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.

The Oxford Handbook of Media Psychology explores facets of human behaviour, thoughts, and feelings experienced in the context of media use and creation.

`This book provides an extremely well written and informative introduction to the subject of media economics, characterized by clarity in the explanation of concepts or frameworks and by a balanced discussion for the respective positions in areas of debate' - Paul MacDonald, Roehampton Institute Understanding Media Economics provides a clear, precise introduction to the key economic concepts and issues affecting the media. The book: explains the fundamental concepts relevant to the study of media economics; considers the key industrial questions facing the media industries today; relates economic theory to business practice; covers a wide range of media activity - advertising, television, film, print media, and new media; and looks at the impact of economics on public policy. Understanding Media Economics offers a stimulating perspective on the contemporary media environment. This book will be an essential purchase for all students of the media and mass communication.

This book examines media psychology as a field of study and provides a fundamental understanding of its emergence and application. It covers various key themes such as consumer behavior, mass media and advertising, media and culture, media messages and their effects on individual and group behavior in the Indian context. It highlights the role of media psychology with reference to citizenship and pedagogy and studies the emerging concept of digital altruism. The author also discusses various research methods used in this field that help to objectively evaluate the impact of mass media messages on people and people’s effect on the functioning of mass media. This comprehensive book will be useful to students and researchers of psychology, media psychology, mass-communication, consumer behavior, digital marketing, corporate communication, and media studies.

Provides an interdisciplinary overview and critical examination of how individuals are affected by mass media There are few areas of modern social science that are as fiercely debated as media psychology. Written by one of the foremost experts on the topic, this is a concise overview of what is knownóand not knownóabout how individuals are affected by and interact with various forms of mass media. The book critically examines research from cognitive, social, developmental, biological, and evolutionary approaches to psychology and addresses the interplay between media consumption and viewer behavior in such realms as advertising, body image, sex, and violence. Distinguished by its examination of research from a scientifically objective position, the book offers students not only current knowledge of media psychology but also the tools to challenge commonly held assumptions from popular advocacy and ideology. This text cuts across different psychological approaches to studying how individuals are affected by mass media and includes research from criminal justice and sociology. It considers critical debates in media psychology and how debates in science themselves can be influenced by processes such as ìmoral panic.î Written in a lively, accessible manner, the book draws upon engaging examples such as Photoshopped model controversies, dubious advertising practices, and attempts to blame violent crimes on media to illustrate scholarly principles. Throughout, data from research studies is related back toreal-world phenomena such as violence rates, advertising dollars spent, or changes in the news media. Written for upper level undergraduate and graduate students studying media psychology, the text will also be of value to professionals in psychology, sociology and criminal justice as well as individuals involved in public policy as it relates to media effects. Key Features: Offers an objective, interdisciplinary approach to understanding media and behavior Draws from cognitive, social, developmental, and biological psychology, as well as criminal justice research and sociology Challenges the conclusions drawn from research to foster critical thinking Written in a lively, accessible writing style with engaging examples grounded in research About the Author Christopher J. Ferguson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and department chair of psychology at Stetson University in DeLand, FL. He has done extensive research on the effects of media in realms ranging from video game and television violence effects, to body image to advertising effects. He has also examined how methodological issues, researcher expectancies and questionable researcher practices, and societal pressures and incentives can create false positives in media psychology. Clinically, he has done extensive work with criminal justice populations including juvenile offenders, adult inmates and child protective services. Aside from his academic work, Chris is the author of a mystery novel, Suicide Kings, which follows a young woman in Renaissance Florence investigating her motherís death. He has also published a number of short stories, mainly in speculative fiction. He lives near Orlando with his wife and young son.

Understanding Media Users: From Theory to Practice focuses on the blurred concept of the “active audience” at the core of media studies. examines the relationship between media and audiences by one of the world’s leading media scholars provides a history of media effects’ and an overview of the current analytical approaches that constitute media reception theory charts some of the most important interfaces of media reception and interaction - TV, film, the Internet, advertising, journalism, and tourism studies concludes with additional insights into the future of media reception in a global age

This book provides a selection of international perspectives in the interdisciplinary field of media and communications research with emphasis placed on methodological approaches and new research domains. It includes critical reflections on how to conduct research on digital media culture, especially concerning the potentials and limitations for mixed methods research and online research strategies, as well as a series of hands-on case studies. These range from digital fan cultures, through environmental communication, news media, digital politics during conflicts and crises, to digital media psychology and the emerging field of medical humanities. Diverse in its examples and angles, the book provides a rich snippet of how media research practices are determined by practical factors and research interests.