Media and Communications Psychology in the 21st Century

"The 20th century experienced a dramatic explosion of mass media communications -from newspapers, to magazines, advertisements, radio, movies, television, and the internet. The 21 st century has amplified media-centrism with AI. Now, one quarter of the way through the 21st century, it is useful to pause and ask ourselves, "How and how much do various forms of internet-driven media communications, including AI, affect and influence thinking and behavior?" Such questions are necessary for understanding the social impact of media and human behavior."

"MCP has a distinguished history. In 1922, Walter Lippman published Public Opinion in a work that explored how self-serving social perceptions shape behavior and influence opinion. In 1964, Marshall McLuhan insightfully highlighted media and communications psychology when he stated, "The medium is the massage." Television was then rising as the dominant mass medium. McLuhan, whom I knew, was central among a growing parade of theorists who researched media effects."

Mass media expanded dramatically in the 20th century across newspapers, magazines, advertisements, radio, movies, television, and the internet, with AI amplifying media-centrism in the 21st century. Internet-driven media and AI raise urgent questions about how communications affect thinking and behavior, necessary for understanding social impact. Media and communications psychology (MCP) studies the implications of media in social contexts and has historical roots in Lippman's and McLuhan's work. Media technology continues to evolve with devices like smartphones, smartwatches, stadium marquees, and diverse social platforms. Effects research within MCP measures intended and unintended influences on perceptions and behavior, including crowd dynamics and copycat phenomena.

Read at Psychology Today