ABSTRACT

This study examines how exposure to serial audiovisual narratives is associated with media users’ empathy. While mounting evidence suggests enhanced empathy following exposure to written, fictional narratives, the present study expands this line of research to the context of fictional serial audiovisual narratives. Considering that social interactions are instrumental for empathic development, vicarious interactions are proposed as a key mechanism in the relationship between exposure to fictional audiovisual narratives and empathy. Furthermore, the empathy-enhancing role of exposure to eudaimonic entertainment in particular is assessed. Additionally, possible boundary conditions are explored with respect to personality traits linked to reduced empathy. The conducted analyses combine logged data from participants’ Netflix viewing histories with self-report data from an online survey (N = 262). Results suggest that exposure to fictional serial audiovisual narratives predicts empathy via vicarious interactions. Moreover, eudaimonic experiences positively predict vicarious interactions and empathy. The role of specific media content, instead of mere exposure time, is therefore discussed with respect to the facilitation of media enhanced empathy.

摘要

本研究探讨了连续视听叙事如何与媒体用户的同理心相关联。虽然越来越多的证据表明，在接触书面的虚构叙事后会增强同理心，但本研究将这一研究范围扩展到虚构的连续视听叙事的背景下。考虑到社会互动有助于共情发展，替代性互动被认为是接触虚构视听叙事与共情之间关系的关键机制。此外，特别评估了接触 eudaimonic 娱乐的同理心增强作用。此外，还探讨了与同理心降低相关的人格特征的可能边界条件。N = 262)。结果表明，接触虚构的连续视听叙事可以通过替代互动来预测同理心。此外，eudaimonic 体验积极预测替代互动和同理心。因此，在促进媒体增强同理心方面讨论了特定媒体内容的作用，而不仅仅是曝光时间。