Understanding Media Psychology

Understanding Media Psychology is the perfect introductory textbook to the growing field of media psychology and its importance in society, summarizing key concepts and theories to provide an overview of topics in the field.

Media is present in almost every area of life today, and is an area of study that will only increase in importance as the world becomes ever more interconnected. Written by a team of expert authors, this book will help readers to understand the structures, influences, and theories around media psychology. Covering core areas such as positive media psychology, the effects of gaming, violence, advertising, and pornography, the authors critically engage with contemporary discussions around propaganda, fake news, deepfakes, and the ways media have informed the COVID-19 pandemic. Particular care is also given to addressing the interaction between issues of social justice and the media, as well as the effects media has on both the members of marginalized groups and the way those groups are perceived. A final chapter addresses the nature of the field moving forward, and how it will continue to interact with closely related areas of study.

Containing a range of pedagogical features throughout to aid teaching and student learning, including vocabulary and key terms, discussion questions, and boxed examples, this is an essential resource for media psychology courses at the undergraduate and introductory master’s level globally.

Gayle S. Stever is Professor of Psychology for Empire State College of the State University of New York, USA. She works in the areas of developmental psychology, media psychology, and fan studies. Her writing has centered around celebrity/audience relationships, the nature of attachment both within and outside of a media context, evolutionary psychology as it relates to media, and mixed methods research.

David C. Giles is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Winchester, UK. He explores the impact of media on human behaviour with a particular interest in celebrity-audience relationships, the dynamics of online interaction, qualitative research methods, and psychological issues around artistic and cultural activities.

J. David Cohen is adjunct faculty in Psychology for Empire State College of the State University of New York, USA. He passionately pursues how media, technology, celebrity, and storytelling impact humans. Specific areas of interest include entertainment media, marketing and persuasion, video games, and mediated violence.

Mary E. Myers is Program Coordinator for the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University, Virginia, USA. She developed and teaches in a unique applied strategic communication doctoral program. Her research work primarily centers around discovery of an early educational radio broadcaster; she also explores parental attachment, social media, and crisis communication.