Elsevier

Poetics

Volume 92, Part B, June 2022, 101612
Poetics

I wish that I could be like the cool kids: The role of the malleability narrative in entertainment television and magazines on adolescents’ popularity beliefs

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2021.101612Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Frequent exposure to malleability messages about popularity relates to a stronger belief in the malleability of popularity status.

  • Stronger beliefs in the malleability of popularity status positively relates to self-esteem.

  • Stronger beliefs in the malleability of popularity status simultaneously relates to increased popularity pressure.

  • Gender and level of competitiveness do not moderate these relations.

Abstract

The current study aimed to examine how mediated portrayals of popularity relate to adolescents’ well-being. We hypothesized that exposure to malleability messages in entertainment television and magazines related to a higher belief in the malleability of popularity, which was, in turn, believed to relate to a duality of well-being outcomes. On the one hand, such malleability beliefs might be beneficial to adolescents’ self-esteem. On the other hand, adolescents presumably experience increased feelings of pressure to be popular. The results of a survey study among 881 adolescents (M = 17.08) revealed that adolescents who are frequently exposed to malleability messages about popularity have a firmer belief in the malleability of their own popularity status, which, in its turn, positively relates to self-esteem and popularity pressure. Malleability messages might thus provide adolescents with confidence, but simultaneously induce feelings of pressure because they can, and therefore must, become popular.

Introduction

Most adolescents desire to climb the social ladder and enhance their popularity status (Dawes & Xie, 2014). The media are believed to fuel this focus on popularity by presenting idealized portrayals of individuals who have successfully become, or strive to become, popular (Bindig, 2014). Existing literature believes that such portrayals might relate to young people's well-being in positive (e.g., inspiration) as well as negative (e.g., envy) ways (Vandenbosch & Eggermont, 2020). However, these studies predominantly focus on social media (e.g., Longobardi, Settanni, Fabris & Marengo, 2020; Tandoc, Ferrucci & Duffy, 2015), while research on entertainment television and magazines is rather scarce.

Recently, Vandenbosch and Eggermont (2020) created a new perspective (i.e., malleability framework) by introducing ideas of meritocracy and utilitarian individualism into the field of media effects. They suggest that the media provide a narrative wherein the realization of mediated ideals (i.e., popularity) are framed as within reach for anyone who is determined to achieve them, which presumably shapes adolescents’ ideas about the malleability of popularity. The belief that popularity status can be enhanced through effort might benefit their self-esteem (Renaud & McConnell, 2007), but simultaneously induce feelings of pressure (i.e., popularity pressure) because they can, and therefore must, improve their popularity status (Dweck, 1999; Luthar & Becker, 2002).

As such, the current study examines how exposure to malleability messages on popularity relates to adolescents’ popularity beliefs and mental well-being. The contributions to the literature are threefold. First, this study uses the recently developed malleability framework, which combines theories of three different fields (i.e., psychology, sociology, and media effects), to explore how entertainment media (i.e., television series, movies, and magazines) relates to adolescents’ beliefs about the malleability of popularity. Second, these perspectives are further fleshed out by using insights from implicit personality theories (i.e., incremental vs entity theory; Dweck, 1999), which explain the differential views on the malleability of popularity and their relations to well-being. Third, following the malleability framework, this study explores both positive (i.e., self-esteem) and negative (i.e., popularity pressure) outcomes related to malleability beliefs.

Section snippets

The importance of popularity during adolescence

Adolescence is generally perceived as a period in which the importance of peers becomes more salient (Arnett, 2015; Brechwald & Prinstein, 2011). Although parents and family members remain a critical source of socialization, adolescents attempt to become more autonomous and favor the company of their peers over their parents (Brown & Larson, 2009; Miller-Slough & Dunsmore, 2016). Therefore, one of the main concerns adolescents face during this developmental stage is their social network.

Sample and procedure

This study was part of a larger research project named the Media Ideals Project (MIP)5, which was approved by the ethical committee of the university. A total of 29 secondary schools in Belgium participated. First, the researchers visited the schools to offer some information about the study

Descriptive statistics

Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics and zero-order correlations. The average scores indicate that adolescents sometimes encountered malleability messages on popularity in entertainment media. They agreed that popularity status is malleable and neither agreed nor disagreed that it is fixed. Finally, adolescents reported to experience moderate levels of popularity pressure and self-esteem.

CFA to test scales

All scales were tested in a CFA in Mplus. The proposed factor structure showed a rather poor fit with

Discussion

Although existing literature agrees that mediated social ideals (i.e., popularity status) are inextricably linked with how young people feel about themselves, studies that explore the underlying mechanisms in these relations are largely lacking (Vandenbosch & Eggermont, 2020). Moreover, previous studies concerning popularity have predominantly focused on social media (e.g., Longobardi et al., 2020), while little to no research to date has examined whether and how popularity ideals in

Declaration of Competing Interest

None

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) (G073017N). The authors would like to thank dra. Femke Konings for carefully reviewing the manuscript.

Sarah Devos (MA, KU Leuven) is a PhD student at the School for Mass Communication Research of KU Leuven. Her research interests concern the relations between adolescents’ and young adults’ (social) media use and well-being. Her PhD project specifically focuses on the malleability of success and happiness in traditional and social media and the consequences for adolescents’ mental well-being.

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  • Cited by (2)

    Sarah Devos (MA, KU Leuven) is a PhD student at the School for Mass Communication Research of KU Leuven. Her research interests concern the relations between adolescents’ and young adults’ (social) media use and well-being. Her PhD project specifically focuses on the malleability of success and happiness in traditional and social media and the consequences for adolescents’ mental well-being.

    Orpha de Lenne (MA, UAntwerpen) is a PhD student (PhD Fellowship grant of the Research Foundation Flanders) at the School for Mass Communication Research of KU Leuven. In her PhD project, Orpha investigates the effects of non-idealized models in media content on advertising and body image outcomes.

    Steven Eggermont (PhD, KU Leuven) is a full professor in media effects at the School for Mass Communication Research of KU Leuven. His-work has been recognized with several international awards and draws from literature in communication science, developmental psychology, and social and health behavior sciences. He has published widely on children's and adolescents’ media use, the effects of sexual media content, and media effects on health behaviors.

    Laura Vandenbosch (PhD, KU Leuven) is an assistant professor at the School for Mass Communication Research of KU Leuven (BOF-ZAP research professorship grant). The relationship between media and wellbeing is the core subject of her research, leading to international publications in different fields including developmental psychology, sexology, body image, and communication theory. She is involved in several international research projects aimed to study how media affect well-being by focusing on understudied factors such as the role of cultural background, sexualization, media literacy, and malleability beliefs (for the latter she received an ERC starting grant).

    1

    Sarah Devos: Tel: +32 16 19 31 88

    2

    Orpha de Lenne: Tel: +32 16 37 20 56

    3

    Steven Eggermont: Tel: +32 16 32 32 38

    4

    Laura Vandenbosch: Tel: +32 16 32 32 02

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