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The depiction of alcohol on television is an important explanatory variable for drinking behaviour. Even though alcohol consumption is frequently shown on popular TV shows, research on the impact of TV characters as models of drinking behaviour remains scarce. We theorise that the perceived similarity to a TV character is a key mechanism to exp...
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... One research question that flows easily from this finding concerns the extent to which matching the ethnicity of actors with the ethnicity of message recipients actually produces enhanced persuasion (i.e., decreased consumption). This is widely believed and has been shown to be the case in other health domains [17][18][19][20]. However, empirical research is needed to demonstrate the efficacy of character-audience matching in the context of SSBs. ...
Media campaigns can reduce or promote the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Brief, US-based English-language online messages were gathered from searchable media platforms, a process that yielded 112 anti-SSB videos and 29 pro-SSB commercials. Using a combination of inductive and deductive methods, a content analysis of those messages was conducted to identify their properties. They were coded for the direction (pro vs. anti), target of the advocacy (e.g., consumption vs. policy), actor demographics (gender, age, and ethnicity), persuasive theme (e.g., excessive sugar, nurturing), and message sensation value. Anti-SSB appeals primarily targeted individual-level consumption behavior. They utilized six persuasive themes and often included more than one theme in a single message. Pro-SSB messages used feel-good themes and utilized only one theme per message. The proportions of adults, adolescents, and children differed by the direction of the advocacy. Black, Hispanic, and Asian actors were under-represented in the anti-SSB sample relative to Whites. Pro-SSB appeals were slightly higher than anti-SSB appeals in message sensation value (p = 0.09). The findings illuminate the message features that characterize the universe of brief anti-SSB appeals available online, highlight messaging disparities, and reveal the absence of certain common, effective persuasive themes.
... Notably, some individuals are more likely to learn from media portrayals if they share a sense of similarity with them. One factor linked to similarity is individuals' own alcohol consumption (Mayrhofer & Matthes, 2020). Following the incentive sensitization theory (Robinson & Berridge, 2008), repeated exposure to substances can incentivize the brain's reward system. ...
... While some scholars have challenged the notion that the AAB contributes to the development of an offline alcohol use disorder (Christiansen et al., 2015;Roberts & Fillmore, 2015), it is crucial to assess whether high-risk drinkers are more attentive to online alcohol depictions. This assessment is not only key to assess which subgroups of adolescents are most vulnerable to alcohol-related media content (Geusens et al., 2019;Mayrhofer & Matthes, 2020), but also to inform interventions to empower these individuals to critically process alcohol-related content (Austin et al., 2016;Kupersmidt et al., 2012). ...
Social media users are frequently exposed to alcohol images on Instagram, which in turn influences their own alcohol behaviors. Yet, it is unclear what factors drive attention to alcohol cues. In an eye-tracking study (N = 108; Mage = 16.54), we examined adolescents' attention to Instagram Stories depending on: (a) the type of beverage depicted (beer vs water), (b) the character-product interaction portrayed (CPI: peers in images shown consuming [high CPI] vs holding beverages [low CPI]) and, (c) participant's own susceptibility (high vs low-risk alcohol drinker). Our results illustrated that adolescents allocated an equal amount of attention to beer and water depicted in Instagram images. Furthermore, they devoted more attention to Instagram images wherein peers were shown consuming water and beer (high CPI) compared to those wherein peers were holding these beverages (low CPI). Surprisingly, high-risk alcohol drinkers were more responsive to both beer and water cues than low-risk drinkers. This was particularly the case for Instagram images with high CPI. These findings have implications for how health cues on Instagram are attended to and processed.
... In today's media environment, people are likely to be repeatedly exposed to media characters experiencing different consequences for their actions, which in turn might elicit their cognition and behavioral change (Mayrhofer and Matthes, 2020). For example, Mayrhofer and Naderer (2019) found that the portrayal of positive consequences of consuming alcohol in movies or TV dramas increases positive expectations and attitudes about alcohol among those with low alcohol consumption. ...
