Media Effects Media effects are the the processes and products of media influence that work directly as well as indirectly. These effects can be intentional or unintentional on the part of both the message makers as well as the receivers. They can be manifested or hidden from observation. They are constant and ongoing, and they are shaped by both media and within a constellation of other factors that act in concert with the media influence.

Media effects can happen at the individual level and at the macro level.

Media Effects Media Saturation

– Books, radio, television, newspapers, websites, video games, etc. – By 2011, the web had over 13.6 billion pages.

– It would take 42 years to get through just 10% of that content. – In 2010, the average American was spending 11 hours with the media

every day. – Media continues to be produced at an ever increasing rate. – No person or culture in the history of humanity has lived with this

much information and media saturation.

Media Effects Media Saturation

– Our brains cannot process all of the information that we encounter, so we unconsciously filter information out.

– To navigate through our information saturated culture, our brains automatically process stimuli.

– Psychologists refer to this automatic/unconscious processing of information as automaticity.

– Sometimes we process out useless information; sometimes we process out important information.

Media Effects Media Influence

– The media exert a continual influence on us without our realizing/consent. – If you think of our beliefs, ideologies, etc, as codes, than these codes are

programed by parents, experience, environment, society, culture, education, religion, politics, government, etc. And also by the media we consume, actively or passively.

– We follow habits, or preprogrammed codes, because it is easier and more efficient than rethinking and/or questioning every message we encounter.

Media Effects Media Influence

– For example, advertising: – Americans spend more time shopping than any other country on earth. – There are more shopping centers in America than there are high schools. – Americans go to shopping centers more often than they they attend

centers of worship. – Advertising works by programming our code (automatic routines) so that

we shop even when it would be in our best interest to do something else.

Media Effects Media Influence

Group Question:

– What are some preprogrammed “codes” you follow? Can you identify when/where/by whom they may have been “programmed”?

Media Effects Media Exposure

– There are a range of exposure states that we use to experience media messages.

– There are three kinds of exposure: – Physical Exposure: requires some sort of proximity (time and space) to a

message (i.e. radio on in a room that you are occupying or moving through). – Perceptual Exposure: the person’s ability to receive sensory input through the

visual and auditory senses (i.e. sound frequency, fps, pixels, etc…). – Psychological Exposure: in order for this to occur, there must be some element

(image, sound, emotion, pattern) created in the mind.

Media Effects Media Exposure

– When all of these kinds of exposure are met, you have someone’s attention. (While all of these kinds of exposure must be met to have attention, they do not guarantee someone’s full attention).

– There are four different types of exposure states you can experience when encountering a message: attentional, automatic, transported, and self-reflexive.

– You will have a different experience with a message depending on which psychological state you are in when you receive the message.

Media Effects Media Exposure

– Attentional State: When you are in this state of exposure, you are conscious of being exposed to a message(s), and you pay attention to the message; you have a conscious awareness of the messages (though maybe not a high level of concentration).

– Automatic State: In this state of exposure, you are not consciously aware of certain messages in your physical environment (i.e. pop up ads, music in the background, etc…). You may be concentrating on something else, but your brain is processing all the extra information. Certain sounds and images are being recorded in your unconscious mind. This happens until a message breaks through and captures your attention.

Media Effects Media Exposure

– Transported State: In this state, you are so consumed by the message that you lose track of time and place. Concentration level is so high that you lose touch with the real-world.

– Self-Reflexive State: In this state you are hyper-aware of the message and your own processing of the message. This represents the fullest degree of awareness. The viewer asks themselves questions such as: “Why am I watching this?” & “Why am I making these interpretations of meanings?” Not only is there analysis, but also meta-analysis. That is, not only are you analysing the messages, but also analyzing your analysis of the media message.

Media Effects What are Media Effects?

Eight major issues have been identified in Media Effects scholarship:

1. Timing – when do media effects appear? (i.e. immediately or years down the road and influences in the long term?)

2. Duration – some effects may last a short time and some may be permanent (i.e. you can remember the words to a song you listened to when you were six years old).

3. Valence – the balance of positive and negative effects (i.e. desensitization of graphic content vs. desensitization of phobias)

Media Effects What are Media Effect?

4. Change – noticeable change is not what’s always important; reinforcing existing habits so that there is no change may be the objective (no change in behavior does not always equal no media effect).

5. Intention – there are many media effects that occur even if the media producers (and consumers) didn’t intend for them to occur.

6. Level – are the effects occurring on individual levels? Institutional? Cultural? Studies that look at micro- and macro- level effects are approached differently.

Media Effects What are Media Effects?

7. Direct and Indirect – sometimes effects are direct, sometimes they are not

8. Manifestation – sometimes effects are easy to observe, sometimes they are not. But that does not mean that media are not exerting influence.

Media Effects Types of effects:

● Cognitive: Media exposure influences an individual’s mental processes; typically involves the acquisition, processing, and storage of information.

● Belief effect: Media exposure influencing an individual’s judgement, faith, ideology, etc.

● Attitudinal effect: Media exposure exercising an influence on an individual’s evaluative judgements.

Media Effects Types of effects:

● Affective effect: Media exposure influencing an individual’s feelings, emotions and moods.

● Physiological effect: Media exposure exercising an influence on an individual’s automatic responses to stimuli.

● Behavioral effect: Media exposure exercising an influence on an individual’s doing or not doing something

EFFECT ACQUIRING TRIGGERING ALTERING REINFORCING

Cognitive Memorize info Recall info Change memory structure

Reinforce connections

Belief Accept/construct belief

Recall belief Change belief Strengthen belief

Attitude Accept/construct attitude

Recall attitude Change attitude Strengthen/reinforce attitude

Affects Learn emotional information

Recall emotion Change emotion Strengthen emotional connection

Physiology Mood change Reinforce mood Automatic response Reinforce reaction

Behavior Learn behavior Recall behavior Behavioral change/ performance of novel behavior

Reinforce habits

MEDIA INFLUENCE FUNCTIONS: INDIVIDUAL LEVEL EFFECTS

Media Effects Keep in mind that:

● Cognition can influence belief formation ● Beliefs can influence attitude ● Behaviors can influence attitudes ● Affect can influence attitudes

Media Effects Some Important Media Effects Theories:

● Agenda setting – How media shape the public’s belief about what is important.

● Feminism – Sexest ideology permiates the media ● Framing – The way a story is presented; it’s the process of applying frames

that impact people’s or groups of people’s context, perception, understanding, and conceptualization.

● Gatekeeping – A process by which information is filtered to the public by the media.

● Cultural Hegemony – the cultural domination of a society by a ruling class, ensuring acceptance of the status quo by other classes

Media Effects Some Important Theories:

● Agenda setting – How media shapes the public’s belief about what is important.

● Feminism – Sexest idelogy permiates the media ● Framing – The way a story is presented; it’s the process of applying frames

that impact people’s or groups of people’s context, perception, understanding, and conceptualization.

● Gatekeeping – A process by which information is filtered to the public by the media.

● Cultural Hegemony – the cultural domination of a society by a ruling class, ensuring acceptance of the status quo by other classes