Use of AI technology for entertainment purposes is becoming more prevalent, which raises questions about how engagement with machine-generated narratives influences audiences’ enjoyment and perception of the story’s creator. We conducted a 2 (human author vs. bot author) x 2 (human label vs. bot label) between-subjects experiment to examine how actual authorship and labels about authorship affect narrative engagement and enjoyment as well as perceived authenticity, humanness, and mind of the author. Results indicate that the authorship label had effects on readers’ perceptions of the author, but whether the story was written by a human or ChatGPT did not. Engagement and enjoyment were consistent across authors and labels. We also found no support for narrative engagement as a mediator on enjoyment or perceptions of author.

The chapter draws from relevant literature in media psychology on the selection, use, and effects of entertainment media to inform an agenda for future research into international content on streaming services. Viewers may be less likely to select foreign over domestic narratives, yet a variety of motivational factors, message factors, and situational factors can contribute to interest in international entertainment. Next, the entertainment experience entails information processing, including character, narrative, and emotional engagement. We examine available evidence and theory about how international entertainment is processed by viewers. After processing, these narratives can yield affective, behavioral, and cognitive media effects. The chapter examines potential effects of streaming international entertainment, as well as the potential for dynamic effects over time.