Emotionale Gratifikationen während der Filmrezeption: Worin besteht der Anreiz, emotionale Erlebnisangebote der Medien zu nutzen?
Final Report Abstract
Emotions are often assumed to be the heart of media entertainment. Entertainment audiences want to have a good laugh, they want to be kept at the edge of their seats, or be moved to tears. Yet, to narrow down the concept of entertainment to the experience of emotions per se would oversimplify the complexity of audiences’ needs and motivations when using entertainment media. This research project aims broaden the scope of entertainment research to the role of emotional media experiences in the gratification of individuals' social and cognitive needs. Results of a series of studies using qualitative and quantitative research methods substantiate the assumption that, besides rewarding feeling qualities, entertainment can be also be functional in terms of social and cognitive needs that go beyond the experience of emotions per se. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of a pool of statements derived from qualitative interviews revealed two types of gratification factors in individuals’ experience of movies and TV series. Three of the seven factors reflect experiential qualities of emotions: 1) fun, 2) thrill, and 3) being moved, whereas the remaining four factors reflect the functionality of emotional media experiences with regard to social and cognitive needs: 4) thought-provoking emotional experiences, 5) character focused emotional experiences, 6) social sharing of emotions, and 7) acting out emotions that have no room in everyday life. German and English language versions of a questionnaire instrument were developed to asses these emotional gratification factors. Validation analyses concerning emotional gratifications obtained in media use revealed that ratings of movies and TV series on each of the gratification factors were predicted by the experience of emotions and meta-emotions and served in turn to predict positive evaluation of the media content. Validation analyses in terms of emotional gratifications sought reflect the convergent validity of the scales concerning the Uses and Gratifications Scales of Rubin (1983) and other entertainment-related measures including the Sad Film Scale, the Enjoyment of Frightening Films Scale, the Parasocial Interaction Scale, and the Engageability Scale. In addition to providing evidence of and measurement for experiential and functional types of entertainment gratification, the results highlight the role of age-related differences in individuals’ entertainment preferences. Young adults (age 18-25) were more interested in thrilling and moving media experiences than older adults (age 50 and above), whereas older adults reported greater interest in thought-provoking entertainment experiences. However, the predictive validity of the scales concerning individuals' evaluation of and interest in watching movies was found to be independent of age, gender and education in both German and US samples. Besides well-researched motivations for entertainment use such as mood management and sensation seeking that have been studied within an arousal regulation framework, the results draw attention to the interplay of emotion, cognition and interpersonal communication in entertainment experience. In particular, the findings underscore the significance of meaningful and thought-provoking media experiences in individuals' motivation for using movies and TV series. This gratification factor has remained under-appreciated in entertainment research so far and offers promising avenues for future research, including for example the role of entertainment media in social-emotional lifespan development and prosocial media effects.
Publications
- (2006). Emotional gratifications during media use – an integrative approach. Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, 31, 261-277
Bartsch, A., Mangold, R., Viehoff, R., & Vorderer, P.
- (2007). Einige Fragen, die Ritualisierung von Emotionen in den Medien betreffend. In: A. Bartsch, J. Eder, & K. Fahlenbrach (Hrsg.), Audiovisuelle Emotionen. Emotionsdarstellung und Emotionsvermittlung durch audiovisuelle Medien (S. 123-141). Köln: Halem
Viehoff, R.
- (2007). Anforderungen an die Erklärung audiovisueller Emotionen und Vorstellung eines integrativen Ansatzes. In: A. Bartsch, J. Eder, & K. Fahlenbrach (Hrsg.), Audiovisuelle Emotionen. Emotionsdarstellung und Emotionsvermittlung durch audiovisuelle Medien (S. 171-186). Köln: Halem
Mangold, R.
- (2008). Appraisal of emotions in media use: Toward a process model of meta-emotion and emotion regulation. Media Psychology, 11, 7-27
Bartsch, A., Vorderer, P., Mangold, R., & Viehoff, R.
- (2008). Die positive Seite der Traurigkeit: Lernen durch negative Mediengefühle? In: Fahlenbrach, K., Brück, I. & Bartsch, A. (Hrsg.), Medienrituale. Rituelle Performanz in Film, Fernsehen und Neuen Medien (S. 173-184). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
Mangold, R.
- (2010). Appreciation as audience response: Exploring entertainment gratifications beyond hedonism. Human Communication Research, 36, 53-81
Oliver, M. B., & Bartsch, A.
- (2010). Predicting emotions and meta-emotions at the movies. The role of the need for affect in audiences' experience of horror and drama. Communication Research, 37, 167-190
Bartsch, A., Appel. M., & Storch, D.
