PSY 355 Psychology & Media in the Digital Age This page was last modified on August 19, 2024

Paris, France in the 1830s

Boulevard du Temple
by Louis Daguerre (1838)

What is remarkable about the photograph below which was taken 185 years ago?

• How did it come to this? LOL!
  
  
• Should Pope Francis have allowed himself to be included in a "selfie" with a group of young adults in the middle of St. Peter's Basilica?

• What about the picture? Is it disrespectful? Does it somehow demean or make the pope less important?

• Should the photographer (Fabio Ragona) have sold the photo for profit? If not, why not? If so, why?

• What makes a photo like that possible?
  

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1991 February • Presidents' Birthday Sale at Radio Shack
(Original link @ TrendingBuffalo)

2023/24• Galaxy Smartphone S24Ultra & iPhone 15 (& iPhone 15 PRO)

                   

Digital Media Psychology

The questions I am asking this semester include the following...

General Foundations

• According to psychology, how can we understand what it means to be a "human person" and why are media important for persons like ourselves?
  
  
• According to media ecology, what do we actually mean by "media"?
  
  
• What are the central features of media and, most centrally, why do media function as part of an ecological system?, that is,
  what is "media ecology" as a general framework to explain the impact of media?
  
  
• What do students actually do online and “in real life” (IRL) using digital media
  
  
• How are media studied by researchers: media effects, media as ecology, etc.?
  
  
• What are behavioral addictions and are they real? Do the users of contemporary digital media experience significant and destructive forms of a behavioral addiction to that media, e.g., cell phones, social media, gaming online?
  

The Major Topics ( *student presented topics in red)

• Celebrities, Fandoms, and Audiences: How We Relate to Media Personalities*
• Consumer Behavior: How Online Media Influence Buyers and Help Sell Products*
• Disinhibition Online: Cyberbullying, Trolling, and Self-Revelation*
• Ethnicity and Difference: How Media Shape Our Perceptions of One Another in a Diverse and Multiracial Society*
• Fake News? Propaganda, Politics, and Media Manipulation
• Neuropsychology of Contemporary Media
  
• The Psychology of the Walt Disney Company
• Social Media & the Mental Health of Kids under 14
• Social Media & Mental Health of Adolescents and Young Adults
  
• Sexuality Online
  
• Violence in the Media: Traditional vs. Online Media*

What do you need to do before our next class on Friday?

Read through the Syllabus

Look over the course schedule of assignments and readings

• Textbook plus multiple readings available online or distributed by me.
• You will be responsible for the readings in class discussions as well as on quizzes and the test
  
• We will use a lot of the time which has no specific topic listed for discussions.

There are two (2) forms that I will be sending you by email by tomorrow night. Download them and follow the instructions below or on the form.

• Group Topic Choice Form. The 6 topics in red above will be presented by groups of students working together. If we have 15-17 students in class, we'll only do 5 of these topics. If there are at least 18 students, we'll cover all six topics. Look over these topics and give me a listing of your preferences from 1st to 6th of what you might like to work on. This is due by Monday, Sep 09. Follow the same general instructions about returning it to me either by email after scanning it into a pdf format or by campus/post mail to me here at Le Moyne.

• The Media Then and Now. This will contain the instructions for the first major project of the semester, that is, interviewing an older person about the world and media when they were in high school or college and a reflection on how their lives and yours are both the same and different. The report and reflection will be due in one month, that is, on Monday, Sep 27
  

On Friday, Aug 30 I will distribute one (1) form in class:

• Informed Consent Form: Because we will be dealing with some materials involving sexuality and violent behaviors, I require that students fill out an "informed consent" form. Follow the instructions about returning this to me. I should receive this form back from you no later than Wed, Sep 04
  

Go to Part II of class

This page was first posted on 1/21/14