While studies have shown the importance that media plays during the socialization and the social identity creation (Arnett, 1995; Suess et. al., 1998), less research has been done to specifically look at group dynamics that come into play during a media viewing experience. Therefore this study will analyze the group process of conformity within the entertainment experience.
Conformity
To the best of our knowledge, no study has looked into the social need to conform within the uses and gratification lens of media selection and enjoyment. Conformity has been described as individual tends to adjust their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in terms of group norms through shared, implicit rules (Cialdini, 2004). Historically, modern studies of conformity …show more content…
Therefore, people feel more comfortable when their views are consistent with their group, especially with the person they like; thus they modify their attitude to overcome this ambivalent (Heider, 1946). Levitan (2015) found that the changing of conformity can be influenced unconsciously even without perceiving persuasive statements. He concluded that during information process, individuals unconsciously seek the expectations of other and adjust opinions and behaviors accordingly; especially for those people whose attitudes are ambivalent. An example in a media viewing context would be when one doesn’t understand a joke during a comedy; however, everyone else laughs. This viewer may adjust his attitude towards the joke as he processes that it is funny despite not getting the punch …show more content…
While conformity may seem to have a negative connotation, Jolanda (2005) proposed that conformity is not always bad and can be beneficial for the individual and the group. Therefore, we argue that conformity can help further explain the enjoyment process of entertainment content. However, this proposed model is probably not this straightforward due a range of variability from the social environment, individual differences, and the content within the movies themselves. In order to consider these variables, they will be incorporated into this study to better validate this general
Conformity
To the best of our knowledge, no study has looked into the social need to conform within the uses and gratification lens of media selection and enjoyment. Conformity has been described as individual tends to adjust their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in terms of group norms through shared, implicit rules (Cialdini, 2004). Historically, modern studies of conformity …show more content…
Therefore, people feel more comfortable when their views are consistent with their group, especially with the person they like; thus they modify their attitude to overcome this ambivalent (Heider, 1946). Levitan (2015) found that the changing of conformity can be influenced unconsciously even without perceiving persuasive statements. He concluded that during information process, individuals unconsciously seek the expectations of other and adjust opinions and behaviors accordingly; especially for those people whose attitudes are ambivalent. An example in a media viewing context would be when one doesn’t understand a joke during a comedy; however, everyone else laughs. This viewer may adjust his attitude towards the joke as he processes that it is funny despite not getting the punch …show more content…
While conformity may seem to have a negative connotation, Jolanda (2005) proposed that conformity is not always bad and can be beneficial for the individual and the group. Therefore, we argue that conformity can help further explain the enjoyment process of entertainment content. However, this proposed model is probably not this straightforward due a range of variability from the social environment, individual differences, and the content within the movies themselves. In order to consider these variables, they will be incorporated into this study to better validate this general