Transnational media consumption dissonance and ambivalent sexism: How American and Korean television drama consumption shapes Chinese audiences’ gender-role values

Abstract

Driven by globalization, modernity and the development of media technology, transnational media consumption is increasingly prevalent. Together with domestic media consumption, transnational media consumption constitutes the fragmentation and diversification of individuals’ media consumption behaviors. Yet research concerning the hybrid media effects generated by domestic and transnational media consumption is still underdeveloped. Using a sample of 556 Chinese Internet users, this study proposes a concept of transnational media consumption dissonance to compare the effects of hybrid media consumption on sexism and gender-role norms in marriage (GRIM). The findings suggest that individuals’ perceptions of gender-role norms are not only affected by domestic media usage but also altered through transnational media usage. We illustrate how transnational media consumption dissonance can affect Chinese audiences’ perception of GRIM through the mediating roles of perceived sexism in American and Korean dramas and their general sexism values.