The Role of Contact Richness in Mediated Intergroup Contact: A Test of the Contact Space Framework

ABSTRACT

Intergroup contact varies in richness of the experience, yet the effect of contact richness has not been systematically examined. This paper experimentally tested whether and how different levels of mediated contact richness—afforded by different forms of media—affect attitudes toward marginalized outgroups (e.g., refugees, migrant workers). Data collected online from an adult sample (N = 510) found that richness of the mediated contact experience increased feelings of psychological closeness of the depicted outgroup member, which then reduced intergroup anxiety and perceived threat of the outgroup. This, in turn, increased support for policies that promote more humane and equitable conditions for the two outgroups. Theoretical implications for intergroup contact theory and practical implications for utilizing media programs to reduce intergroup bias are discussed.

Data availability

The data collected for this study is available at an open repository: https://researchdata.ntu.edu.sg/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.21979/N9/9NDPSF

Notes

¹ Technically, media richness entails a much larger set of considerations including things like bandwidth, mutual directionality, natural language, and personalization (Daft & Lengel, 1984). It was assumed that a richer media would be higher on all of these attributes compared to leaner media (Walther & Bazarova, 2008). In our paper, we only focus on bandwidth, which we believe is the most relevant factor that affects contact richness in mass media contexts.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Start-up Grant and Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 Grant awarded to the first author.

Notes on contributors

Nuri Kim

Nuri Kim (Ph.D., Stanford University, Communication) is an assistant professor in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University. Her research focuses on issues of “difference”—ethnic, national, religious, cultural, and others—in discursive environments and its implications for mutual understanding and attitudes toward different others.

Myojung Chung

Myojung Chung (Ph.D., Syracuse University, Communication) is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University. Her research explores how nonprofit organizations, particularly advocacy groups, can strategically use media to amplify voice of marginalized populations, mobilize support for social changes, and engage target audiences in a call-to-action.