The Moderating Role of Gender and Compulsive Buying Tendencies in the Cultivation Effects of TV Show and TV Advertising: A Cross Cultural Study Between the United States and South Korea

Abstract

Cultivation effect has been one of the dominant theories in mass communication studies to explain the impact of television contents on viewers. Using cross-cultural samples from the United States (n = 298) and South Korea (n = 1,136), we investigated two major research themes: (a) the direct impact of television shows (i.e., dramas and movies) and television advertising on the audience's perceived "fear of crime" and perceived "materialistic society," and (b) the resonance (moderating) role of gender and compulsive buying tendency on the cultivation effects. Using structural equation modeling, we found evidence of cultivation effects in both cultures. The results also suggest that the cultivation effects of television shows and television ads on viewers' perceived fear of crime and perceptions of a materialistic society are stronger for females than for males in the two cultures. Finally, viewers' compulsive buying tendencies are found to be a moderator between television advertising and perceptions of a materialistic society in Korea, whereas such moderating impact is not significant in the United States. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.