Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MIMIc (Malleability in mediated ideals: A paradigm to understand effects of contemporary media in adolescents’ well-being)
Période du rapport: 2023-01-01 au 2024-06-30
MIMIc will develop and establish a new theoretical perspective that will fundamentally redirect the current research on idealised representations of life in mass and social media and their effects on (adolescent) audiences. MIMIc combines insights from cultural sociology, media theory, and developmental psychology to define the effects of ‘malleable ideals’ in media. Malleable ideals are idealised representations of different achievements and are characterised by the malleability that surrounds these achievements; they approach ideals from a utilitarian, individualistic discourse that links personal responsibility and dedication with both the failure and success of achievements. By focusing on malleable ideals and thus applying a sociocultural analysis to media ideals, a crucial perspective will be added to our understanding of the development of adolescents and, more precisely, the pressures they experience. These pressures are viewed as an important factor in the relatively high prevalence of both internalising and externalising problems in adolescence. Content analytical, diary, and longitudinal studies in three different cultural contexts will be triangulated to develop a theoretical model: MIME. Content analyses map the extent to which media abound with aesthetic, sexual, professional, romantic, and social ideals as well as the importance of malleability in these representations. Longitudinal and diary research examine the internalisation of these ideals as a key explanatory process for the effects they may have both on outcomes regarding personal and societal problems and among different groups of adolescents. The multimethod approach further allows the theorisation and testing of the role of varying time intervals associated with understanding the effects of mediated ideals. For this research, the applicant who is experienced in multimethod research on media effects among adolescents will compose and lead a cross-national team of researchers.
OBJECTIVE 1
Conceptually-driven content analytical research to typify and categorise the malleable nature of ideals in different media outlets across Europe was organised by conceptualizing relevant concepts (a digital flourishing and digital balance scale was developed for adolescents), developing media codebooks, performing content analytical exploratory research on adolescent social media profiles, TV shows, movies, and celebrity social media profiles. The data of these content analyses have been analysed and disseminated.
Main results:
Different scripts to identify malleable ideals were identified across different media. For instance, as compared to audio-visual media, audio media appeared to cover even more differential manifestations of malleable ideal scripts. A total of 5 scripts to promote malleable ideals were identified in audio media (i.e. (1) Rags-to-Riches, (2) Deservingness-Reward, and (3) Deservingness-Punishment frames, (4) No-Pain-No-Gain and (5) Control-the-Ship). In social media content of celebrities, influencers and athletes, we identified a novel malleable mediated ideal type of script in which social media celebrities promote individuals to take individual responsibility in societal discussions. These types of messages relate to so-called lifestyle politics.
OBJECTIVES 2-4
The research for documentation and explanation of relationships between exposure to malleability in media content and adolescents’ attribution of responsibility for social inequities and their lower well-being (O2), as well as the identification of variations in these relationships according to different audience groups (O3) and time intervals (O4) has started (O2-O4 were scheduled to address in Y2-Y5).
Tasks that have been performed in view of O2-4: Interviews in France/Slovenia/Belgium → analysing interview data → adopting measures based on interview data → requesting feedback from experts and adopting measures according to feedback → translating the newly developed measurement tools by TRAPD methodology and implementing adaptation according to feedback from native speakers → collecting data for pilot cross-sectional study among adolescents in three different countries (WP1). Collecting longitudinal data for each wave online and asking adolescents to complete an online survey. Collecting diary data for 14 days by asking adolescents to complete an online survey → ensuring the tracking of dropouts is accounted for after each day of data collection. Data analysis WP3 & WP4 diay and longitudinal data. Disseminating results of survey data at conferences such as ICA, 24 hours of Communication sciences and journals such as Communication Research and New Media & Society
Main results:
The in-depth interviews in all countries gave some first indications about how individuals recognise and internalise narratives on malleable media ideals, and subsequently use these narratives to structure their world views (e.g. you need to work hard) (O2). These observations were confirmed in the larger sample of adolescents surveyed in the longitudinal data collection. Interestingly, malleable ideals were suggested to not be internalised by everyone (e.g. your success also depends on luck) (O3) and to also evoke positive effects in youth Longitudinal data showed no within, but especially between person effects. Through inspiration and self-determination drivers, they were suggested to positively respond to malleable ideals on some days but not on other days in the in-depth interviews (O4).
