Psychology of Entertainment Media (PDF)

The Psychology of Entertainment Media provides a cutting-edge look at how entertainment media affects its viewers, both in intended and unintended ways, and the psychological processes that underlie these effects. The collection represents an international, multidisciplinary investigation of an age-old process--persuasion--in a relatively new guise, which includes product placements, brand films, television programs, and sponsorships. The collection covers three broad areas: the potential effects of embedding promotions within entertainment media content; the persuasive power of the entertainment media content itself; and individual differences in the interplay between media usage and media effects. Contributions focus on a variety of topics, including product placement, subliminal perception, narrative impact, cultivation effects on consumers, and individual differences in media use. Virtually all the chapters speak to the issue of how entertainment media are processed, with the conclusion that media consumers do tend to process entertainment and promotional information differently. Providing a broad perspective on how entertainment media may have an effect that goes largely unnoticed or unattended by consumers, this volume makes a substantial contribution toward creating a more knowledgeable field, as well as a more knowledgeable consumer. With its origins in the 21st Annual Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference, the volume represents scholarship from prominent and emerging scholars in psychology, marketing, and communications. It is appropriate for advanced students and scholars in marketing, advertising, psychology, and mass communication; for research-focused practitioners working in marketing, advertising, and public policy; and for individuals interested in entertainment studies, consumer behavior, attitudes, persuasion, media studies, and consumer psychology.