Representation Matters: Entertainment Portrayals as Indirect Identity Threats in Muslim College Students

Abstract

Both empirical and theoretical evidence suggest that there are strong adverse effects on minorities’ personal and group wellbeing as a result of exposure to media portraying their minority group in disparaging or negative ways. The present study contributes to existing research on this topic in two main ways: 1) understanding the effects of Muslim media portrayals on the depicted minority group as opposed to the majority, and 2) examining the role of entertainment media portrayals on the outcomes of interest, as existing research exclusively focuses on news media. This study utilized a cross sectional survey design and Muslim American participants were recruited through student cultural organizations. Significant relationships were found between perceived frequency of negative entertainment portrayals and perceptions of group discrimination as well as Muslim identification strength. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the extent to which participants perceived negative representation of Muslims in entertainment relative to news media. These results contribute meaningfully to media effects research by illustrating the important role entertainment media play in threatening the social identities of depicted minority groups. Practically, this study suggests that media have a large role to play in the formation of Muslims’ perceptions both of themselves and their social groups.