Title

Shark bytes: message sensation value and emotional appeals in shark diving websites

Authors

Authors

M. K. Lapinski; L. Neuberger; M. L. Gore; B. A. Muter;B. Van der Heide

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Milit. Psychol.

Keywords

risk; message sensation value; website content; wildlife; emotion; PUBLIC-SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS; COGNITIVE-FUNCTIONAL MODEL; RISK; COMMUNICATION; FEAR APPEALS; SEEKING; INFORMATION; PERCEPTION; ANGER; PERSONALITY; PREVENTION; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary

Abstract

Websites designed to promote risky activities provide a novel context for studying the role of emotional appeals and message sensation value (MSV) in risk messages in order to ultimately understand the type of messages that motivate people to engage in risk behaviors. Framed in theories of message design and emotion, this study investigates representations of threat, efficacy, and the extent to which risk messages appeal to a range of positive and negative emotions through the examination of 53 shark diving websites using content analysis and computer generated linguistic analysis. Results indicate that few websites provide explicit threat information (i.e. severity and susceptibility) but many do present implicit threats. Efficacy-related messages were present on all websites. Positive emotion was more common than negative emotion and there is little representation of the traditional components of MSV. Implications for theory development and communication about risk-seeking are addressed.

Journal Title

Journal of Risk Research

Volume

J. Risk Res.

Issue/Number

6

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

733

Last Page

751

WOS Identifier

16

ISSN

1366-9877

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