{"title":"I Didn’t See That Coming: Spoilers, Fan Theories, and Their Influence on Enjoyment and Parasocial Breakup Distress During a Series Finale","authors":"M. Ellithorpe, Sarah E. Brookes","doi":"10.1037/ppm0000134","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Spoilers are stigmatized as the potential ruin of narrative experience, and many people avoid them for the fear that exposure will, well, spoil the narrative. However, previous research indicates that spoilers can actually increase enjoyment. The present study tests mental model resonance as a mechanism for how spoilers influence enjoyment of media content in a real-world context, using a 2-part survey administered before and after the finale of a long-running TV series. Fan theories about content are also offered as a related, but separate issue from spoiler exposure. Parasocial breakup distress is tested as a previously unexamined outcome of spoiler and fan theory exposure. Results suggest that exposure to spoilers and belief in fan theories increase enjoyment and decrease parasocial breakup distress after a TV series finale, and this is mediated by mental model resonance.","PeriodicalId":46995,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of Popular Media Culture","volume":"7 1","pages":"250–263"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2018-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"16","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychology of Popular Media Culture","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000134","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Social Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 16
Abstract
Spoilers are stigmatized as the potential ruin of narrative experience, and many people avoid them for the fear that exposure will, well, spoil the narrative. However, previous research indicates that spoilers can actually increase enjoyment. The present study tests mental model resonance as a mechanism for how spoilers influence enjoyment of media content in a real-world context, using a 2-part survey administered before and after the finale of a long-running TV series. Fan theories about content are also offered as a related, but separate issue from spoiler exposure. Parasocial breakup distress is tested as a previously unexamined outcome of spoiler and fan theory exposure. Results suggest that exposure to spoilers and belief in fan theories increase enjoyment and decrease parasocial breakup distress after a TV series finale, and this is mediated by mental model resonance.
期刊介绍:
Psychology of Popular Media Culture ® is a scholarly journal dedicated to publishing empirical research and papers on how popular culture and general media influence individual, group, and system behavior. The journal publishes rigorous research studies, as well as data-driven theoretical papers on constructs, consequences, program evaluations, and trends related to popular culture and various media sources. Although the journal welcomes and encourages submissions from a wide variety of disciplines, topics should be linked to psychological theory and research.