Soap opera viewing motivations and the cultivation process

Abstract

Abstract Previous research of possible cultivation effects of television viewing has ignored television viewing motivations as possible variables in the construction of a "television world view." Results of the present survey of 265 college student soap opera viewers revealed that the interaction of soap opera exposure and viewing motivations better explains cultivation effects based on soap opera content. Viewers who frequently and ritualistically select soap operas as an undemanding activity may be most vulnerable to the genre's messages.