The Black Panther Effect: Movie Ups Aggie Swag
Courtney Turner, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C.
ABSTRACT
We interviewed almost 260 A&T
students who saw the movie "Black
Panther.” We hypothesized that
students who watched the movie
would feel empowered and more
positive about themselves, Africa, its
people and descendants. Students’
answers to the survey seem to support
the hypothesis.
Among the findings, nearly three out
of four students agreed that the movie
had a positive impact. The pilot study
is framed around Gerbner's
Cultivation Theory, which proposes
that long-term exposure to negative
media messages and images can
result in normalized behavior. Can
Cultivation Theory be reversed: that
long-term exposure to positive
messages can also be normalized? We
decided to find out.
INTRODUCTION
““Black Panther” has generated $1.2
billion worldwide since its February 16
release and is on course to become one of
the top 10 movies of all time, according to
numerous trade publications. "Black
Panther” focuses on T’Challa (played by
Chadwick Boseman), who has taken over
as king of Wakanda after his father
passes. T’Challa soon learns that the role
of being king is complicated by rivalries,
deceit and corruption that forced him to
save his country and to later offer to help
save the world” (Baity, 2018,
https://aggieshortcourse18.wordpress.com/2018/03
/17/black-panther-ups-aggie-swag/, para 7).
“Black Panther” writer and director Ryan
Coogler wrote, “Deep down we all hoped
that people would come to see a
film…made up of a cast of people of
African descent,” who took pride in their
culture, had empathy for others, and the
smarts to embrace out-of-this-world
technology” (Baity, 2018, para 9).
THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
The study is framed around Gerbner’s
Cultivation Theory, which argues that long-
term exposure to negative media messages
and images results in normalized behavior
that is cultivated through much of society
(Gerbner, 1976, Living with television: The
violence profile. Journal of Communication,
26(2), 172-199).
For decades, the media, especially
Hollywood, have depicted Africa and its
peoples as: (1.) helpless victims (Baker, 2015,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mo
nkey-cage/wp/2015/03/05/media-
portrayals-of-africa-promote-
paternalism/?utm_term=.601b72abf31d); (2.)
a continent that is nothing more than “one
big animal preserve” Zimmeran, 2014,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mo
nkey-cage/wp/2015/03/05/media-
portrayals-of-africa-promote-
paternalism/?utm_term=.601b72abf31d); and
(3.) as savage, ignorant brutes (Higgins, 2014,
http://muse.jhu.edu/article/640365http://m
use.jhu.edu/article/640365).
These images are cultivated in society and
are assumed to be true after long-term media
exposure. Then along comes “Black
Panther,” with its positive message of the
technologically-advanced African country of
Wakanda. The King is a strong, wise black
man who is assisted by a strong group of
African women who are his protectors. The
movie reverses the Hollywood stereotypes of
a continent that is ruthless, and whose people
are ignorant and savage.
METHODOLOGY
Approximately 70 students in two classes of
JOMC 303 (Mass Communications Research)
interviewed 4-8 male and female students on
campus who saw “Black Panther” after
coming up with a nine-item questionnaire,
which consisted of five Likert-scale
questions. 258 undergraduate students were
interviewed. Half of them were female, half
male.
RESULTS
Hypothesis: Students who watched “Black
Panther” would feel empowered and more
positive about themselves, Africa, its people
and descendants. Here are selected
questions, answers and statistical analyses
from the survey.
Q1: Watching Black Panther has had a
positive impact on me.
1__Strongly agree, 2__Agree, 3__Not sure,
4__Disagree, 5__Strongly Disagree
Males Agreed Females Agreed
74.42% 73.64%
An independent sample T-test revealed no
statistically significant differences between
males and females: Male mean=2.00. Female
= 2.08.
Q2: The movie empowered me
Males Agreed Females Agreed
70.54% 67.44%
An independent sample T-test revealed no
statistically significant differences between
males and females: Male mean=2.12, female
mean=2.20.
Q3 I found the strong African characters in
the movie uplifting.
Males:61.24% Females: 57.37%
Agreed
Agreed
An independent sample T-test revealed no
statistically significant differences between
males and females: Male mean=2.09, female
mean=2.05.
Q4: I feel better about myself after seeing
Black Panther.
Males Agreed Females Agreed
70.54% 74.42%
An independent sample T-test revealed
no statistically significant difference
between males and females: Male
mean=2.35, Female = 2.38.
DISCUSSION
The analysis seems to support our
hypothesis that students who watched
“Black Panther” came away empowered
and more positive about themselves,
Africa, its people and descendants.
Students were indeed uplifted by the
movie. It gave them an extra bit of
confidence, “Swag” if you will.
This was a pilot study based on a
convenience sample. Therefore, the
results can not be generalized to the
larger student population. The results,
however, suggest that long-term
exposure to positive media messages
might also result in normalized positive
behavior, just as long-term exposure to
negative media messages and images,
according to Gerber’s Cultivation
Theory, have normalized negative
behavior.
The study also suggests that Cultivation
Theory can be reversed, and that Media
content producers should produce
content with positive images and
messages to help bring balance to
Hollywood that has historically been
negative and stereotypical in its portrayal
of people of color, Africa, its people and
descendants. Additional studies are
warranted.