The Day Beyoncé Turned Black: Adolescent Perceptions of Black-Oriented Media

• In Event: Media and Race

Abstract

Black-oriented media, content with predominately Black casts and/or racial themes, is marketed primarily toward Black audiences. However, how audiences perceive such targeting is unclear. To investigate this, Black and White adolescents (n=1,990) identified the perceived target audiences of 15 movies (12 Black-oriented). Results from Item Response Theory and multiple regression suggest that Black adolescents, especially those with strong ethnic identity, differentiate Black-oriented from mainstream movies. Black adolescents report higher exposure to Black-oriented films, particularly if they perceive such films as targeted to Black audiences. White adolescents find it more difficult to identify Black-oriented films. This suggests that Black-oriented films might be successfully marketed beyond Black audiences.

Authors

• Morgan E. Ellithorpe

• Michael Hennessy, U of Pennsylvania

• Amy Bleakley, Annenberg, University of Pennsylvania