Instrumentalizing Fukushima: Comparing Media Coverage of Fukushima in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland

According to the theory of instrumental actualization in mediated conflicts, the mass media tend to exaggerate events consistent with the editorial line. This theory was tested using press coverage in Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom on the Japanese seaquake, the tsunami it caused, and the nuclear disaster of Fukushima. Within a period of seven weeks after the seaquake, the coverage in the four countries in 27 national newspapers and magazines on the three events was analyzed. As hypothesized from theory, German and Swiss media concentrated on Fukushima and stressed its relevance to domestic nuclear plants, whereas French and British media placed a greater emphasis on th…

Ein ganz anständiger Soziologe: Michael Bochow zum 70. Geburtstag

Victimisation and life satisfaction of gay and bisexual individuals in 44 European countries: the moderating role of country-level and person-level attitudes towards homosexuality

We examined the link between victimisation and life satisfaction for 85,301 gay and bisexual individuals across 44 European countries. We expected this negative link to be stronger when the internalised homonegativity of the victim was high (e.g. because the victim is more vulnerable) and weaker when victimisation occurs in countries that express intolerance towards homosexuality (e.g. because in such contexts victims expect victimisation more and they attribute it to their external environment). Additionally, we expected internalised homonegativity to relate negatively to life satisfaction. Multilevel analyses revealed that victimisation (i.e. verbal insults, threats of violence, minor or …

The Prevalence and Gratification of Nude Self-Presentation of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Online-Dating Environments: Attracting Attention, Empowerment, and Self-Verification

This study builds on research about the importance of body presentation among men who have sex with men (MSM) by exploring the phenomenon of nude body presentation in online dating environments. In a quantitative survey of N = 9,235 MSM users of a gay online dating site (ODS) in Germany, the prevalence of nude pictures and gratifications sought while displaying them were investigated. About two-thirds of the participants declared that they use nude pictures in their dating profiles, with only small differences in prevalence between members of different ages, education levels, and sexual orientation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the use of nudity is driven by three underlying grati…

Darstellungen von Sexualität in den Massenmedien: Ansätze, Theorien und Befunde inhaltsanalytischer Forschung

Zusammenfassung Einleitung: Darstellungen von Sexualität in den Massenmedien können als kulturelle Szenarien von Sexualität im Sinne der Theorie sexueller Skripte angesehen werden. Forschungsziele: Der Beitrag soll – mit einem Fokus auf diejenigen Skripte, die in alltägliche Unterhaltungsmedien eingebunden sind – einen aktuellen Überblick über inhaltsanalytische Studien zu Sexualitätsdarstellungen in Massenmedien geben. Methoden: Verschiedene forschungslogische Ansätze von Inhaltsanalysen werden diskutiert. Darauf aufbauend werden die theoretischen Einbettungen sexualitätsbezogener Inhaltsanalysen aufgezeigt. Anschließend wird anhand ausgewählter Schlüsselstudien dargestellt, wie sexuelles …

The association of the availability of offline gay scenes and national tolerance of homosexuality with gay and bisexual men's sexual online dating behavior

Abstract Based on a uses and gratifications perspective on media use, in this paper I analyze the important role played by dating sites for men who have sex with men (MSM) in their efforts to find offline sexual partners. To do so, I conducted two quantitative surveys. In Study 1, I compared the online dating behavior of 12,328 MSM from Germany and Austria with the availability of offline sexual gay venues and how frequently MSM visit such venues. In Study 2, I used a global sample of 30,789 MSM to compare the frequency and recency of online dates of men living in countries that support male homosexuality and those in countries that criminalize it. The findings suggest that MSM-specific dat…

Sociopolitical and Cultural Correlates of Internalized Homonegativity in Gay and Bisexual Men: Findings from a Global Study

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Sexual Health on 15 November 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/19317611.2016.1247125. Objectives: Based on the premise that internalized homonegativity (IH) is a product of the incorporation of environmental heterosexism, the authors examined the influence of sociopolitical and individual influences on IH. Methods: The cross-sectional study consisted of 109,382 gay and bisexual men across 77 countries. Results: Variables at the (European) country-level that were associated with higher levels of IH included lack of laws recognizing same-sex relationships and perceiv…

Testing the Cross-Cultural Robustness of the Minority Stress Model in Gay and Bisexual Men

The study tests the cross-cultural robustness of the minority stress model using a most different systems approach. Data from Western European, Eastern European (including Russian), Indian, Philippine, and Thai gay and bisexual men was obtained online. The final sample consisted of N = 90,467 participants who reported their level of satisfaction with life, victimization, felt stigma, and internalized homonegativity, as well as their disclosure status and sociodemographic details. Stepwise linear regressions were conducted on reported levels of satisfaction with life. Higher levels of victimization, felt stigma, and internalized homonegativity predicted lower satisfaction with life in all gr…

Die Darstellung von Sexualität im deutschen Reality-TV: Eine Inhaltsanalyse der Serie „Berlin – Tag und Nacht“

Zusammenfassung Einleitung: Medien sind für Jugendliche eine wichtige Quelle bei der Aneignung von Vorstellungen über sexuelle Handlungsabläufe und Rollenverteilungen. Als besonders wirkmächtig gilt das sogenannte Reality-TV: Die dortigen Darsteller_innen bieten im Sinne der sozial-kognitiven Lerntheorie hohes Identifikationspotential, da sie etwa gleich alt und in ähnlichen Lebensumständen wie die Rezipient_innen sind. Zudem wird der Eindruck vermittelt, dort würden nicht fiktionale, sondern dem realen Leben entsprechende Handlungsmuster und Situationen abgebildet. Forschungsziele: Ziel der Studie war zu untersuchen, wie Sexualität in der reichweitenstarken Scripted-Reality-Soap „Berlin – …

Inszenierte Schlüsselereignisse: Die Medienresonanz der Verkehrssicherheitskampagne Runter vom Gas!

Auch wenn gros angelegte Kampagnen wie beispielsweise die Verkehrssicherheitskampagne Runter vom Gas! von einem erheblichen Teil der Bevolkerung direkt wahrgenommen werden (siehe Klimmt und Maurer in diesem Band), ist das Ausmas der medialen Berichterstattung uber eine Kampagne aus mehreren Grunden eine wichtige Erfolgsgrose fur deren Wirkung. Zum einen steigt mit der Menge und Frequenz medialer Berichterstattung die Gesamtsumme der Kontakte der Bevolkerung mit der Botschaft der Kampagne (Multiplikatorenrolle der Massenmedien). Zum anderen gewinnt die Kampagne durch journalistische Berichterstattung fur die Bevolkerung an Konkretheit und Seriositat: Die Medien konstruieren die an sich wenig…

That Man Behind the Curtain: Investigating the Sexual Online Dating Behavior of Men Who Have Sex With Men but Hide Their Same-Sex Sexual Attraction in Offline Surroundings

This study investigates how men who have sex with men (MSM) use chat and dating sites based on theories of stigma-related offline behavior and online self-disclosure. We hypothesize that hidden MSM (those who self-label as heterosexual or who hide their same-sex sexual attraction from family, friends, acquaintances, or a female romantic partner) differ from open MSM in how they behave on gay chat and dating sites and in offline gay venues. Drawing on a survey of 12,002 MSM, we show that hidden MSM tend to mask their identity on gay chat and dating sites while avoiding offline gay venues. They also focus more strongly on online sexual activities (e.g., masturbating during online chats) when …