analysis reveals that deviations from family viewing are associated with lower closeness between generations. However, younger generations watching together do report higher levels of closeness with their generational counterparts.     

Beyond Materialism: The Role of Health-Related Beliefs in the Relationship Between Television Viewing and Life Satisfaction Among College Students

Prior research has typically focused on materialism and the perceptions of general others' affluence to explain the link between television viewing and life satisfaction. This study extends our understanding of such a relationship by demonstrating the mediation of health-related perceptions. Surveys were administered to 274 college students at a large southeastern university, and the data were subjected to path analyses. Results reveal that overall television viewing was associated with viewers' perceptions of others' health risks and of personal health risks; in turn, these perceptions significantly related to life satisfaction. Further, overall television viewing was indirectly associated with perception of self-efficacy in maintaining personal health, which in turn reduced life satisfaction. These results indicate that health-related perceptions help establish the association between television viewing and life satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

Binge-Watching: A Suspenseful,Emotional, Habit

Binge-watching, simultaneously treated as both guilty pleasure and legitimate health concern in popular press and academic discussions, is a pervasive media behavior. Yet distinguishing it from other ways of television viewing remains elusive in communication research. The present study employs empirically supported variables to determine if different outcome expectancies are relevant to the frequency of binge-watching as contrasted with appointment viewing of television through the lens of the model of media attendance. Survey results (N = 797) of a college student and representative adult sample reveal that binge-watching is motivated in large part by the behavior already being an entrenched habit among viewers, while suspense and anticipation associated with content and motivation to use viewing to regulate one’s emotions are also significant antecedents. Conversely, more frequent appointment viewing of television viewing was driven by viewing efficacy and older age.     

The role of communication in the formation of an issue-based citizenry

Citizens can gain a better understanding of the important issues of a campaign and where candidates stand on those issues from three primary sources: direct candidate-to-citizen mass media messages (e.g., political advertisements, debates), news (e.g., newspapers, television news), or discussion with fellow citizens. The current study conducted a secondary analysis of 1996 American National Election Study (ANES) data to replicate Brians and Wattenberg's (1996) findings concerning the relative influence of political advertisements, television news use, and newspaper use on voter issue knowledge and salience in the 1992 United States presidential campaign. We also analyzed two additional communication information sources, general political discussion and debate viewing. The effects of political advertisement recall, television news viewing, and newspaper use replicated across election studies. General political discussion was found to affect both issue knowledge and salience, and when introduced into the regression analyses nullifies the predictive power of political advertisement recall for knowledge. Talk's influence on salience wanes in subsequent analyses. Viewing the first debate was a strong predictor of issue knowledge, but was not associated with issue salience. Advertisement recall maintained predictive power for issue salience even after taking into account the other four information sources, and watching the second debate also predicted salience. The combination of results presents evidence that candidate-to-citizen and citizen-to-citizen communication play unique roles in determining levels of issue knowledge and salience.