The relationship between exposure to prosocial media content and prosocial behavior has been extensively explored. However, previous studies mainly explore the effect of prosocial media content exposure by comparing an individual’s exposure to the different types of content (i.e., prosocial content or neutral content), and generally focus on traditional media and video games, with less attention given to the increasingly popular new media platforms. In this study, we explored new dimensions by considering individuals’ exposure to different consequences of the same prosocial behavior (i.e., reward, punishment, or no consequences) in the context of short videos. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and the General Learning Model, this experimental study identified the effect of such exposure on subsequent prosocial behavior among adolescents. We found that compared to the no consequences group, exposure to the reward consequence did not significantly predict moral elevation and subsequent prosocial behavior. Meanwhile, exposure to the punishment consequence had a significantly negative effect on subsequent prosocial behavior via moral elevation. Furthermore, the results revealed that empathy moderated the relationship between moral elevation and prosocial behavior, and moral elevation only positively predicted prosocial behavior among those with low empathy. Theoretically, this study deepens our understanding of the impact of exposure to different consequences of prosocial behavior on adolescents’ subsequent prosocial behavior, and highlights the importance of moral elevation and empathy to understand the underlying mechanism. The study also provides some practical implications for parents and practitioners to nurture prosocial behavior among adolescents.
... 37,38,64,73,74 e154 have focused on news media as the primary source of data. Although some researchers have focused on the representations of alcohol use on television more broadly, 4,5,13,79 to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore representations specific to gendered understandings of women's alcohol use during pregnancy. While the aim of our study was initially to explore the representations of women's alcohol use during pregnancy, storylines regarding women's substance use during pregnancy were so pervasive and problematic that they warranted exploration in this study as a sub-theme within the larger context of women's substance use. ...
Background and objective: Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and their partners frequently report obtaining information about alcohol use during pregnancy from the mass media. Relying on mainstream media sources, such as television, can be problematic when the information presented is inaccurate, contributing to inconsistent messaging about the ‘safety’ of alcohol use during pregnancy. In the current study, we aimed to explore the portrayal of alcohol (and substance) use (e.g., tobacco, opioids) during pregnancy in North American, English speaking mainstream prime time and streaming television shows (N = 25). To the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has explored the representations of alcohol (and/or substance use) during pregnancy in this context.
Materials and methods: The following inclusion criteria guided the show selection: (1) top 100 shows on cable/streaming services targeting women aged 18 to 49 years, and (2) shows suggested by targeted social media posts. Using ethno-graphic content analysis (ECA), the content and role of television media narratives in the social construc-tion of alcohol meanings concerning the safety of alcohol use during pregnancy were explored.
Results and conclusion: In line with ECA, the results and conclusion are discussed together. The results and discussion are presented under an overarching narrative, the dichotomy of women’s alcohol and substance use, which illustrates the sociocultural construction of alcohol and substance use during pregnancy. Within this overarching narrative, we focus on two sub-narratives: (1) women’s acceptable use and (2) women’s villainous use. Our analysis indicates misrepresentations regarding the safety of alcohol use during conception (e.g., Friends from College) and pregnancy (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Mindy Project). In addition, a narrative was identified relating to the difficulty of keeping a pregnancy private when not drinking socially (e.g., Friends, The Office). These narratives reinforced a dichotomy between the types of women who drink during pregnancy, including some for whom it was okay to have ‘just a little bit’ (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Black Mirror) in contrast to others who were portrayed as villains who engaged in binge drinking behaviour and/or other comorbid substance use (e.g., Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Chicago Med, Law & Order). These results demonstrate the need to provide a clear, consistent messaging about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy, as mixed messages from television can contribute to misinformation. The recommendations for messaging, as well as changing our approaches to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention in the light of these findings are discussed.
... 37,38,64,73,74 e154 have focused on news media as the primary source of data. Although some researchers have focused on the representations of alcohol use on television more broadly, 4,5,13,79 to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore representations specific to gendered understandings of women's alcohol use during pregnancy. While the aim of our study was initially to explore the representations of women's alcohol use during pregnancy, storylines regarding women's substance use during pregnancy were so pervasive and problematic that they warranted exploration in this study as a sub-theme within the larger context of women's substance use. ...
Background and objective
Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and their partners frequently report obtaining information about alcohol use during pregnancy from the mass media. Relying on mainstream media sources, such as television, can be problematic when the information presented is inaccurate, contributing to inconsistent messaging about the ‘safety’ of alcohol use during pregnancy. In the current study, we aimed to explore the portrayal of alcohol (and substance) use (e.g., tobacco, opioids) during pregnancy in North American, English speaking mainstream prime time and streaming television shows ( N = 25). To the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has explored the representations of alcohol (and/or substance use) during pregnancy in this context.
