Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Political Science Dissertations Department of Political Science 5-4-2021 The Netflix ffE ect: Examining the Influence of Contemporary Entertainment Media Consumption Patterns on Political Attitudes and Social Perceptions Alexandra Pauley Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/political_science_diss Recommended Citation Pauley, Alexandra, "The Netflix ffE ect: Examining the Influence of Contemporary Entertainment Media Consumption Patterns on Political Attitudes and Social Perceptions." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2021. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/political_science_diss/65 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Political Science at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Political Science Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE NETFLIX EFFECT EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEMPORARY ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA CONSUMPTION PATTERNS ON POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS by ALEXANDRA C. PAULEY Under the Direction of Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey, PhD ABSTRACT In the past two decades, media consumption has changed not only in terms of breadth and amount, but also in terms of availability and accessibility. Shows that once could only be viewed at their scheduled time on their scheduled network may now be streamed across several platforms at almost any time. Further, audiences have begun to connect with characters beyond the shows and films they inhabit, building websites, following related social media pages, recording podcasts and more to continue and expand these parasocial relationships. The social scientific community has only begun to scratch the surface of how these changes affect audience members and society at large—particularly regarding the political impact of entertainment media.