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ASSOCIATION FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH Labovitz School of Business & Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth, 11 E. Superior Street, Suite 210, Duluth, MN 55802 What Do They Say About “Friends”? Jyh-Shen Chiou, National Chengchi University Jasi Lee, Proctor & Gamble What Do They Say About “Friends”?Jyh-Shen Chiou, National Chengchi UniversityJasi Lee, Proctor & GambleAbstractThis exploratory study is to analyze the impact of the popular US TV program Friends on Internet communication in the US, Japan, and Taiwan. It intends to establish whether exposure to foreign TV could lead to similar communication content in the context of the virtual community between exporting and importing societies. Content analysis was used in this cross-cultural study. The results of this exploratory study support the notion that the process of cultural value influence is more complex than Cultural Imperialism advocates propose. Audiences respond actively rather than passively to foreign TV programs. Prior information structure of the audience is affecting the interpretation of subsequent information. [to cite]: Jyh-Shen Chiou and Jasi Lee (2006) ,"What Do They Say About “Friends”?", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 33, eds. Connie Pechmann and Linda Price, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 161-174. [url]: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/12422/volumes/v33/NA-33 [copyright notice]: This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in part, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at http://www.copyright.com/. What Do They Say About “Friends”? Jyh-Shen Chiou, National Chengchi University Jasi Lee, Proctor & Gamble EXTENDED ABSTRACT of the Japanese Beauty or Beast sitcom aired in Taiwan may provide The virtual community is a cyberspace supported by com- support for the proposition that cultural proximity may affect puter-based information technology, which centers on the commu- viewers’ abilities in interpreting and retaining the message of a nication and interaction of participants to generate member-driven foreign TV program. Taiwanese viewers of Beauty or Beast related content, resulting in the establishment of relationships (Hagel and very well to the program. They discussed significantly more Emotion- Armstrong 1997; Lee et al. 2003). These days, people surf the related and Plot-related topics and messages than Friends. Finally, Internet on a scale far greater than could have been imagined before, the results of Love of Rose also provide evidence for this claim converging on chat rooms, message boards and discussion forums, among younger generations. which have become assembly points for personal communication Overall, the results of the study showed that the communication (Fion et al. 2003). Because the virtual community can enhance style in discussion forums is very similar among the three cultures participants’ sense of belonging and loyalty toward a brand or studied, if the cultural proximity factor is controlled. Although corporation, more and more marketers are actively participating in viewers used discussion forums to search for related information the establishment of chat rooms, message boards and discussion more than any other purposes, they were willing to share their views forums to promote their brand or corporation (Chiou 2003; Wellman, regarding the plot and even express their personal feelings on the 1999). However, little research has been done on the summarization web in all three societies, as long as the TV show touched the of electronic communications (Radev et al. 2001; Zinkhan et al. audiences. This assertion was also sustained when analyzing the 2003). data from the discussion forums for the TV program targeting the The primary goal of this exploratory research is to analyze the younger generation. The results of this exploratory study support impact of the highly popular US TV program Friends on Internet the notion that the process of cultural value influence is more communication in the US, Japan, and Taiwan. It intends to establish complex than Cultural Imperialism advocates propose. Audiences whether exposure to foreign TV could lead to similar communication respond actively rather than passively to foreign TV programs. content in the context of the virtual community between exporting Prior information structure of the audience is affecting the and importing societies. If the content of communication is different interpretation of subsequent information. Therefore, the assertion among societies, what is the process that causes this difference? In that global cultural invasion will happen in a rapid and dominant this study, we view discussion forums or message boards as online way may be too optimistic. Globalization is more likely to pluralize tools that allow for interactive consumer communication. Our the world, by recognizing the value of cultural niches and local research concentrates on the ways consumers express their reactions ability (Water 1995). and feelings toward a foreign (or domestic) TV program on the message boards or discussion forums. REFERENCES Content analysis was used in this cross-cultural study, with the Beltran, L. R. (1978), “Communication and Cultural aim of understanding the ways in which dialogues posted on various Domination: USA-Latin American Case, Media Asia, 5, 183- discussion forums differed among the United States, Japan, and 192. Taiwan. The TV sitcom Friends was chosen as the medium for Byrd, Marguita L. 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The third sitcom 45(10), 138-143. included in the study is Love of Rose, made in Taiwan. The reason Chiou, Jyh-shen (2001), “Horizontal and Vertical Individualism for including it was to examine the effect of viewers’ profiles, as it and Collectivism Among College Students in the United targeted younger generations of viewers than those of Friends and States, Taiwan, and Argentina,” Journal of Social Psychology, Beauty or Beast. Finally, both Beauty or Beast and Love of Rose 141(5), 667-678. were chosen because of their light-hearted nature, which is similar Chiou, Jyh-shen and Cathy Cheng (2003), “Should A Company to that of Friends; they were also aired close to the time when Have Message Boards on Its Web Sites,” Journal of Friends, Season 9, was aired in Taiwan. There were two types of Interactive Marketing, 17(3), 50-61. data for the content analysis. The first one comprised topics that had Crabtree, R.D. and S. 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