New Technologies and Cultural Consumption. Edutainment Is Born!

This paper focuses on the impact of new technologies on the value that the consumer obtains from edutainment consumption. Edutainment is the convergence of education and entertainment. An experiential approach to consumer behaviour has been adopted to analyze the experience of edutainment consumption. The use of new technologies strengthens the interaction between the consumer and the message, and gives rise to a Virtual Edutainment Environment. The author analyses the characteristics of this new environment and the consumer’s reactions to it (edutainment immersion experience). Conclusions and managerial implications are also discussed to suggest that educational institutions should choose new ways of relating to the consumer.