Research
The Effects of Media Consumption and Reality Television on the Attitudes of Thailands Generation Y Audiences: The Face Thailand Reality Television Programs
This research aimed to study “The Face Thailand” TV program consumption behaviors of Thailand’s generation Y audiences, the relationship between age ranges of Thailand’s Generation Y audiences and their perceptions about the modeling and entertainment business and violence in reality, and the effects of “The Face Thailand” TV program consumption levels toward their perception about the modeling business and violence in reality. This research was conducted by quantitative method; questionnaire was the tool for both offline and online. The data was collected from 2,000 participants (n = 2,000), who were in generation Y (17 – 36 years old) in Thailand. The results showed that the audiences mostly connected to online channel for media consumption, yet the audiences mostly searched for entertainment not the content provided. Not only the difference between heavy and light viewers, but also the age ranges of the audiences showed some different significance. The younger Thailand’s generation Y audiences tended to have more perception to the entertainment business than the older audiences in same generation. On the other hand, the older Thailand’s generation Y audiences showed more concern about how they perceived the violent scenes in their reality more than the younger ones. According to Individual Differences Theory, same media can affect the audiences with different background differently, for this case is the age ranges. Moreover, some differences between the heavy viewers and the light viewers can be explained as the Cultivation Theory. The heavy viewers would like their physicals modified, how they would like to be involved into the entertainment business, and also how they brought some violent verbal from the reality show to their real world more than light viewers. But, still, the theory could not be applied for the significant differences in how the audiences stereotyped the people in the entertainment business, and how they perceived the violence in their lives.
