| Transportation and identification are believed to be major moderators in the impact of media consumption on its consumers. Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of transportation and identification on activation of media concepts in the real world lives of media consumers. Study 1 found evidence of strong, positive correlational relationships between transportation, character identification, and real-world media concept activation among frequent video game players. Study 2 indicated that under conditions of high identification, participants temporarily displayed increased activation of trait characteristics, displayed by a character in a film clip, within their self-concept. Supportive albeit inconsistent evidence of a similar role for transportation was also obtained. The sum of the research indicates that media concepts may often spill over into real world situations, and identification and transportation appear to play a significant role in such increased activation. |
