It’s dangerous

glorification of risk in the media and young people’s attitudes towards driving

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-58442022114pt

Keywords:

Glorification of risk, Car commercials on TV, Video games, Traffic safety, Driver Thrill Seeking Scale

Abstract

This article analyzes short-term media effects of car commercials on TV that glorify risk, and longterm associations, such as the use of violent videogames, on the attitudes of young people towards driving experience. The study, a between-subjects experimental design, included 106 undergraduate students from the Universidade de Brasília (University of Brasília, UnB) during the first semester of 2019. The results show that the short-term effects of exposure to car commercials on TV that glorify risk significantly increase risky attitudes in relation to driving, measured by the Driver Thrill Seeking Scale (DTSS). But this only occurs among individuals who like violent videogames such as Grand Theft Auto (GTA). No short-term effects were found among the other participants, which does not exclude the existence of other types of effect, such as long-term ones.

Author Biography

  • Wladimir Gramacho, Universidade de Brasília. Brasília – DF, Brasil, Universidade de Brasília. Brasília – DF, Brasil, Universidade de Brasília. Brasília – DF, Brasil

    Coordinator of the Center for Research in Political Communication and Public Health (CPS) at the University of Brasília (UnB), and Professor at the Faculty of Communication in the same institution. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Salamanca (Spain), a master’s degree in Political Science from UnB and a degree in Communication (Journalism), also from UnB.

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Published

2022-12-05

Issue

Vol. 45 (2022)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Intercom: Revista Brasileira de Ciências da Comunicação

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How to Cite

It’s dangerous: glorification of risk in the media and young people’s attitudes towards driving. Intercom - Brazilian Journal of Communication Sciences, São Paulo, v. 45, p. e2022114, 2022. DOI: 10.1590/1809-58442022114pt. Disponível em: https://revistas.intercom.org.br/index.php/revistaintercom/article/view/3807. Acesso em: 11 jul. 2026.