Audiences’ Mediated Contact with Black Characters in Scripted Television and Support for Racialized Social Issues

Within scripted television programs, portrayals of Black characters have improved in both quantity and quality over the past few years. Research suggests that these various television characterizations may communicate an influential social standing of the group. Using a cross-sectional multicultural sample (N = 206) and applying mediated contact theories, the current research investigates audiences’ consumption of Black scripted television, parasocial relationships with Black television characters, and support for racialized social issues. The results suggest that audiences’ consumption of Black scripted television is positively related to favorable parasocial relationships with Black television characters. Positive parasocial relationships with Black television characters were associated with increased support for racialized social issues, particularly among viewers lacking interpersonal contact with Black individuals.