The Prevalence and Influence of the Combination of Humor and Violence in Super Bowl Commercials

The growing concern over violence in the media has led to vast amounts of research examining the effects of violent media on viewers. An important subset of this research looks at how humor affects this relationship. While research has considered this subset in television programming, almost no research has explored this in the context of advertising. This paper builds on the little research that exists by examining the effects of combining humor and violence, as well as the theoretical approaches that underlie these effects. A content analysis is conducted to identify the prevalence of violence, humor, and the combination of these elements in a longitudinal sample of Super Bowl commercials (2005, 2007, and 2009). Further, we investigate the relationship between the joint occurrence of humor and violence in ads and ad popularity. We conclude that violent acts are rampant in these commercials and that many acts are camouflaged by the simultaneous presence of humor, especially in the most popular ads

Direct and indirect aggression on prime-time network television

This study examined the prevalence of 3 types of aggression on prime-time television during the spring of 2005. Verbal aggression was found to be the most prevalent, followed by indirect and physical. Physical aggression appeared more frequently among Caucasians and males. Female characters were more involved in indirect aggression, while verbal aggression was sex neutral. In general, minority racial and ethnic groups were found to be less aggressive than Caucasians. Depictions of cross-sex and cross-cultural aggression seemed relatively balanced. Social learning implications of the findings are discussed

A content analysis of 900 numbers : Implications for industry reguiation and self-regulation

In the USA audiotext services, also known as 900 numbers, have been growing in popularity since the mid-1980s. But their success has raised numerous policy issues, and adverse publicity, especially in connection with adult programmes, has led to calls for federal regulation and has prompted the industry to make efforts to regulate itself. This study offers some systematic evidence about the content of 900 services and the ways they are offered. The authors conclude that abuses are not widespread, and therefore blanket regulation of the industry would not be appropriate. The carriers should monitor services providers more closely.