Toward a Theory of Entertainment Persuasion: Explaining the Persuasive Effects of Entertainment-Education Messages
Abstract
A growing body of research indicates that entertainment-education programming can be an effective way to deliver prosocial and health messages. Some have even speculated that entertainment-education may be more effective than overtly persuasive messages in certain circumstances. Despite empirical advances in this area, more work is needed to understand fully what makes entertainment-education unique from a message-processing standpoint. To this end, the present article has three objectives. First, the article examines the involvement with narrative storylines and characters that is fostered by entertainment programming. This includes a much-needed explication and separation of several related constructs, such as identification, parasocial interaction, similarity, and others. Second, the article reviews and synthesizes existing theories that have addressed entertainment-education message processing. Third, the article builds on these theories, presenting an expanded theoretical framework. A set of propositions is advanced and directions for future research are discussed. In total, the article offers a clarification of existing concepts that are critical to the study of entertainment-education, a synthesis of relevant theory, and a set of propositions to guide future research in entertainment-education message effects.
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Stories persuade by reducing reactance.
“The first way in which stories persuade is that they reduce reactance (Moyer-Gusé, 2008; Slater & Rouner, 2002).”
From Stories in Action. (2022) · cites this paper as Moyer-Gusé, 2008
Like films, tourism mini-movies seek to impress viewers and persuade them to visit a destination by drawing them into an experiential situation.
“Like films, tourism mini-movies seek to impress viewers (Hudson & Ritchie, 2006) and persuade them to visit a destination by drawing them into an experiential situation (Moyer-Guse, 2008).”
From The impact of tourism mini-movies on destination image: The influence of travel motivation and advertising disclosure (2017) · cites this paper as Moyer-Guse, 2008
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“…on narrative per-suasion not just in social psychology but also in fields related to policy: communication (Braddock & Dillard, 2016; de Graaf et al., 2016; Moyer-Gusé, 2008; Moyer-Gusé & Nabi, 2010) and public health (Hinyard & Kreuter, 2007; Orozco-Olvera et al., 2019; Shen et al., 2015).”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Moyer-Gusé, E.
- Venue
- Communication Theory
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2008-08
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 407-425
- ISSN
- 1050-3293 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2885
- OpenAlex
- W2129077831
- Cited by
- 1,365
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 100 · 2025: 119 · 2024: 104 · 2023: 111 · 2022: 138 · 2021: 118 · 2020: 113 · 2019: 89 · 2018: 71 · 2017: 69 · 2016: 83 · 2015: 58 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 58 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 391.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Communication Theory (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Studies and Communication
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Film in Education and Therapy
- Keywords
- entertainment-education, message processing, narrative involvement, parasocial interaction, identification, similarity, health messaging, message effects, theoretical framework
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