Dramatically Entertained: Effects of Exposure to Fictional Political Entertainment and the Attitude Toward Female Politicians

• In Event: The Study of Political Entertainment Media

Abstract

In this study, we explored the relationship between exposure motives to fictional entertainment and attitude towards female lead characters. Since habitual exposure to fictional entertainment is pervasive in all societies, and audiences, especially young adults, cultivate gender realities based on the fictional narratives in movies and primetime drama, the objective of this article is to explore causal interactions between exposure to counterstereotypical fictional drama and attitude toward female politicians. To understand the processes through which exposure to prime time drama culminates in an attitudinal change, the current study also proposes an SEM model to explicate the role of essential mediating variables such as identification, transportation into the narrative, enjoyment, and political self-efficacy, and focuses on direct and indirect effects between media use motivations and attitude toward female politicians.

Authors

• Azmat Rasul, Florida State U

• Arthur A. Raney, Florida State U