International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Variations in preferences for media content highlight the importance of how the diversity of the viewing audience affects exposure and responses to media content. Among the limitless ways in which audience members may differ, the personality characteristics of the viewer provide a vast and diverse means of predicting individuals' uses of, preferences for, and reactions to media content. Although the term “personality” has been used in a variety of ways, it is generally understood to refer to traits or dispositions that are relatively enduring and stable. Whereas demographic characteristics such as race and gender could be included under this definition, personality is typically understood to represent traits, outlooks, and behavioral tendencies that are relatively consistent and enduring within individuals. Because the concept has been explored extensively in a variety of disciplines and because it provides a broad framework for conceptualizing individual difference variables, it has enjoyed a wealth of scholarly attention among media researchers interested in examining a host of related questions (→  Individual Differences and Information Processing ). Among these questions are how personality serves as a useful predictor of preference and enjoyment of content, how personality functions as a predictor of selective exposure and perception, and how personality may serve as an important ... log in or subscribe to read full text