EXAMINE THE ROLE OF MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY IN CONSUMER ACTIVITIES TARGETED AT CHILDREN

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Psychology as we know is the scientific study of behavior (feelings, actions etc.) and mental processes. Media on the other hand consist of Televisions, Radios, Internet, Newspapers, and other means of disseminating information. Media Psychology, as stated by the Media Psychology Research Center is a new and emerging field, so the early entrants have the excitement and burden of defining the path. This means that, there’s no clear-cut definition for media psychology.

However, Tina Indaleco, in her book THE MEDIA PSYCHOLOGIST MANIFESTO defines media psychology as a discipline of psychology that examines the impact media has on human behavior, and the cognitive processes of individuals, groups, and cultures -on a micro and macro level. Stuart Fischoff goes on further to state in his article Media Psychology: A Personal Essay in Definition and Purview that, “Media psychology is concerned with the inter- and intra-personal psychological dimensions underlying the impact and use of any medium of communication, irrespective of the nature of the subject matter being communicated”.

Tina’s definition points out that, the main objective of media psychology is to examine the effect of media on human behavior. The media is a very strong tool for disseminating information, and educating the public. The media can influence our behavior in both positive and negative ways. It has become something that we cannot do away with. Due to the influence media has, marketers now use it as a medium to advertise their goods to the public, especially children.

Compounding t...

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... inability to understand the persuasive intent of advertising.

Works Cited

Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising and Children Media Psychology Research Center- The Intersection of Human Experience and Technology (http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/advertising_to_children) Media Psychology- written by David Giles The Media Psychologist Manifesto- written by Tina Indaleco Media Psychology: A Personal Essay in Definition and Purview- by Stuart Fischoff Media and Youth Consumerism-PATTI M. VALKENBURG

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