Crossing the color line: An examination of mediators and a social media intervention for racial bias in selective exposure to movies

ABSTRACT

Previous research has found that White audiences exhibit less preference for movies with minority casts than for movies with White casts. We conducted two experiments to explore why this race-based bias occurs and how to overcome it. In the first study, we examined potential mediators of the relationship between actors’ race and intention to view movies with minority actors. Results indicated that perceptions of the intended audience fully mediated the relationship. The second study manipulated this perception via social media postings. Findings suggest the race bias can be eliminated for White audiences. Specifically, the drop in interest in seeing a movie with a Black cast was erased when Whites read positive comments about the film from other Whites.

KEYWORDS:

• Race
• behavioral intention
• identification
• social identity
• social media

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Andrew J. Weaver (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an Associate Professor in the Media School at Indiana University. His research interests focus on the psychology of entertainment media.

Jessica R. Frampton (M.A., Clemson University) is a Ph.D. Candidate in Communication at the Ohio State University. Her primary research interest concerns media's role in the experience of stress in close relationships.

Notes

1. Analyses were also done to compare the community and university samples, but no significant differences emerged, perhaps due in part to the low n in the community sample.