Most likely you have never heard of the term media psychology before. Media psychology is a multidisciplinary which means that it borrows from other areas of psychology and communication to map out the ways media and technology impact people. It is a science-based approach that investigates the creation, applications, and outcomes of media and technologies. Media psychology encompasses all mediums and content types. Media psychology adopts insights from a variety of psychological fields including:

• Social psychology – Perhaps the field with the most in common with media psychology is social psychology. Media is inherently social. From writing on cave walls to posting a meme on Instagram humans use media to communicate, instruct, entertain, and much more. Media psychology studies all the ways we use technology and media to broadcast, connect, and relate with others. This not only gives us a clearer picture of the world but also of ourselves.
• Cognitive psychology – How we use technology hacks our own brain chemistry and, in some cases, changes the way we think and behave. Indeed, the brain has often been compared to a computer and artificial intelligence is the embodiment of this notion.
• Narrative psychology – As a subfield of cognitive psychology, narrative psychology affirms that “life is story.” This means that humans live, think, and negotiate every aspect of our experience through a narrative framework. As author Jim Barth said, “Everyone is the hero of their own story.” Media psychology explores the human experience through a narrative framework. When we know our story, we find out not just where we’ve been but also where we’re going.
• Abnormal psychology – Addiction to media is a universal problem. Our lives are spent viewing screens, typing on keypads, and using controllers. Sometimes we overdo it. Other times there are underlying issues that lead to addiction or misuse. Media psychology maps out the issues and potential treatments to mental illness involving media and offers new technology-based solutions to aid recovery for people with non-media related issues.
• Consumer psychology and the psychology of persuasion – Media and stories have been used to persuade since the beginning of time. Branding, marketing, and advertising all use elements of social, consumer, and media psychology to get us to buy, vote, donate, or behave the way others want us to. Media psychology explains what motivates people to love brands, candidates, and our favorite ads. It also shows us where certain campaigns miss the mark. Along with this, media psychology presents insights about the powerhouse of persuasion belonging to social media influencers, content creators, and brand evangelists.
• Developmental psychology – Media and technology continue to take up ever-increasing space in our lives. It is wise to consider the impact that technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media have on children and teens in their formative years. Media psychology considers the questions around how media affects us throughout the lifespan. Will AI replace learning and creativity in classrooms? Are video games a good hobby for seniors? These questions and much more comprise the intersection of developmental and media psychology.   
• Entertainment psychology – A primary function of media and technology is to deliver diverse entertainment choices. Entertainment offers a range of hedonic (pleasure) and/or eudaimonic (meaning making) experiences. In addition, audiences form parasocial connections to fictional characters and celebrities that enhance engagement and take it outside of the context of merely watching. In short, we have an internal screen playing in our heads where our favorite characters play their roles and interact with us. Media psychology studies how storylines, characters, and our own imaginations invite us to narratively transport into our favorite programs and films to briefly enjoy the fictional world.  

 

Positive Media Psychology

My approach to media psychology takes a decidedly positive direction. This is not because I am an optimist or because I want to give off good vibes. As a scientist I know that media and technology aren’t inherently good or bad. Rather, they are a means for people to accomplish something. As explained by the positive psychology luminary, Martin E. P. Seligman, psychology has historically been focused on the negative aspects of human nature and functioning, often seeing pathology and illness before or instead of anything else. Early psychologists were equipped only to find and treat illness. It is like the hammer and nail axiom – if all you have is a hammer then all you tend to see are nails.

Positive psychology follows a different path – one that explores and highlights human strengths. Positive media psychology focuses on individual well-being and flourishing by examining processes and relationships associated with media use leading to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that build on human strengths. For example, positive media psychology explores how social media storytelling improves grit or the determination to complete a task or reach a goal. Positive media psychology recognizes how entertainment media such as TV and movies can promote empathy for marginalized people groups. And positive media psychology studies how media behaviors such as video games can encourage flow and well-being. We do not ignore the ways media may be involved in illness, deception, and wrongdoing. Rather, positive media psychology takes a holistic approach seeing how media and technology can be utilized for harm or for good. 

Applications of Media Psychology (only a partial list)

Because media and technology inhabit more and more of our lives there is virtually no space untouched by their reach. Therefore, I offer only a partial list below of the ways in which media psychology can be applied by listing some questions that media psychology research can answer. You may be able to add even more.  

 

Education

• How can we use technology best to reach and educate people with different learning styles?
• What is media literacy and how do we implement a comprehensive plan to teach it?
• Does the advent of modern artificial intelligence (AI) mean the end of learning? How can we use AI ethically and effectively to aid in learning?

 

Marketing, Branding, and Advertising

• What is more important, the content or the audience?
• What sells better than sex? Yes. There is an answer.
• How do you develop a brand archetype and story to engage consumers and followers across several channels of media?
• How does influencer marketing work? How can I use it to grow my business?
• How do I develop a community of followers that will share my brand story and marketing messages for free?

 

Entertainment

• Why do we enjoy our favorite TV shows and movies?
• How and what do we learn from fiction to apply in real life?
• What is parasocial (relating to fictional characters and celebrities) phenomena? How does it work?
• What makes people interested in new content or reruns?

 

Advocacy

• Is slacktivism (internet activism) an effective way to advocate for a cause? How can I use new media to build an audience, raise funds, and do other work associated with traditional “brick-and-mortar” activism?
• What is the role and limitations of citizen journalism?
• Is celebrity and brand activism effective or is it just corporate woke-washing?

 

Clinical and Healthcare

• What is Geek therapy and how can it be used to help people in a variety of contexts?
• Media psychology offers insights into media behavioral addictions and presents several media related options for treatment to clinical diagnoses such as PTSD and other trauma issues, phobias, and much more.
• As the use of technology increases in healthcare settings, how can the patient’s experience be enhanced without marginalizing humanity?
• How can healthcare workers integrate media and technology to help encourage healthy behaviors in the public?

 

Government          

• What should the role of government be in relation to technology and new media?
• How can media technologies be used to positively impact citizens?
• How can we use storytelling over diverse media channels to combat crime and terrorism?