The APSA Public Scholarship Program provides a platform for graduate students in political science to summarize new research in the American Political Science Review. In a recent piece by Dirck de Kleer, the focus is on the article by Eunji Kim and Shawn Patterson Jr. titled “The American Viewer: Political Consequences of Entertainment Media.” This article delves into the impact of entertainment media on politics, challenging the traditional view that only explicitly political media influences political outcomes.
Americans spend a significant amount of time watching television, with an average of over four hours per day. While the effects of political media on politics have been extensively studied, the influence of entertainment media has often been overlooked. Kim and Patterson argue that entertainment media creates unique opportunities for celebrities to build personal bonds with viewers, which can be leveraged when these non-political figures enter the political arena.
The authors use the example of Donald Trump, who gained fame as the host of the reality TV show The Apprentice before running for office. The show attracted millions of viewers and played a significant role in shaping Trump’s public image. By analyzing Twitter data and conducting surveys of white voters, Kim and Patterson demonstrate how viewers of The Apprentice exhibited higher levels of support for Trump compared to non-viewers. These findings suggest that entertainment media can have a substantial impact on political preferences.
To establish causal inference, the authors use the concept of “channel inertia” to show how entertainment media influenced the county-level vote share for Trump during the Republican primary. They found that viewers who watched The Apprentice due to channel inertia were more likely to support Trump, indicating a causal relationship between entertainment media consumption and political preferences. However, this effect was not observed in the general election, where partisan identity played a more significant role.
This study sheds light on the powerful influence of entertainment media on politics, highlighting the blurred lines between politics and entertainment. In a time when news consumption is declining globally, understanding how non-political media can shape political outcomes is crucial. The research by Kim and Patterson underscores the importance of considering the impact of entertainment media in the political landscape, as it can have far-reaching consequences on voter behavior and political outcomes.