Identifier

etd-04142014-133302

Degree

Master of Mass Communication (MMC)

Department

Mass Communication

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Technology is enhancing our amateur culture, which may provide counter-stereotype depictions. The present study reexamined the continuum model of impression formation by investigating how the mechanism of an amateur technology platform interacts with the depiction of amateur content created by social minority members to redirect people’s cognitive process of impression formation of minority members in the online amateur setting. More specifically, conducting a 2 (Stereotype Depiction) x 2 (Platform) experiment, this study looked at whether amateur platform YouTube encouraged people to go beyond stereotyping to form an counter-stereotypic impression of the mediated transgender person featured in the amateur content. Moreover, it examined whether the outcome of the impression formation would be transformed into attitudes toward the featured transgender person and transgender people as a whole. Furthermore, this study explored the psychological responses that caused the transformation from impression to attitudes in the impression formation process in the digital amateur phenomenon, integrating the theoretical framework of elevation. The findings revealed that the counter-stereotypic depiction in amateur content would encourage people’s counter-stereotypic labeling individuation. Regardless of stereotype depiction, the amateur platform encouraged information seeking individuation. However, the consequent increased information seeking individuation might lead to less positive attitudes towards both the featured transgender person and transgender people as a whole. For attitudes towards the featured person, the regular platform and counter-stereotypic depiction optimized the viewers’ counter-stereotyping outcome. Aligned with platform’s influence on attitudes towards transgender people, the regular platform elicited significantly higher levels of elevation responses (i.e. affective responses, physical responses, motivational responses).

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Sanders, Meghan S.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2048

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