Graphic Violence as Moral Motivator: The Effects of Graphically Violent Content in News

Abstract

Common wisdom holds that graphic media violence leads to antisocial outcomes. This common wisdom is reflected in the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. However, theory and research regarding moral emotions’ ability to increase moral sensitivity suggests that this type of negative content may be capable of yielding prosocial responses. This article describes this logic and tests its predictions in two experimental studies utilizing news footage of a mass execution conducted by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Results corroborate claims that graphic media violence can serve as a moral motivator. Higher levels of graphic violence led to stronger anger and disgust responses, which in turn predicted higher levels of (a) moral sensitivity, (b) desires for anti-ISIS interventions (including military and humanitarian efforts), and (c) eudaimonic motivations (i.e., seeking meaning in life). Important to note, no increases in negative attitudes toward Arab Muslims were observed. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Grizzard

Matthew Grizzard (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2013) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Buffalo, The State University of New York. His research interests include moral emotions and moral judgment processes related to the consumption of narrative and interactive media entertainment.

Jialing Huang

Jialing Huang (M.A., University of Miami, 2014) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her research interests include media entertainment and media effects.

Julia K. Weiss

Julia K. Weiss (M.A., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2015) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University. Her research interests include emotion-based perspectives of media effects and persuasion.

Eric Robert Novotny

Eric Robert Novotny (M.A., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2015) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University. His research interests include interpersonal motor synchrony and its ability to elicit positive social outcomes as well as virtual reality and motion capture technology as a means of measuring synchrony and its outcomes in a controlled environment.

Kaitlin S. Fitzgerald

Kaitlin S. Fitzgerald (M.A., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2017) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her research interests include narrative influence and engagement, particularly within the context of entertainment media.

Changhyun Ahn

Changhyun Ahn (M.A., Cleveland State University, 2015) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her research interests include emotional and cognitive processing of video games.

Zed Ngoh

Zed Ngoh (M.A., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2016) is a graduate from the Department of Communication, University at Buffalo and a data analyst in a private organization. His research interests include the psychological effects of entertainment media.

Alexandra Plante

Alexandra Plante (M.A., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2016) is the Director of Communications for the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include translating addiction science through media and narrative.

Haoran Chu

Haoran Chu (M.A., Cardiff University, 2014) is is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. His research interests include climate change communication.