Arthur A. Raney
Media researcher whose work asks why audiences seek out entertainment, both for pleasure and for meaning.
Who they are
Arthur A. Raney is cited on this site for two papers, one on the motives behind entertainment choices and one on antihero narratives.
Key papers
Entertainment as pleasurable and meaningful (2011). Oliver and Raney developed measures of hedonic motives, which concern pleasure, and eudaimonic motives, which concern meaning and truth-seeking. Four studies supported the validity of the measures, and the motives predicted a preference for entertainment that produces distinct emotional experiences. The paper appeared in the Journal of Communication, volume 61, issue 5, pages 984 to 1004.
Exploring how we enjoy antihero narratives (2012). Shafer and Raney report three studies suggesting that moral judgment matters less to enjoying antihero narratives than affective disposition theory predicts, that prior exposure to an antihero narrative changes later responses, and that cues encouraging moral disengagement shape enjoyment. It appeared in the Journal of Communication, volume 62, issue 6, pages 1028 to 1046.
Key ideas
Taken together, the papers move the question from what is on screen to what the viewer wants from it. Someone seeking meaning may value a sad film that someone seeking pleasure would avoid, and someone who has learned the antihero schema can enjoy a character others would reject. The article on sad films uses the first paper.
Sources
- Oliver, M. B., & Raney, A. A. (2011). Entertainment as pleasurable and meaningful: Identifying hedonic and eudaimonic motivations for entertainment consumption. Journal of Communication, 61(5), 984-1004. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01585.x
- Shafer, D. M., & Raney, A. A. (2012). Exploring how we enjoy antihero narratives. Journal of Communication, 62(6), 1028-1046. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01682.x