The awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of transience in the domain of eudaimonic media experiences

Abstract

The research comparing hedonic and eudaimonic media experiences has often conceptualized the two categories as monolithic wholes. Although thematic differences within each category have been identified, these differences are usually theoretically inconsequential: They are merely variations in hedonic or eudaimonic content. Adopting a conditional effects approach, this research shows that transience-themed posts and motivation-themed posts on social media—which are both considered eudaimonic—are appreciated by different groups of people. Study 1 found a moderating influence of impermanence acceptance: People who had greater impermanence acceptance were more likely to have eudaimonic responses after viewing transience-themed posts than after viewing motivation-themed posts. The Japanese concept of mono no aware, or beauty in pathos, was used to motivate study 2. Study 2 found that people who viewed transience-themed posts experienced greater impermanence appreciation than people who viewed motivation-themed posts, but media theme did not influence impermanence awareness or impermanence acceptance.