Media, technology, communication, art, and science are intersecting in powerful new ways that are saturating our society and transforming our world.
Bernard Luskin (2017) calls media psychology “a specialty whose time is now.” In 1998, he described the “socio-psychomedia effect” as a neologism combining sociology, psychology, and media (pictures, graphics, and sound). Media psychology and media studies are different fields, however they both require an understanding of “the physical and emotional aspects of the brain, including the latest theories on the psychology of emotions, control, expression, persuasion, sexuality, and gender.” (Luskin, 1998).
Media psychology encompasses the study of believability and the suspension of disbelief, situational cognition, assessment, learning, mapping, feedback, reinforcement, mastery, persistence, theories of mastery, success, and failure. (Luskin, 1998).
In 1998, Lilli Friedland and Bernard Luskin co-chaired the APA Division 46 (Media Psychology) Task Force Study on Psychology and New Technologies. They identified 11 major fields where psychology is fundamental:
1. Writing about media or performing as expert guests on various media
2. Consulting with media personnel
3. Researching ways to improve all forms of media
4. Making new technologies related to media more effective and user friendly
5. Using new technology in media to enhance clinical psychology
6. Most areas of education or training
7. Developing media standards
8. Working in commercial fields
9. Studying sociological and psychological media effects
10. Developing materials for physically and developmentally challenged populations, as well as all underserved populations.
11. Working with deviant or criminal populations
