Inspirational media

Mediated political communication can inspire individual and collective action and leave a lasting impact on society. But what does inspiration mean in the context of (political) communication? What characterizes inspiring media content, and what do we know about the promises and pitfalls of inspiration in political communication? This entry provides initial answers to these questions. Drawing from psychology, we conceptualize media inspiration as a tripartite idiosyncratic process involving an evocation component, a state of (self-)transcendence, and a motivational component that can instigate both beneficial and toxic behavior. From a political communication perspective, the entry summarizes the available research on these three components and touches on inter-individual differences in inspirability. We conclude with a discussion of unanswered questions about inspiration in political communication and suggest directions for future research on this topic.