Audience involvement and its antecedents: An analysis of the electronic bulletin board messages about an entertainment-education drama on divorce in Korea

Abstract

This study, analysing an entertainment-education drama's episodes and bulletin board messages about the episodes, explored the relationship between audience involvement and its antecedents. Episode topic and issue controversy were associated with parasocial interaction and reflection as well as behavioural responses (poll participation and message contribution). This study also found the possibility that entertainment-education interventions could be effectively executed by combining old media's entertainment and education function and cyber media's information and discussion forum providing function.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Karen M. Lancendorfer of Michigan State University for her assistance.

Notes

An earlier version of this article is winner for the AJC Award for International Communication Research and the Top Faculty Paper (First Place) Award in the AEJMC International Communication Division's 2003 Open Paper Competition.

http://lovewar.kbs.co.kr/plan.html

http://www.kbs.co.kr/2tv/lovewar/index.htm

The episodes and poll results are available online through the programme's website. The 169th episode that broadcast during the lunar new-year holidays was excluded.