Cultivating Transmedia Storytelling: Real World Perceptions Derived from Popular Media
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Wayne State University Wayne State University Dissertations January 2019 Cultivating Transmedia Storytelling: Real World Perceptions Derived From Popular Media Tabitha Lynn Cassidy Wayne State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations Part of the Communication Commons, and the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Cassidy, Tabitha Lynn, "Cultivating Transmedia Storytelling: Real World Perceptions Derived From Popular Media" (2019). Wayne State University Dissertations. 2149. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/2149 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wayne State University Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. CULTIVATING TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: REAL WORLD PERCEPTIONS DERIVED FROM POPULAR MEDIA by TABITHA LYNN CASSIDY DISSERTATION Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2019 MAJOR: COMMUNICATION (Media, Society & Culture) Approved By: ________________________________________ Advisor Date ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Paul Richard Abraham. Without his support and encouragement, this would have been much more difficult. This dissertation is also dedicated to my dog, Shakespeare Aloysius, who missed out on more than his fair share of walks while I worked. Finally, this dissertation is dedicated to God. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Michael Fuhlhage, for the continuous support of my Ph.D studies and research, as well as for his guidance, motivation, and immense knowledge. Besides my advisor, I would also like to acknowledge my dissertation committee, Drs. Rosie Jahng, Fred Vultee, and Chera Kee, for their encouragement, insightful direction, and for shaping my work. Last but not least, I would also like to thank my parents, Brian Joseph and Terrie Lynn Cassidy, for encouraging me when I was overwhelmed, and for their continuous support throughout my life. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication………………………………………………………...……………………………….ii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………..…....…………..iii List of Tables…………………………………………………………...………………………...vii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………… ……...viii Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………....…........ 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review……………………………………………………………………... 6 Transmedia storytelling …………………………………………………………………...6 Transmedia storytelling within theory ….......……………….…………………..11 Concept explication of transmedia storytelling ………………….………………………15 Transmedia storytelling: explication ……………………………… ……………15 Operationalization of transmedia storytelling …………………………………..22 Categorization of transmedia storytelling ……………………………………………….27 Fictional …………………………………………………………………………27 Non-fictional ……………………………………………………………………. 29 Blended …………………………………………………………………………..32 Cultivation theory ………………………………………………………………………..33 Current Study …………………………………………………………………………… 38 Transmedia storytelling universes ………………………………………………39 Hypotheses & research questions ……………………………………………….44 Chapter 3: Message Analysis Methodology……………………………………….......................48 Design and procedures …………………………………………………………….…….48 Content………………... …………………………………………………………………..50 iv Chapter 4: Message Analysis………………………………………………………………......... 54 Research questions answered ……………………………………………………………56 Doctor Who: it’s bigger on the inside ……………………………………………………60 Political/media theme ……………………………………………………………62 Religious theme …………………………………………………………………. 64 Social themes …………………………………………………………………….65 Ethical themes …………………………………………………………………... 72 Violence themes ……………………………………………………….…………75 Harry Potter: mischief managed ……………………………………………………....... 79 Political/media, and religion …………………………………………………….83 Social …………………………………………………………………………….85 Ethical …………………………………………………………………………...91 Violence ……………………………………………………………………….....94 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….........97 Chapter 5: Survey Methodology……………………………………………………………….. 100 Content & Participants………………………………………………………………… 103 Measures………………………………………………………………………………..105 Chapter 6: Survey Results……………………………………………………………………… 109 Hypotheses 1 and 2 ……………………………………………………………………..112 Hypothesis 3: mediation of familiarity ………………………………………………….118 Hypothesis 4: mediation of identification ………………………………………………129 Research question 4: point-of-entry …………………………………………………… 135 Chapter 7: Discussion & Conclusion……………………………………………………………138 v Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………...138 Implications …………………………………………………………………….146 Limitations ………………………………………………………………….......148 Suggestions for future research …………………………………………….......150 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………...150 Appendix A: Survey Instrument………………... ………..………………………………….…152 Appendix B: Tables & Figures..………………... ………..……………………………….…… 161 References ...…………………………………………………………………………………… 176 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… ……………193 Autobiographical Statement…………………………………………………………………….195 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Participant & total U.S. population age range ……………………………………… 104 Table 2: Demographic information of Doctor Who and Harry Potter Universe Participants…. 110 Table 3: Bivariate Pearson’s correlation among variables…………………………………….. 111 Table 4: Regression analysis of first-order heroic violence for media & transmedia.………… 113 Table 5: Regression analysis of first-order heroic violence for media and DW transmedia….. 114 Table 6: Regression analysis of first-order heroic violence for media and HP transmedia…… 115 Table 7: Regression analysis of second-order cultivation variables with overall transmedia…. 116 Table 8: Regression analysis of second-order cultivation variables with DW transmedia…….. 117 Table 9: Regression analysis of second-order cultivation variables with HP transmedia…….. 118 Table 10: Categorical answers to point-of-entry for Doctor Who and Harry Potter Universes.. 136 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: A visual representation of transmedia storytelling…………………………………….19 Figure 2: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Heroic Violence as mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe…………….…….…119 Figure 3: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Bullying as partially mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ………………………. 120 Figure 4: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Classism as mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. …………………………..……...121 Figure 5: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Ethnocentrism as mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ……………………………….122 Figure 6: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Machiavellianism as mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ………....123 Figure 7: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Heroic Violence as indirectly mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. …………………….124 Figure 8: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Bullying as indirectly mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. …………………..…...125 Figure 9: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Ethnocentrism as indirectly mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ……………………….126 Figure 10: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Machiavellianism as indirectly mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ……………….… 126 Figure 11: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Classism as partially mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. ………………………. 127 Figure 12: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Social Responsibility as partially mediated by Familiarity with transmedia universe. .…. 128 Figure 13: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Heroic Violence as mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. .….130 Figure 14: Regression coefficients for the relationship between transmedia usage and Social Responsibility as partially mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. …………………………………………………………………………...131 Figure 15: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Classism as partially mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. …….…132 viii Figure 16: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Heroic Violence as indirectly mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. …...133 Figure 17: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Bullying as indirectly mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. …...…134 Figure 18: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Ethnocentrism as indirectly mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. ……...134 Figure 19: Regression coefficients for the relationship between media usage and Machiavellianism as indirectly mediated by Identification with characters in transmedia universe. …...135 ix 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION “Words