Adolescent Media Use for Role Model Creation and Identity Formation

Abstract

Role models offer adolescents a framework to determine their values, attitudes, and behavior. This study examines high school students' use of various media outlets in obtaining information about their role models, how they incorporate that information into their daily lives, and how that aids in identity development. In particular, this project focuses on selective media exposure to role models by young female athletes (soccer players) and non-athletes (musicians) compared to that of young male athletes (soccer players) and non-athletes (musicians). The primary group of interest is adolescent female soccer players. The dependent measures include: 1) media use patterns by athletes and non-athletes; 2) role model selection during and after the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece; and 3) athletic and musical participation levels during and after the Olympics. Television viewing of Olympic events by female soccer players increased during the semifinals and finals of the women's Olympic soccer, but otherwise we found gender effects favoring males over females, a pattern that is more typical in sports viewing. Female soccer players selectively chose to watch their favorite sport during the most critical points of Olympic competition. Participation in athletics was constant throughout the entire study, and not surprisingly, was higher for athletes than musicians. In other words, viewing the Olympics did not disrupt athletic participation. As predicted, soccer players, both male and female, were more likely to select soccer players as role models when compared to musicians. In addition, they also chose same-sex soccer players as role models. These results suggest that athletes have a strong tie to their sport of specialization and the athletes who excel at an elite level. In particular, girls selected members of the United States women's soccer team as their role models. This finding indicates that policies, like Title IX, that encourage and support female athletes, play a central role in the development of young female athletes.