Website Evaluation: Media Psychology Review

Media Psychology Research Center (2008-2012). Media Psychology Review. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.mprcenter.org/mpr/.

This is an internet-only, free-access academic journal, presented in an interactive, ezine format. The field of media psychology could perhaps be summarized as concerning the interaction of media technologies with human behavior, cognition, and experience. As such a wide range of factors influence this broadly-defined interaction, it is not surprising that this site is very multi-disciplinary, gleaning contributions from various fields of psychology and communications.

Paradoxically, that wide range of contributing disciplines stands in contrast with the limited number of articles nominally falling under the field of media psychology, as evinced by the selection on the site, and on other media psychology resources, such as Division 46 of the American Psychological Association. Nevertheless, there is more than enough information in the available articles to provide visitors with a substantial knowledge base that will assist them approaching questions concerning the nexus between media and psychology. There are several topic sections on the site, and within each of them are a few articles. Below is a sampling of what is to be found under some of the topics.

Rutledge, P. (2008). What is media psychology? A qualitative inquiry. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=184&Itemid=119

Found in the “Theory” section, this article discusses a categorized analysis of responses from members of the APA’s Division 46 (the division which conducts media psychology research) when posed with the question, “what comes to mind when you think of media psychology?” The inherently self-referential nature of this study makes it a good introduction into the field, having information about the different perspectives held by researchers of media psychology.

French, D. H. (2008). The social media mindset: A narrative view of public relations and marketing in the web 2.0 environment. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210&Itemid=166

Found in the “Social Media” section, this article is perhaps the most relevant in the journal to the questions posed within this blog. The shift from a one-way to a two-way movement of information in indiscreet telecommunications, due to social media, is presented as forging new collective narratives that stem from the personal narratives. Consequentially, consumers’ newfound abilities to confide with each are considered an enablement in demanding greater authenticity from marketers, who historically had operated with one-way public relations.

Olson, C. K., Kutner, L. A. (2008). Using electronic media to educate the public about science: Coping with the evolving media landscape. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=114

Found in the “Social Change” section, this article explains initiatives designed to encourage the public to make connections between science and their own goals, and to enable them to increase their scientific literacy. Likewise, initiatives are described that could promote scientific literacy amongst journalists, who in turn could present science news in a manner that is more understandable and relevant to viewers. These goals are expounded on with reference to the types of media used to obtain science news, and the increasing role of the Internet in influencing the dissemination of science news.