Sung-Yeon Park

The Influence of Presumed Media Influence on Women’s Desire to Be Thin

This study investigated the effect of magazine use on the desire to be thin within the theoretical framework of presumed influence. Structural equation modeling supported the hypothesis that reading beauty and fashion magazines increased the drive for thinness both directly and indirectly. The indirect pathway included the perceived prevalence of the thin ideal in mass media, the presumed influence of the thin ideal on others, and the perceived influence of the thin ideal on self. Social pressure to be thin may be based both on reality and the presumption of influence on others. Results suggest potential strategies for intervention.

Selective Posting: Willingness to post a message online

The communication environment in CMC is particularly relevant to the discourses of the traditional communication theory, spiral of silence. This paper embarked on the task of developing an experimental research method to test willingness to speak out in the spiral of silence theory on an online forum and to test subsequent attitudinal and behavioral changes as measured in issue position, climate of opinion perception, and message posting. A 2x2 factorial design (congruent messages vs. incongruent messages and anonymity vs. nonanonymity) tested the willingness to speak out on an online discussion forum. The result of the paper suggested a new theoretical framework, selective posting, and called for the modification of the psychological explanation of spiral of silence.

Mediated Intergroup Contact: Concept Explication, Synthesis, and Application

This article had an overarching goal of paving a foundation for the scholarship on intergroup contact in the field of media research. This goal was approached from three different directions: concept explication, synthesis, and application. First, selective reviews of literature on intergroup contact research and media effects research were conducted to identify a term that can best represent existing terminology on intergroup contact via media consumption and elaborate on its definition. A synthesis of intergroup contact literature and existing studies of mediated intergroup contact revealed potential moderators and mediators of mediated contact effect. Last, current practices of media production and consumption in the United States were analyzed through the lens of intergroup contact to provide an assessment of the current state of mediated contact. Based on these reviews and syntheses, suggestions for future research and practice were made.

Race in Media Coverage of School Shootings A Parallel Application of Framing Theory and Attribute Agenda Setting

This study investigated news media coverage of the race of the perpetrator in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, using agenda-setting and framing perspectives. More than one-third of newspaper articles contained racial information. The agenda-setting analysis enabled comparison with coverage of the Columbine shootings, in which race was virtually absent; framing analysis revealed that the media framed the VT incident around the perpetrator’s ethnicity and generalized criminal culpability to his ethnic group. Racial and ethnic references were also sometimes displayed in prominent positions.

RACIALIZATION OF THE VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS

This study investigated differences between how local and national newspapers framed race in their coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech (VT) shootings. The results showed a local newspaper, with geographic and social ties to the VT community, published more stories about the shootings than did national newspapers and continued to publish articles well after the national newspapers had stopped. Further, national newspapers mentioned the shooters race more often than did the local newspaper, despite having published fewer articles. The results also showed that national newspapers racialized the shooter more often and more prominently than did the local newspaper, but that the two newspaper types did not differ according to the levels of racialization each used (i.e., attributing the crime to the shooter himself rather than attributing it to his race), according to how racialized discussion of the shooting was, or in their use of implicit racialization.

Reverse Acculturation: A New Cultural Phenomenon Examined Through an Emerging Wedding Practice of Korean Americans in the United States

Relatively recent Korean immigration to the United States has brought a new development in acculturation, which is recognized as reverse acculturation. The term is coined here for the first time to refer to the cultural practice wherein a fully acculturated U.S.-born minority member introduces the heritage culture to the U.S. society. At the individual level, the cultural development goes from full assimilation/integration to incorporation/reinforcement of heritage culture. At the societal level, the cultural exchange starts at the center of the host society instead of its periphery. Global exchange, advanced computer and communication technology, and multiculturalism in the United States are identified as the facilitators. As an example, reverse acculturation is illustrated here via wedding ceremonies of some Korean Americans who integrate part of traditional Korean wedding with conventional Western wedding. As fully acculturated members of the mainstream U.S. society, these young Korean Americans learn their heritage culture through international travels and advanced communication channels such as the Internet; they then introduce the heritage culture to their non-Korean spouse and family. The implications of reverse acculturation are further discussed for teaching, research, and practice of family and consumer sciences.

Selective Moderation, Selective Responding, and Balkanization of the Blogosphere: A Field Experiment

The idealistic view that the web can function as a public sphere for crosscutting discussions has been met with much skepticism. In the current study, a field experiment was conducted to assess the openness of abortion-related weblogs to input made by new users of the weblogs. Consistent with the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE), existing weblog users selectively responded to new user comments by refuting incongruent comments more frequently than responding to either congruent or neutral comments. Furthermore, they exhibited contrast bias by refuting rather than supporting neutral or even congruent comments made by new users. On the other hand, weblog administrators employed moderation systems on a very limited basis and did not selectively moderate comments, incongruent or otherwise, made by new users. Theoretical and social implications of these findings are discussed.

Inside the spiral

This study took a snapshot at the psychological process of spiral of silence in an online environment with South Korean college students as the study participants. In an experiment, a Weblog-embedded news article from a media source incongruent with ones political orientation, as opposed to the same article from a congruent media source, triggered hostile media perception, which in turn led to presumed influence of the online news article on others. The presumed influence on others became a basis for assessing the online climate of opinion and led people to view themselves as a minority against the online climate of opinion. The media source factor, in conjunction with user comments factor, also generated different levels of minority perception both online and in the general society. In contrast to the notion of spiral of silence, minority perception against the general societys climate of opinion increased rather than decreased willingness to speak out. Spiral of silence theory was delineated under media perception and presumed media influence.The presumed media influence on others became a basis for assessing the online climate of opinion.Disagreeable user comments with hostile media source generated high minority perception online.Agreeable user comments with hostile media source generated low minority perception in society.Minority perception against the climate of opinion increased willingness to speak out online.

“Let's Get This Party Started!”: An Analysis of Health Risk Behavior on MTV Reality Television Shows

Past research has examined portrayals of risk behavior in various media, including television, advertising, and film. To address an underexplored area, this study analyzed drinking, smoking, and sexual activities in MTV reality programming popular among adolescent viewers from 2004 to 2011. Cast members’ demographic attributes were also examined in relation to their risk behaviors. Results demonstrated that drinking and casual sexual behaviors were pervasive among cast members. Smoking and more intense sexual behaviors were also present, but to a smaller degree. Men and young adult cast members were more likely to engage in risk behaviors than women and teenage cast members. Also, ethnic/racial minority characters were shown drinking more often than were White cast members. Interpretations of these findings are discussed based in social cognitive theory and the concept of super peers. Implications for future research are provided.

Inside the blogosphere: A taxonomy and framing analysis of abortion weblogs

Abstract This study analyses weblog abortion-related content sampled via a search and snowball method. When weblogs located inside of established media Web sites and other weblogs are compared, they are equivalent in the use of advocacy versus objectivist frames. Media weblog posts contain a political frame more frequently than non-media weblog posts do. In terms of diversity of frame, media weblogs employ more frames in their stories. Various explanations for these findings are offered in the context of current abortion-related content patterns.