Psychological Reactions to House of Cards: The Role of Transportation and Identification

Abstract

With the growing popularity of political TV series, we examine fans’ impression on the benefits they derive from watching the series. More precisely are people under the impression that watching a fictional series increases their level of political information and interest and enables them to better understand the real political world? Transportation into a narrative world and identification with fictitious characters are psychological mechanisms which have the potential to affect people’s opinions and attitudes in real life. An online survey measured the level of transportation into the fictional political world and identification with the main character, among fans of a popular political TV series, House of Cards. The results indicate that those who were transported perceived the series as having a positive impact on their level of political interest and understanding of politics, even though the series did not give them the impression they gained real political information. Although we find signs of identification with the main character of the series, this did not affect people’s impressions on the “benefits” of watching the series.