Race, Ethnicity, and Media Preferences: Content and Media Form

Abstract

A long line of research with traditional media and more current work with new media have found that media impact people in various ways depending on who they are and their past experiences. Traditional media theories, such as cultivation hypothesis, have focused attention on the amount of exposure to media content as key to the impact this content has. Exposure to media is connected to access, availability, and preference of media and technology. Research using social cognitive theory has determined that these preferences are influenced by culture and context, including ethnicity and race. In turn, these identities impact how media influence individuals. Although the media divide has decreased as technology becomes more affordable, there are still ethnic differences in the ownership and access to various media technologies. For example, Asian Americans have access to the most devices while Latinxs and African Americans are more reliant on their smartphones. There are also ethnic differences in terms of the hours spent consuming media, with African American audience members being some of the heaviest consumers. Studies have found that audience members, especially Latinxs and African Americans, prefer to consume media that reflect their ethnic group. This is easier said than done for some groups, especially Latinxs, Asian Americans, and Native Americans who tend to be underrepresented and sometimes invisible in mainstream U.S. media.