Wait.... We're all not hedonists?

%3Ci%3EThe+following+is+post+is+by+WVU+Communication+M.A.+student+Greg+Cranmer+on+Monday%27s+%2813+February%29+discussion+on+mood%2C+emotion%2C+and+entertainment+media.+%3C%2Fi%3E%3Cspan+class%3D%22fullpost%22%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Stop+Watching+TV%2C+you%27re+melting+your+brain%21%22%26nbsp%3B+Despite+what+your+grandparents+say%2C+the+use+of+media+is+functional%2C+even+when+it+is+used+for+entertainment.%26nbsp%3B+The+traditional+conceptualization+of+entertainment+is+maximizing+pleasure+and+minimizing+pain%2C+which+is+also+known+as+hedonism.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BHedonism+has+been+culturally+ingrained+as+immoral+since+the+dark+ages%2C+thanks+to+religious+ideology+that+classified+leisure%2C+pleasure%2C+and+sin+as+synonymous.%26nbsp%3B+Classical+societies+%28e.g.%2C+the+Greeks%29+valued+not+just+leisure+but+entertainment.%26nbsp%3B+Aristotle+was+even+credited+with%26nbsp%3Bproclaiming+that+leisure+was+as+close+to+god%26nbsp%3Bas+one+could+get.%0D%0@%0D%0AIn+todays+digital+age%2C+the+use+of+media+is+not+only+popular%2C+it+is+the+main+means+of+entertainment.%26nbsp%3B+However%2C+the+difficulty+in+explaining+how+audience+members+gained%26nbsp%3Bpleasure+%28the%26nbsp%3Btraditional+definition+of+entertainment%29%26nbsp%3Bout+of+watching+tragedies+and+morally+objectionable+content+lingered.%26nbsp%3B+One+explanation+has+been+that+individuals+morally+disengage+from+content+in+order+to+gain+enjoyment.%26nbsp%3B+This+uni-dimensional+approach+%28i.e.%2C+media+consuming+always+being+pleasurable%29+depicts+the+audience+in+the+same+uni-dimensional+light%3B+they+are+essentially+reduced+to+hedonistic+creatures.%26nbsp%3B+%0D%0A%0D%0AOliver+and+Raney+%282011%29+provided+another+posible+explanation%2C+eudaimonia+%28i.e.%2C+meaningfulness%29.%26nbsp%3B+These+researchers+forwarded+that+individuals+are+entertained+not+only+by+pleasure%2C+but+also+by+meaningfulness.%26nbsp%3B+This+conclusion+answers+the+tragedy+conundrum+because%26nbsp%3Bindividuals+are+entertained+by%26nbsp%3Btruth+seeking.%26nbsp%3B+In+other+words%2C+while+individuals+do+not+enjoy+tragedy+they+appreciate+the+response+it+invokes.%26nbsp%3B+This+is+because+meaningfulness+is+about+the+self+%28e.g.%2C+self-reflection+and+self-cognition%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AHowever%2C+this+suggests+that+meaningfulness+cannot+be+accomplished+if+moral+disengagement+occurs.%26nbsp%3B+For+example%2C+it+can+be+argued+one+cannot+gain+meaningfulness+from+an+experience+if+they+remove+themselves+from+its+gravity.%26nbsp%3B+The+poet+Robert+Browning+asserted+that+it+is+through+meaningfulness+that+man+progresses%3A+%22Progress%2C+man%27s+distinctive+mark+alone%2C+not+God%27s%2C+and+not+the+beasts%27%3A+God+is%2C+they+are%2C+man+partly+is+and+wholly+hopes+to+be%22%26nbsp%3B+In+essence%2C+progress+and+meaningfulness+are+human+pursuits+alone.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+idea+of+not+disengaging%26nbsp%3Bis+especially+relevant+for+use+of+violent+videogame+play+among+children.%26nbsp%3B+Grodal+%282002%29+suggested+that+videogames+are+an+%22emotional+labratory.%22%26nbsp%3B+His+point+was+that+while+videogames+provide+opportunities+for+a+controlled+situation%2C+they+produce+real+reactions+%28e.g.%2C+exictement%2C+fear%2C+sorrow%2C+anger%29.%26nbsp%3B+Videogames%2C+thus%2C+provide+great+platforms+to+attain+meaningful+entertainment.%0D%0A%0D%0AHowever%2C+despite+the+interest+in+these+two+motivations+for+entertainment%2C+a+relationship+between+them+has+not+been+established.%26nbsp%3B+One+unique+way+of+viewing+these+motivation+may+be+through+the+lens+of+the+Elaboration+Likelihood+Model+%28ELM%29.%26nbsp%3B+The+model+is+designed+to+explain+persuasion+and+how+it+is+achieved+in+two+ways%3A+central+and+peripheral+routes.%26nbsp%3B+The+central+route+involves+the+elaboration+of+messages+and+is+used+to+consider+ideas+and+consequences.%26nbsp%3B+The+peripheral+route%2C+however%2C+provides+a+quick+accept+or+reject+decision.%26nbsp%3B+This+results+in+the+central+route+having+the+ability+for+a+major+attitude+change+and+the+peripheral%2C+only+a+small+change.%26nbsp%3B+If+one+were+to+adapt+this+model+to+entertainment+it+is+likely+meaningfulness+could+be+equated+to+central+route+and+hedonism+could+be+equated+to+peripheral+route%2C+and+thus+meaningfulness+would+have+longer+lasting+effects+than+hedonism.%26nbsp%3B+%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat+does+the+dual%26nbsp%3B+pursuits+of+entertainment+say+about+human+nature%3F+Which+one+is+ultimately+more+important%3F%3C%2Fspan%3E