Journalism, Mass Media and Communacation - Essay Example

Examples of entertainment media that have attracted audiences from numerous countries and cultures include television shows such as who wants to be a millionaire, video games such the fighter and sports games and novels such as the Harry Porter series (Schmid and Klimmt,pg.253). These forms of entertainment media have become media artifacts due to there influence and command of audience from different cultures globally. The emergence of J.K Rowling alias Harry Porter novels and movies has brought phenomenal changes and influence in the current print and electronic media.

This paper examines the use communication theory in understanding the relationship between media artifacts and global audiences. In order to achieve the above objective, the paper explores the works of Harry Porter that have become a global media artifact. The international penetration and proliferation of entertainment media has impacted and influenced various cultures in different parts of the world and has contributed to the transformation and evolution of transcultural global audience. Million copies of Harry Porter book series and films have been distributed and sold worldwide and people continue to be entertained by the book and film series.

In mass communication, numerous attempts have been to understand the influence of entertainment media on people and cultures. . Communication theories can play a significant role in the inquiry and evaluation of entertainment media from Harry Porter and more understanding of the ways in which they contribute to global media artifact database. The audience appreciation of Harry Porter has the key character has been the foundation and key to the success of Harry Porter novels and films. Parasocial interaction theory is one of the communication theories that can help explain the reason why Harry Porter’s book series and films have become a media artifact and a form of global entertainment media.

Since time immemorial when television was invented, viewers have reported emotional bonding with media personalities. Parasocial interaction theory is based on the immediate psychological responses of media users to media characters in relation to exposure moments or periods (Griffin,pg.157). Parasocial interaction is exhibited when people respond to a media figure as though he or she or it were a real person. Parasocial interactions definition was originally confined to mean the quasi-social interactions that were exhibited during the duration of the viewing experience but the definition was later expanded to include the long term relationships that are formed between viewers and media figures which is later discussed in this paper under Parasocial relationships (Tuchakinsky,pg.72). Media figures can present themselves in different shapes and forms and they may include newsreaders that we may know or fictional characters whose identity can be ambiguous or difficult to determine.

Parasocial interaction seeks to answer the question as whether we are responding to the media