Affluenza: Television Use and Cultivation of Materialism

Effects of Compulsive Buying Tendencies on Attitudes toward Advertising: The Moderating Role of Exposure to TV Commercials and TV Shows

“…In sum, previous consumer-focused cultivation studies found associations between heavy television exposure and consumption-related perceptions (OGuinn and Shrum 1997;Potter 1991;Shrum et al 1991;Weimann 1984), materialism (Harmon 2001;Moschis and Churchill 1978), life satisfaction (Richins 1987;Sirgy et al 1998) and compulsive buying (Faber and OGuinn 1988b). Television content reveals a narrative TV world consisting of attractive, glamorous, and wealthy characters that have exciting adventures in luxurious settings.…”

Generation Me in the Spotlight: Linking Reality TV to Materialism, Entitlement, and Narcissism

“…In general, the levels of wealth and happiness portrayed on television exceed well beyond those of your average Joe or Jane. By suggesting that wealth is commonplace and that it leads to happiness and status, television promotes all three dimensions of materialism (Harmon, 2001;Shrum et al, 2005;Shrum et al, 2011).…”

Television consumption and Institutional Anomie Theory

“…While I argue that most promote similar messages, previous research testing the influence of different types of media finds that they have a varying degree of impact on viewers Dowler 2003;Rosenberger and Callanan 2011). Further, research suggests that Cultivation Theory is too broad, and careful examination of the types of media must be considered (Harmon 2001).…”

“…Mainstreaming is a process that involves the erosion of subcultural or group differences through media consumption. The values and beliefs the media is reinforcing may be those discussed by Messner and Rosenfeld, especially considering the vast amount of media that focuses on the primary tenet of the "American Dream": money (see Harmon 2001).…”