Effects of media, parents, and peers on African American adolescents' efficacy toward the media and the future

Abstract

A survey of 137 African American adolescents from a northwestern city tested the Austin model (E. W. Austin & H. K. Meili, 1994; E. W. Austin, D. F. Roberts, & C. I. Nass, 1990) for children's media interpretation processes to explore media, peer, and parent influences on the adolescents’ efficacy toward media celebrities. The model applied well to these data, with realism predicting similarity, which along with desirability predicted identification and efficacy toward celebrities. Desirability had direct effects on all other media‐related variables. Source credibility was not a significant predictor, except for present‐oriented efficacy. Perceptions about peers contributed to perceptions of media believability and efficacy toward media celebrities, the present and one's future, with perceptions about parents contributing to perceptions of media similarity and efficacy toward media celebrities. Thus, the expectation that efficacy would be determined through a decision‐making process both logical and emotional was supported, with perceptions of the media and peers playing a more extensive role than perceptions of parents.

Key words:

• adolescents
• celebrities
• credibility
• decision making
• efficacy
• identification
• media
• parents
• peers
• realism