Mina Tsay-Vogel

How Violent Video Games Communicate Violence: A Literature Review and Content Analysis of Moral Disengagement Factors

Mechanisms of moral disengagement in violent video game play have recently received considerable attention among communication scholars. To date, however, no study has analyzed the prevalence of moral disengagement factors in violent video games. To fill this research gap, the present approach includes both a systematic literature review and a content analysis of moral disengagement cues embedded in the narratives and actual game play of 17 top-ranked first-person shooters (PC). Findings suggest that moral disengagement factors are frequently embedded in first-person shooters, but their prevalence varies considerably. Most violent video games include justifications of the portrayed violence, a distorted portrayal of consequences, and dehumanization of opponents. Implications of the findings for research on violent games are discussed.

Social media cultivating perceptions of privacy: A 5-year analysis of privacy attitudes and self-disclosure behaviors among Facebook users:

In light of the omnipresence of personal information exchange in the virtual world, this study examines the effects of Facebook use on privacy perceptions and self-disclosure behaviors across a 5-year period from 2010 to 2015. Findings at the global level support the socializing role of Facebook in cultivating more relaxed privacy attitudes, subsequently increasing self-disclosure in both offline and online contexts. However, longitudinal trends indicate that while risk perceptions increased for heavy users, they remained stable for light users. Furthermore, the negative relationship between privacy concerns and self-disclosure weakened across time. Implications for the application of cultivation theory to a contemporary social media context and the year-to-year changes in the impact of Facebook use on privacy attitudes and self-disclosure are discussed.

Me versus them: Third-person effects among Facebook users

The immense popularity of Facebook with more than 1 billion active users continues to spark the attention of communication scholars. While much is known about Facebook members’ motivations, usage patterns, and gratifications obtained from this social networking site (SNS), minimal attention has been given to examine the perceived consumption and impact of Facebook on users themselves versus others. Applying the third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis to the context of social media, this research uniquely investigates the (a) difference in estimated Facebook effects on self versus others, (b) relationship between perceptions of Facebook use and estimated Facebook effects on self versus others, and (c) association between perceived desirability of Facebook as a social medium and estimated Facebook effects on self versus others. The aforementioned relationships are also moderated by gender and age. Implications for the relevance of TPE on users of SNSs are discussed.

Fandom and the search for meaning: Examining communal involvement with popular media beyond pleasure.

The present study expands on current theorizing about fandom by considering how communal involvement with popular media extends beyond pleasure and is more strongly associated with the search for meaning. Using the context of one of the most widespread media phenomena dominating popular culture—the Harry Potter franchise, results of an online questionnaire (N = 235) indicated that individual differences among fans (i.e., narrative exposure and eudaimonic motivation or the desire to seek meaning from entertainment) predicted involvement in fan communities. Further, perceived membership in fan communities enhanced enjoyment, appreciation, physiological reactions, knowledge acquisition, and intentions to seek fan-related materials. Implications for expanding entertainment scholarship in the study of meaningful media related to fandom and our understanding of contemporary forms of fandom in light of new technological affordances are discussed.

Exploring viewers’ responses to nine reality TV subgenres.

Reality TV is a genre that places nonactors in dramatic situations with unpredictable outcomes. The influx of reality TV dominating network and cable programming has been highly reflective in its expansion of formats, evident from the variety of narrative themes embedded in reality-based shows. Findings from this exploratory study (N = 274) reveal significant differences in the way college students affectively, cognitively, and behaviorally engage with reality TV. Specifically, identification, interactivity, enjoyment, perceived realism, and perceived competition across 9 reality TV subgenres: dating/romance, makeover/lifestyle, hidden camera, talent, game show, docusoap, sitcom, law enforcement, and court significantly differed. Data provide strong support that programs commonly defined as reality-based offer qualitatively distinct affective, cognitive, and behavioral experiences and gratifications for viewers.

Beyond Heroes and Villains: Examining Explanatory Mechanisms Underlying Moral Disengagement

In recent years, theorizing regarding the role and importance of media entertainment in everyday life has garnered much serious attention by media effects scholars. The role of moral judgments, sanctions, and lack thereof are areas in which theoretical development has expanded. The present study examines narrative exposure, identification, and moral judgment as indicators of the degree to which individuals may morally disengage during mediated entertainment experiences. In addition, this study attempts to further expand disposition theory and theorizing about the role of moral disengagement by moving beyond conceptualizations of good, bad, and morally ambiguous characters to explore more subtle moral distinctions between characters as they exist within the same narrative and along a continuum. Results suggest that identification and moral judgment serve as important mediators predicting moral disengagement; however, the nature of these relationships are moderated by the perception of the character’s moral fortitude.

The Power of Positive Action: Exploring the Role of Participatory Behaviors Through the Lens of the Tripartite Model of Media Enjoyment

Offering an initial test of Nabi and Krcmars tripartite model of media enjoyment, this study examines how affective, cognitive, and especially behavioral responses to a participatory reality TV program predict program enjoyment, viewing intention, and future program viewing. Responses to Foxs American Idol series suggest that affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to the program are interrelated. Of particular interest, behavioral engagement (specifically positive or supportive actions) during the viewing experience enhances intention for subsequent program viewing. Viewing intention was also strongly predictive of future viewing behaviors. Implications for the tripartite model and considerations of affect, cognition, and behavior in examining audience gratifications beyond entertainment are addressed.

Inspirational Reality TV: The Prosocial Effects of Lifestyle Transforming Reality Programs on Elevation and Altruism

In light of recent theories of meaningful media that suggest a host of psychological benefits, the present study uniquely extends the boundaries of the effects of reality TV from simply offering pleasure, diversion, and amusement to its viewers to also providing deep insight and meaning. In particular, a between-subjects experiment (N = 143) examined differences in affective, cognitive, and motivational responses to lifestyle transforming versus game based reality programs. Findings indicate that lifestyle transforming reality TV produced stronger feelings of elevation and perceptions of the program as moving and thought-provoking than game reality TV, which in turn increased motivations for altruism. Avenues for future research and theoretical implications of meaningful and inspiring reality TV for positive psychology are discussed.

Effects of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motivations on Film Enjoyment Through Moral Disengagement

In light of literature documenting differences in viewers’ entertainment preferences, this study (N = 168) examined how motivations for film consumption based on pleasure (hedonism) and meaning (eudaimonia) are associated with moral disengagement and enjoyment of content featuring a morally ambiguous character. Findings indicate that whereas hedonic motivation positively influenced moral disengagement, eudaimonic motivation had the reverse effect. Furthermore, eudaimonic motivation had a direct positive influence on enjoyment, and the relationship between hedonic motivation and enjoyment was mediated by moral disengagement. Implications for the role of morality as it relates to individual preferences for media consumption and enjoyment are discussed.

Is Watching Others Self-Disclose Enjoyable?

Self-disclosure is a means through which closeness, familiarity, and satisfaction are produced between partners. The present study integrated interpersonal and mass communication literature to theoretically inform the outcomes of mediated forms of self-disclosure between a viewer and character on television. Empirically testing the effects of two dimensions of disclosure – depth (low intimacy versus high intimacy) and mode (character-to-viewer versus character-to-character versus narrator-to-viewer) of information delivery – this research supported the prediction that a viewer’s overall enjoyment of witnessing a character self-disclose personal information would be mediated by identification and transportation. The results suggest the meaningful role of “character address” in heightening audience engagement with both the character and narrative. Implications for the similarity of interpersonal and mediated relationships, effective entertainment formats, social reality perceptions, and online self-disclosu...