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Sexual Socialization Messages in Mainstream Entertainment Mass Media: A Review and Synthesis

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Abstract

Results of recent research on the effects of the mainstream entertainment mass media on youth sexuality indicate that studies that do not take care to link particular types of media content to conceptually related outcomes are likely to yield results inconsistent with theoretical expectations. The purpose of this article is to facilitate content sensitive research by providing a review of the literature that researchers can use as a reference point when considering which questions to pose in their efforts to assess the effects of sexual entertainment media content on young people. Key results of content analyses of sexual portrayals in programs popular with adolescents across the entire television landscape, in prime-time programming popular with adolescents, soap operas, music videos, talk shows, feature length films, and magazines targeting adolescent and young adult females and males are presented, differences and similarities across genres are highlighted, and implications for future research are considered.

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Notes

  1. The terms “adolescent” “teen” and “teenager” are used interchangeably to refer to youth approximately 13–18 years of age.

  2. The content analyses chosen for review were selected because they investigated mainstream entertainment media genres and vehicles known to be popular with adolescents. However, it is acknowledged that pre-teens and youth in their 20s may also frequently attend to many of the genres and vehicles reviewed here.

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  1. Department of Communication, University of Arizona, 825 E. 5th Street, Apt 333A, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA

    Paul J. Wright

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Wright, P.J. Sexual Socialization Messages in Mainstream Entertainment Mass Media: A Review and Synthesis. Sexuality & Culture 13, 181–200 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-009-9050-5

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