YouTube for Good: A Content Analysis and Examination of Elicitors of Self-Transcendent Media

Katherine R. Dale, Arthur A. Raney, Sophie H. Janicke, Meghan S. Sanders, Mary Beth Oliver

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

Despite the increased attention to eudaimonic media experiences, to date scholars have paid little attention to the specific portrayals responsible for those experiences. Study 1 of this project reports the first systematic content analysis of self-transcendent media—a particular type of eudaimonic media—using a sample of 100 “inspirational” YouTube videos. The presence of 20 specific elicitors associated with self-transcendent emotions was examined and reported. In Study 2, respondents provided real-time self-transcendent emotional reactions while viewing 3 “inspirational” videos. As expected, ratings significantly increased immediately following exposure to each specific elicitor. Thus, this project reports the first empirical evidence directly linking specific representations to content identified as “inspirational” and directly linking those representations to self-transcendent emotional reactions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)897-919
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of Communication
Volume67
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2017

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Communication
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

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