What shapes the cultivation effects from infotaining content? Toward a theoretical foundation for journalism studies

Abstract

Infotaining formats are gaining rapid popularity over the past decades. So far, studies often attempt either to define what infotainment is, how the technological and economic changes have given rise to the format, or what effects it exerts, but rarely consider all three aspects together. This raises the possibility that the properties of infotaining formats are under-defined, leading to a confusion about the effects from infotaining content. This article explores (1) where infotainment comes from, (2) what its constitutive properties are, and (3) why its potential cultivation effect should differ from other formats. From synthesizing these notions, an integrated model derives that combines insights from journalism studies and cultivation theory in order to explain how the technological and economic forces shape the infotaining content being produced, and its cultivating effects on the public further. Scholars from across multiple subfields can use this framework to make common theoretical and empirical progress.

‘A Shared Reality between a Journalist and the Audience’: How Live Journalism Reimagines News Stories

“…As eudaimonia addresses shared identities and a personal sense of meaningfulness, niche audiences with shared tastes may prove the most fitting for eudaimonic journalism (Ji et al, 2019). Applied widely, eudaimonia could thus deepen the ongoing fragmentation of news audiences and exacerbate inequalities in news consumption between socio-economic groups (Pelzer & Raemy, 2020). Journalistic content that expresses eudaimonic sentiments, especially autonomy and competence, would probably attract particularly middleclass audiences already proficient in self-reflection and self-improvement (Kreiss, 2018).…”

“…As news organisations seek to re-engage with their audiences, they increasingly employ different forms of infotainment (Pelzer & Raemy, 2020). Journalistic infotainment often engages audience members through complex reflection and a re-employment of traditional news values rather than immediate pleasure (Pelzer & Raemy, 2020).…”

“…As news organisations seek to re-engage with their audiences, they increasingly employ different forms of infotainment (Pelzer & Raemy, 2020). Journalistic infotainment often engages audience members through complex reflection and a re-employment of traditional news values rather than immediate pleasure (Pelzer & Raemy, 2020). Also in entertainment research, the focus is shifting from entertainment as hedonic enjoyment to more contemplative, meaningful, and affectively complex experiences (Oliver et al, 2018).…”

“…Like previous studies on eudaimonic media, the article suggests eudaimonic journalism as a 'serious' alternative to conventional media entertainment or 'infotainment.' In eudaimonically entertaining journalism, enjoyment is not based on immediate pleasure but on a sense of meaningfulness and reflections on the purpose of life (Oliver et al, 2018;Pelzer & Raemy, 2020). Eudaimonic journalism is by no means restricted to live performances; however, live journalists can be seen as pioneers who apply eudaimonia in journalism and explore new journalistic ideas that can also potentially be applied in other journalistic forms.…”

Infotainment as a hybrid of information and entertainment: a conceptual analysis

“…More recently, Pelzer and Raemy (2020) refined the picture of infotainment by identifying its major qualities. First, infotainment content is characterized by the use exclamatory sentences, metaphors, superlatives or colloquial language, photos, the highlighting of conflicts, personalization and emotionalization.…”