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Abstract
The present study used cultivation theory to explore the relationships between celebrity media diet and materialism for a sample of 224 emerging adults. Results indicated main effects between both celebrity magazine consumption and celebrity TV news consumption on materialism. Total celebrity media diet was also significantly related to materialism. Findings suggest that a media diet high in celebrity culture and lifestyle has significant impact on emerging adults’ preoccupation with consumerism, particularly for women. This research contributes to a growing body of literature on the effects of a celebrity-saturated media environment and the cultivation of materialistic attitudes.
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Notes on contributors
Jennifer Lewallen
Jennifer Lewallen (M.A., Pepperdine University, 2012) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at University of Missouri. Her research interests include representations of women and youth in popular media and the influence of media on perceptions of the self and other.
Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller (M.A., Syracuse University, 2008) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. His research interests include mediated portrayals of non-dominant groups, and the impact of these portrayals on the construction of identities.
Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz
Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2007) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include how mediated gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality influence stereotyping, self-concept, and health.