Sexualization and Emotional Valence in Audience Reactions to Popular Music Video Through Automated Language Analysis

Abstract

Abstract: This study explores the interplay between sexualization, emotional valence, and audience reactions to music videos in the rap and pop genres, focusing on the effects of genre, gender, race, and release year. The study employs the Linguistic In-quiry and Word Count (LIWC) and Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) to quantify sexualization and emotional responses. Results indicate that rap music videos generate comments that feature more sex-related terms than pop. Female artists' videos elicited more emotional language, while failing to discriminate sexualized reactions compared to male artists’ videos. Additionally, videos by artists of color and more recent releases garnered heightened emotional responses, highlighting the influence of race and changing cultural norms. Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between sexual content and negative emotional valence, aligning with the negativity bias theory. These findings emphasize the need to consider the diverse audience reactions to sexualization and advocate for more sensitive portrayals in music videos.