Can music videos address social issues? Evidence of Lady Gaga's impact on attitudes about rape.

What is it about?

Socially conscious messages in music are hardly a new thing, but are sometimes dismissed by critics as being more pandering than productive in fighting social issues. We examined the potential for Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens to You" to help address rising reports of sexual assaults on US college campus, and found that the music videos were more effective than the song alone at reducing rape myth acceptance beliefs. The videos were more effective because watching them (compared to listening to the song alone) helped viewers better understand the narratives in the song.

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Why is it important?

This study adds to research suggesting that popular entertainment media can have prosocial impact.