Materials and methods
The following inclusion criteria guided the show selection: (1) top 100 shows on cable/streaming services targeting women aged 18 to 49 years, and (2) shows suggested by targeted social media posts. Using ethnographic content analysis (ECA), the content and role of television media narratives in the social construction of alcohol meanings concerning the safety of alcohol use during pregnancy were explored.
Results and conclusion
In line with ECA, the results and conclusion are discussed together. The results and discussion are presented under an overarching narrative, the dichotomy of women's alcohol and substance use, which illustrates the sociocultural construction of alcohol and substance use during pregnancy. Within this overarching narrative, we focus on two sub-narratives: (1) women's acceptable use and (2) women's villainous use. Our analysis indicates misrepresentations regarding the safety of alcohol use during conception (e.g., Friends from College) and pregnancy (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Mindy Project). In addition, a narrative was identified relating to the difficulty of keeping a pregnancy private when not drinking socially (e.g., Friends, The Office). These narratives reinforced a dichotomy between the types of women who drink during pregnancy, including some for whom it was okay to have ‘just a little bit’ (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Black Mirror) in contrast to others who were portrayed as villains who engaged in binge drinking behaviour and/or other comorbid substance use (e.g., Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Chicago Med, Law & Order). These results demonstrate the need to provide a clear, consistent messaging about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy, as mixed messages from television can contribute to misinformation. The recommendations for messaging, as well as changing our approaches to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention in the light of these findings are discussed.
... An interview study from Sweden explores how people with earlier substance use problems narrate their experiences of becoming and being parents (Heimdahl Vepsä, 2020). An experimental study on televised drinking points out some variables for understanding viewers' expectations towards alcohol (Mayrhofer & Matthes, 2020). Last but not least, the alcohol theme is discontinued with a scoping review regarding problematic internet use (PIU) and internet addiction (IA) by Dahl and Helmersson Bergmark (2020). ...
... It is necessary to point out that the audience's attitudes and behaviors can be a mediator of the perception of alcohol consumption in the media, as shown by Mayrhofer and Matthes [35] from an experimental study. This research concluded that those who consumed few alcoholic beverages perceived themselves as more similar to characters in a fictional series who drank little, demonstrating that the perceived similarity and the audience's alcohol consumption-at the individual scale-are intermediaries of their level of affectation. ...
This research analyzes the presence of advertising and radio mentions of alcoholic beverages and sports betting, two products that represent harmful behaviors for the audiences' health. To do this, a quantitative content analysis was undertaken for all of the programming of the three most listened radio stations in Spain (Cadena Ser, COPE, and Onda Cero) throughout 2017, obtaining a total corpus of 2848 radio messages distributed as follows: 266 radio spots and 2582 radio mentions. The messages were also analyzed according to the broadcasting schedules (protected time-slot or non-protected time-slot). The results showed that advertising and sports betting mentions were more present in the regular programming of the three stations (n = 2304), with mentions (n = 2582) being more numerous than advertising spots (n = 544). Moreover, it is evident that in practice, none of the radio stations respected the protected time slots since the majority of the mentions and spots of high alcoholic beverages and sports bets were verified between 6:00-21:59 (n = 2522). These results show the prevailing need for greater control over this type of content by public entities, demonstrating a significant lack of regulation by the media's self-control mechanisms.
Influencer marketing is a very important marketing strategy that builds its success on the strong link between influencers and their followers. A recent change in legislation obligates influencers to disclose if they are posting promotional content. Some studies indicate that such disclosures might dampen positive attitudes toward the promoted product as well as toward the influencer itself. With this study (N = 396 female participants), we investigate the effects of the sponsored partnership disclosure on Instagram compared to no disclosure and no brand depiction. As an addition to existing disclosure research, we furthermore explore the moderating role of similarity based on shared interests with the influencer. We manipulate the follower-influencer similarity by exposing our participants to one out of two influencers with a specific interest and by examining the interests of our participants in these topics. Findings suggest that disclosures can foster ad recognition. Disclosures can also lead to increased influencer trustworthiness when there is high follower-influencer similarity. Trustworthiness, in turn, affects purchase intentions for the advertised brand and future intentions to follow the influencer in a positive way.
