Television as Significant Other

Abstract

The role of television as significant other was explored by looking at relationships between various self-concepts, perceived closeness of self to television and television exposure. Questionnaires consisting of paired comparisons, Likert-scale items, and demographics were administered to approximately 50 male and 50 female adults in each of five major metropolitan areas representing the five countries of Japan, Korea, the Philippines, the United States, and Great Britain. The following variables were then correlated with the concept pair, "TV and me," and with television exposure ("intelligence and me," "frustration and me," "satisfaction and me," "competence and me," "happiness and me," "obedience and me," "independence and me," "ideal man/ woman and me," "education and me," level of education, egalitarianism, and role flexibility). Results indicated higher correlations with TV and me compared to exposure. Highly statistically significant patterns were observed with all groups combined; several nonsignificant but consistent trends were noted between males and females. Overall, gender differences outnumbered cross-cultural differences. The discussion emphasized the role of television as significant other and the value of TV and me as an index of this parasocial process. The relative contributions of the factors affecting TV and me need to be assessed in further research.