Viewer Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Asexuality in Response to Entertainment Media Representation
Charlotte I. White
Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), Positive Psychology and Technology (PPT), University of Twente
Supervisor: Drs. Nils Keesmekers and Dr. Pelin Gül
Abstract
With the popularity of LGBTQIA+ representation in media rising, it is important to understand the relation to viewers’ attitudes, especially for underrepresented sexual minorities such as asexuality. A mixed method approach was employed, with 108 participants split into two conditions completing the Attitudes Towards Asexuals (ATA) Scale before and after viewing a clip from entertainment media. Open questions were also asked: how the clip made them feel, their opinion of the character, and their definition of asexuality. Thematic content analysis, and an analysis of the tone and emotions in the open responses supplemented the quantitative data.
The results indicate significant differences between the attitudes of LGBT compared to
non-LGBT respondents, religious groups, and those with more compared to less familiarity
with asexuality. The qualitative findings underline the importance of nuanced characters with
whom diverse viewers can empathise. Overall, the insight from this research can inform and
guide the development of asexual characters in entertainment media so that viewer’s attitudes
towards asexuality are positive. Complementary to this, future research should seek to clarify
which impact different variations of an asexual representation have on viewers’ attitudes, and
whether the influence on a range of demographic groups is dependent on specific features.
Introduction
"I'm not gay. I mean, I don't think I am, but… I don't think I'm straight, either. I don't know what I am.
I think I might be nothing." (Bob-Waksberg, 2016)
When the Netflix show “Bojack Horseman” had character Todd reveal that his sexual orientation was ‘nothing’, then openly portrayed him as not experiencing sexual attraction (also known as asexuality), it was an important development in the portrayal of non-heteronormative characters in entertainment media: Todd became one of the only complex asexual characters in mainstream media, making this group more accessible to viewers. Although media character diversity is increasing, with regularly appearing LGBTQIA+ 1 characters rising from 3% in the 2009-2010 television season to 10.2% in the 2019-2020 season, many LGBT sexual minorities, like asexual individuals, remain under- or misrepresented (GLAAD, 2009; GLAAD, 2019).
More specifically, Todd in Bojack Horseman was the only recurring asexual character counted in the latest television season (GLAAD, 2019), limiting viewers’ access to portrayals of this sexual minority. Characters in media, like Todd, can influence viewers’ attitudes in various ways: previous research has shown that media can impact perceptions of topics in several ways (Chong & Druckman, 2007; McCombs, 2005). It is also possible for viewers to form bonds with media characters as they would with people within their immediate environment (Schiappa, Gregg & Hewes, 2005), which can potentially result in adjusted attitudes. Especially with limited other material on which people can base their attitudes, the effect of entertainment media representations of asexuality is important: both with respect to the visibility that it gives asexuality, and the potential influence on attitudes. Should a sole source produce negative attitudes among viewers, the effect would likely be widespread because of the lack of opportunities for counteraction, and consequently it could be detrimental for asexual individuals’ position in society. Understanding the influence of an entertainment media portrayal of asexuality on viewers’ attitudes can offer insight for the development of further media representations and perhaps increase the formation of positive attitudes.
Aside from media interest in topics of asexuality, academic interest in it is also growing.
This is in response to increased visibility of the asexual community and little scientific research into the topic, especially on peoples’ attitudes towards asexuality. It has been suggested that asexual individuals experience a unique form of sexual prejudice, with their lack of sexual
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