AN ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOL RELATED BEHAVIORS AND COMMUNICATION PRACTICES ON ...

115 Pages·2014·0.8 MB·English

“I’LL DRINK TO THAT!” AN ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOL RELATED BEHAVIORS
AND COMMUNICATION PRACTICES ON MTV’S JERSEY SHORE

Thesis
Submitted to
The College of Arts and Sciences of the
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Degree of
Master of Arts in Communication

By
Stephanie Koziar Sweet
Dayton, Ohio
May, 2014
“I’LL DRINK TO THAT!” AN ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOL RELATED BEHAVIORS
AND COMMUNICATION PRACTICES ON MTV’S JERSEY SHORE

Name: Sweet, Stephanie Koziar
APPROVED BY:

____________________________________
Teresa L. Thompson, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor

_____________________________________
James D. Robinson, Ph.D.
Committee Member

_______________________________________
Ronda M. Scantlin, Ph.D.
Committee Member

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© Copyright by
Stephanie Koziar Sweet
All rights reserved
2014

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ABSTRACT

“I’LL DRINK TO THAT!” AN ANALYSIS OF ALCOHOL RELATED BEHAVIORS
AND COMMUNICATION PRACTICES ON MTV’S JERSEY SHORE

Name: Sweet, Stephanie Koziar
University of Dayton

Advisor: Dr. Teresa Thompson

The purpose of this study is to provide a background of alcohol and related risk
behaviors, and analyze their portrayal in the popular MTV series Jersey Shore. This
study bridges the gap between research conducted in the areas of Reality Television and
Health Communication in the media. While previous studies have critically analyzed the
genre of Reality Television and the communication of risk related behaviors and Health
Communication studies independently, how Reality Television as a genre communicates
health related behaviors has yet to be explored. A content analysis was conducted to
identify and interpret how physical and communicative behaviors were depicted on
MTV’s Jersey Shore and categorized how both men and women display and consume, as
well as communicate messages, about alcohol. Four frames related to alcohol use were
identified: escape, fun, excuse, and problematic/corrective references were used by
characters to discuss alcohol use and outcomes. Results indicated high rates of alcohol
consumption but minimal depictions of related negative outcomes. In addition, women
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were shown drinking and intoxicated more often than men, and there were significant
differences by sex in terms of communication patterns related to alcohol. Women tended
to send more messages that related to potential negative outcomes, and were also more
likely to associate alcohol as a means to positive social interaction than their male
counterparts. In addition earlier seasons were grouped together and compared to the final
season after one character announced an unplanned pregnancy and another underwent
substance abuse treatment prior to filming. Although consumption rates did decrease, the
communication practices did not change.
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Dedicated to my family

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My special thanks are in order to Dr. Teresa Thompson, my advisor, my mentor,
for directing this thesis. My thesis would not have been possible without her dedication
and patience, not to mention the many late night/early morning email exchanges. Dr.
Thompson’s greatest contribution by far has been in the form of inspiration. I never
would have made it this far as an academic if it weren’t for her reaching out to guide me
down my far from traditional degree path, and encouraging me every step of the way. Dr.
Thompson’s passion is infectious and I can only dream that one day I can have such a
profound impact on my students, as she has had on me.
I would also like to express my gratitude to my committee members, Dr. James
Robinson and Dr. Ronda Scantlin, for their expertise throughout this process. I wish to
also acknowledge the GTA’s and my colleagues for their friendship and encouragement:
Elizabeth Reeves, Sue Claag, Sarah Magilvy, Ashley Jefferson, and Robert Joseph. A
special thanks is also in order to Christopher Hovey, with whom I began my adventure at
the University of Dayton with so long ago.
I’m forever appreciative of my family, for whose support I am truly blessed. I’d
like to thank my parents for their patience and love, even when I tested the term
“unconditional,” to its limits. It’s an honor to make them proud, for I have always been
proud to have them as my parents. Lastly I’d like to thank my husband, who found me
when I was lost and whose sacrifices allowed me to finish what I started so long ago.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...iv
DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………...…vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………….…….…vii
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………...…………...x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………...…………………………1
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE..………………………...………………….5
Media and Health…………………………………………………………………5
Risks and Risk Behaviors Related to Alcohol…………………………………....9
Media Consumption Patterns of Young Audiences…………..…………………13
Modeling from Television...……………………..…..…...………..…...……......17
Reality Television…………………...……………………………………..…….20
Media………………………………………………………………………...…..27
Research Questions………………………………………………..………….....29
CHAPTER 3: METHODS…………………………...………………………………....33
Participants and Procedures……………………………………………………..34
Measures………………………………………………………………………...36
Analysis Procedures……………………………………………………….……39
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS…………….………………………………………………...40
Research Question 1………………………………………………………….....40
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Research Question 2……………………………………………………….….…43
Research Question 3…………………………………………………….…….…45
Research Question 4……………………………………………………….…….66
Research Question 5……………………………………………………………..71
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION…………………………………..…………..…………...75
Research Questions……………………………………………………………...76
Practical Implications……………………………………………………………89
Limitations………………………………………………………………………92
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………93

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………96
APPENDIX……………………………………………………………………………105

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1A: Frequencies by Behavior – by Season……………………...………..41
Table 1B: Frequencies by Behavior – Totals……………………………………42
Table 2: Descriptive Statistics by Character……...………………………..……44
Table 3A: Means – Physical and Communication Behaviors by Season……….46
Table 3B: ANOVA Seasons 1-6………………………………………………...48
Table 3C: Post Hoc Tests – Multiple Comparisons Seasons 1-6……………….50
Table 4A: Means – Physical Behaviors by Subgroup…………………………..58
Table 4B: Means – Communication Behaviors by Subgroup…………………..58
Table 4C: Multivariate Tests by Sex and Season Subgroup……………………59
Table 4D: Tests of Between-Subjects Effects – by Sex and Subgroup………...60
Table 5A: Multivariate Tests – Character Exclusions………………………….63
Table 5B: Tests of Between-Subjects Effects – Character Exclusion………….64
Table 5C: Descriptive Statistics – Character Exclusions……………………….67
Table 6: Means – Physical and Communication Behaviors by Sex………....…70
Table 7: Means – Participant Sex*Recoded Seasons……………..……………72
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