Health Communication Research Seminar
A platform for cutting-edge work in health communication,
forging new collaborations, and building community


Thursday, May 7, 2020
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Virtual Presentation
Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 920 8397 1550  

Entertainment-Education: In Theory and In Practice
Presenter:

John J. Brooks
Ph.D. Candidate
Media, Technology, and Society
Northwestern University
Summary:

In recent decades, a growing number of entertainment-education initiatives have been deployed to effect change in the realm of public health. By developing media programs that pair engaging narratives with educational content, practitioners have been able to improve health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for their audience in regard to issues such as HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, and contraceptive methods. In order to explore the theoretical foundations of entertainment-education as well its practical impact, Mr. Brooks will present the findings of two recent studies on abortion-centered storylines. Using a natural experiment, the first study examines how viewers of Grey's Anatomy learn about medication-abortion and how these effects can be enhanced or attenuated as a result of viewing habits, political ideology, and even state of residence. The second study complements these findings by introducing the concept of Narrative Resonance Events (NREs) to explore how message designers can achieve greater impact through the use of perceived similarity. The utility and potential of NREs to entertainment-education is investigated in the context of an abortion storyline from 13 Reasons Why . The talk concludes with a short discussion on how health-related storylines can be optimized to minimize resistance and leverage the power of entertainment. 
Bio:

John J. Brooks is a doctoral student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University, conducting research in conjunction with the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence (COM-PSI) under Dr. Nathan Walter. Previously, John completed his B.A. in Theater/Gender Studies, M.S. in Health Communication, and M.A. in Media, Technology and Society, all at Northwestern. His research primarily pertains to communication in the contexts of health and politics—specifically, the effects of mass media, the creation and evaluation of entertainment-education, the persuasive power of narratives, and the impacts of emotion and credibility on persuasion.

Interested in presenting your research?  

The Center is always looking to host a platform for your work. If you would like to give a talk or recommend a speaker, please contact Rosa Ortiz ( [email protected] ).