Several new measurement instruments were developed (i.e. exposure to televised malleable ideal characters, exposure to malleable ideal music artists, toxic performance interactions in gaming, internalization of the superstar ideal, internalization of meritocratic beliefs, the digital flourishing scale for adolescents, the perceived digital balance in adolescence scale, and the competent co-present smartphone use in adolescence scale).
Conceptually-driven content analytical research to typify and categorise the malleable nature of ideals in different media outlets across Europe was organised by conceptualizing relevant concepts (a digital flourishing and digital balance scale was developed for adolescents), developing media codebooks, performing content analytical exploratory research on adolescent social media profiles, TV shows, movies, and celebrity social media profiles. The data of these content analyses have been analysed and disseminated.
Main results:
Different scripts to identify malleable ideals were identified across different media. For instance, as compared to audio-visual media, audio media appeared to cover even more differential manifestations of malleable ideal scripts. A total of 5 scripts to promote malleable ideals were identified in audio media (i.e. (1) Rags-to-Riches, (2) Deservingness-Reward, and (3) Deservingness-Punishment frames, (4) No-Pain-No-Gain and (5) Control-the-Ship). In social media content of celebrities, influencers and athletes, we identified a novel malleable mediated ideal type of script in which social media celebrities promote individuals to take individual responsibility in societal discussions. These types of messages relate to so-called lifestyle politics.
OBJECTIVES 2-4
The research for documentation and explanation of relationships between exposure to malleability in media content and adolescents’ attribution of responsibility for social inequities and their lower well-being (O2), as well as the identification of variations in these relationships according to different audience groups (O3) and time intervals (O4) has started (O2-O4 were scheduled to address in Y2-Y5).
Tasks that have been performed in view of O2-4: Interviews in France/Slovenia/Belgium → analysing interview data → adopting measures based on interview data → requesting feedback from experts and adopting measures according to feedback → translating the newly developed measurement tools by TRAPD methodology and implementing adaptation according to feedback from native speakers → collecting data for pilot cross-sectional study among adolescents in three different countries (WP1). Collecting longitudinal data for each wave online and asking adolescents to complete an online survey. Collecting diary data for 14 days by asking adolescents to complete an online survey → ensuring the tracking of dropouts is accounted for after each day of data collection. Data analysis WP3 & WP4 diay and longitudinal data. Disseminating results of survey data at conferences such as ICA, 24 hours of Communication sciences and journals such as Communication Research and New Media & Society
Main results:
The in-depth interviews in all countries gave some first indications about how individuals recognise and internalise narratives on malleable media ideals, and subsequently use these narratives to structure their world views (e.g. you need to work hard) (O2). These observations were confirmed in the larger sample of adolescents surveyed in the longitudinal data collection. Interestingly, malleable ideals were suggested to not be internalised by everyone (e.g. your success also depends on luck) (O3) and to also evoke positive effects in youth Longitudinal data showed no within, but especially between person effects. Through inspiration and self-determination drivers, they were suggested to positively respond to malleable ideals on some days but not on other days in the in-depth interviews (O4).
Several new measurement instruments were developed (i.e. exposure to televised malleable ideal characters, exposure to malleable ideal music artists, toxic performance interactions in gaming, internalization of the superstar ideal, internalization of meritocratic beliefs, the digital flourishing scale for adolescents, the perceived digital balance in adolescence scale, and the competent co-present smartphone use in adolescence scale).
The MIMIc project is the first to unravel the nature and prevalence of malleable ideal scripts in media contents popular with adolescents (O1). The project adds a new bias that has to be considered when discussing the effects of popular media. New codebooks were developed to further identify these scripts in popular media. To address the effects of these scripts on adolescent developments, a procedure for social media data donation and linkage study (O1-O4), and new measurement instruments (O2-O4) were developed. Moreover, a three wave panel study in three European countries was conducted of which the results are expected in 2023. Next a series of diary studies were organized to further inform on the daily effects of malleable mediated ideals on adolescents.