Politikvermittlung an der Schnittstelle von Unterhaltung und Information – Political communication at the interface of entertainment and information

Leonhard, L., Bartsch, A., & Schneider F. M. (2019). Politikvermittlung an der Schnittstelle von Unterhaltung und Information. Political communication at the interface of entertainment and information. Journal of Media Culture 4(1), 121-145. doi: 10.3726/spiel.2018.01.07

This article presents an extended dual-process model of entertainment effects on political information processing and engagement. We suggest that entertainment consumption can either be driven by hedonic, escapist motivations that are associated with a superficial mode of information processing, or by eudaimonic, truth-seeking motivations that prompt more elaborate forms of information processing. This framework offers substantial extensions to existing dual-process models of entertainment by conceptualizing the effects of entertainment on active and reflective forms of information seeking, knowledge acquisition and political participation.