Sexuality in the Mass Media: Approaches, Theories and Empirical Findings of Content Analysis Research

Introduction: According to the theory of sexual scripts, media portrayals of sexuality can be regarded as, cultural scenarios". Objectives: This article summarizes previous research on sexuality in the mass media, focusing on sexual scripts that appear in everyday entertainment media. Methods: Firstly, different methodological perspectives of content analyses are discussed. Based on this, relevant theories that have been used to analyze sexual content in mass media are presented. Finally, various operationalizations of sexuality that have been used in previous content analyses are presented and the empirical findings of previous research are outlined. Results: It can be summarized that portrayals of sexuality are ubiquitous in mainstream entertainment mass media. Most of them, however, tend to be implicit rather than explicit. Furthermore, it was found that most portrayals of sexuality are still in accordance with stereotypical gender roles, although this varies between the different media genres. Mentions of sexual risks and consequences are only rarely included in media portrayals of sexuality in the entertainment mass media. Conclusion: Many gaps remain in research on sexuality in the mass media in German-speaking areas. Further research is required.