Media Psychology Working Group

Working group members:

• Kateřina Škařupová, PhD
• Čeněk Šašinka, PhD
• Nika Šablaturová
• Anna Faltýnková

Traditional media like television, together with the proliferation of new digital media and technology like the internet and smartphones, have become integral parts of contemporary societies. Nowadays, media consumption is the most popular leisure activity. It represents one of the most important socializing factors and something that influences our identity, well-being, and attitudes. Even more, thanks to augmented reality, media may shape cognition and the way we approach the world.

Media psychology has been established to systematically study the psychological processes that mediate media experience and communication. It is a multidisciplinary research field that has roots in social, developmental, and cognitive psychology, as well as in other social sciences, such as media studies, but also arts and computer science.

Media psychology faces two main challenges. The first is the fast development of digital media and usage patterns (e.g., the rise of portable devices). New research is needed to update and develop theoretical frameworks that consider these changes. The second challenge is to deal with the multidisciplinary nature of this research field. Many of studies have been conducted and presented within different branches of psychology and other research disciplines.

Core topics:

• Media effects
• Children and media
• Health and media
• Communication via media
• Virtual and augmented reality
• Media and attitude change