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One of the areas in which the impacts of media messages have been tested is in the goods and services market. A number of studies have shown that the behaviors of consumers in the market are significantly influenced by market mavens, the expert consumers who have market information regarding different products, especially new products in the market. Different scholars have argued that the market mavens have had a significant influence on the behaviors of consumers through mouth to mouth communication. This research study sought to investigate how market mavens play the role of opinion leaders. In essence, the study wanted to prove the veracity of the two step flow theory of mass communication, the study utilized a meta-analysis technique in achieving its goals. The findings included the fact that opinion leaders actually played a major role in influencing the decisions of passive audiences. A number of studies have been done to determine how market mavens obtain product information from the media and pass it to other passive consumers according to the way they interpret the information. In this regard, there are not adequate meta-analyses that have been done to compare, contrast and combine the results of the different studies. This is the reason this study was done.

Transmedia storytelling is a concept emerging in the field of communication and media. The concept was first popularized by Jenkins. He defined it as a representation of a process in which integral elements of given fiction are disseminated systematically through multiple media platforms. Even though many researchers have studied the concept, not enough studies have been done with respect to its limitations, especially in the context of the entertainment and education sectors. Therefore, this research study was meant to explore the limitations of transmedia storytelling as it relates to entertainment and education. Hence, the researcher sought to achieve two objectives: to explore the limitations of transmedia storytelling in the entertainment industry and to explore the limitations of transmedia storytelling in the education system. Qualitative research methods were preferred for this study. An exploratory research design was employed, with interpretivism adopted as the research paradigm. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 13 people to participate in this study. The methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). The data that were collected were analyzed using a thematic approach. With regard to the entertainment industry, this study showed that the limitations included difficulties in collaboration between different media platforms, failure to take into account consumers who were not interested in more than one media platform as a source of various story elements, and inconsistencies regarding cocreation. In relation to education, the limitations included the fact that transmedia storytelling ignored the issue of cognitive maturity, ignored the credibility issues regarding various media platforms being sources of accurate academic knowledge, the slow pace at which transmedia projects are developed, and the disadvantages to learners who are neither able to access appropriate technologies nor able to use them.

Background music is an indispensable part of films and plays an important role in enhancing audiences’ attention to scenes. However, few studies have examined the cognitive effect of background music at the neurophysiological level. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the present study examines the effect of background music tempo on the viewer’s attentional processes. Participants’ (N = 24) EEG responses were recorded while the participants watched segments of action films in three conditions with variations on the presence and tempo of background music (i.e., no background music vs. slow-tempo music vs. fast-tempo music). These responses were analyzed using the alpha-rhythm suppression and event-related potential (ERP) P300, a brainwave indicator of attentional processes. The results suggest that participants’ attention levels increased when background music was present (compared to when background music was absent), but there was no difference in participants’ attention levels based on tempo. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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