Baker Venetia, Mulwa Sarah, Khanyile David, Arnold Georgia, Cousens Simon, Cawood Cherie, Birdthistle Isolde
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Epicentre Health Research, Durban, South Africa.
JMIR Form Res. 2025 Jan 31;9:e55275. doi: 10.2196/55275.
Mass media campaigns, particularly edutainment, are critical in disseminating sexual health information to young people. However, there is limited understanding of the authentic viewing experience or how viewing contexts influence engagement with media campaigns. Reaction videos, a popular format in web-based culture in which users film themselves reacting to television shows, can be adapted as a research method for immediate and unfiltered insights into young people's engagement with edutainment media.
We explored how physical and social context influences young people's engagement with MTV Shuga, a dramatic television series based on sexual health and relationships among individuals aged 15 to 25 years. We trialed reaction videos as a novel research method to investigate how young people in South Africa experience the show, including sexual health themes and messages, in their viewing environments.
In Eastern Cape, in 2020, purposively selected participants aged 18 to 24 years of an evaluation study were invited to take part in further research to video record themselves watching MTV Shuga episodes with their COVID-19 social bubble. To guide the analysis of the visual and audio data, we created a framework to examine the physical setting, group composition, social dynamics, coinciding activities, and viewers' spoken and unspoken reactions to the show. We identified patterns within and across groups to generate themes about the nature and role of viewing contexts. We also reflected on the utility of the method and analytical framework.
In total, 8 participants recorded themselves watching MTV Shuga episodes in family or friendship groups. Viewings occurred around a laptop in the home (living room or bedroom) and outside (garden or vehicle). In same-age groups, viewers appeared relaxed, engaging with the content through discussion, comments, empathy, and laughter. Intergenerational groups experienced discomfort, with older relatives' presence causing embarrassment and younger siblings' distractions interrupting the engagement. Scenes featuring physical intimacy prompted some viewers to hide their eyes or leave the room. While some would prefer watching MTV Shuga alone to avoid the self-consciousness experienced in group settings, others valued the social experience and the lively discussions it spurred. This illustrates varied preferences for consuming edutainment and the factors influencing these preferences.
The use of reaction videos for research captured real-time verbal and nonverbal reactions, physical environments, and social dynamics that other methods cannot easily measure. They revealed how group composition, dynamics, settings, and storylines can maximize engagement with MTV Shuga to enhance HIV prevention education. The presence of parents and the camera may alter young people's behavior, limiting the authenticity of their viewing experience. Still, reaction videos offer a unique opportunity to understand audience engagement with media interventions and promote participatory digital research with young people.
大众媒体宣传活动，尤其是寓教于乐的活动，对于向年轻人传播性健康信息至关重要。然而，对于真实的观看体验或观看环境如何影响对媒体宣传活动的参与度，我们的了解有限。反应视频是网络文化中一种流行的形式，用户拍摄自己对电视节目的反应，可以作为一种研究方法，直接且无过滤地洞察年轻人对寓教于乐媒体的参与度。
我们探讨了物理和社会环境如何影响年轻人对《MTV Shuga》的参与度，这是一部以15至25岁人群的性健康和人际关系为主题的电视剧。我们尝试将反应视频作为一种新颖的研究方法，以调查南非的年轻人在其观看环境中如何体验这部剧，包括性健康主题和信息。
2020年在东开普省，有目的地从一项评估研究中选取了18至24岁的参与者，邀请他们参与进一步的研究，即与他们的新冠疫情社交圈子一起拍摄自己观看《MTV Shuga》剧集的视频。为了指导对视觉和音频数据的分析，我们创建了一个框架，以检查物理环境、群体构成、社会动态、同时进行的活动以及观众对该剧的言语和非言语反应。我们识别了组内和组间的模式，以生成关于观看环境的性质和作用的主题。我们还反思了该方法和分析框架的实用性。
共有8名参与者拍摄了自己在家庭或朋友群体中观看《MTV Shuga》剧集的视频。观看活动在室内（客厅或卧室）和室外（花园或车内）围绕着笔记本电脑进行。在同龄人组中，观众看起来很放松，通过讨论、评论、共鸣和笑声与内容互动。代际组则感到不自在，年长亲属的在场会导致尴尬，年幼兄弟姐妹的干扰会打断互动。出现身体亲密场景时，一些观众会遮住眼睛或离开房间。虽然有些人更喜欢独自观看《MTV Shuga》以避免在群体环境中产生的不自在感，但其他人则重视社交体验以及由此引发的热烈讨论。这说明了对消费寓教于乐内容的不同偏好以及影响这些偏好的因素。
使用反应视频进行研究捕捉到了其他方法难以测量的实时言语和非言语反应、物理环境和社会动态。它们揭示了群体构成、动态、环境和故事情节如何能够最大限度地提高对《MTV Shuga》的参与度，以加强艾滋病预防教育。父母的在场和摄像头可能会改变年轻人的行为，限制他们观看体验的真实性。尽管如此，反应视频提供了一个独特的机会，以了解受众对媒体干预的参与度，并促进与年轻人的参与式数字研究。
