Psychology and Media in the Digital Age

Catalog description

Contemporary life increasingly challenges us to cope with many different and quickly emerging forms of communication and information media. Since the advent of the "Digital Revolution" of the late 20th century, the penetration of these new forms of media into daily life has spawned profound questions about the relationship of human beings and the technologies represented by communications, information, and entertainment media. We will explore various psychological theories (such as phenomenological/sensory-perceptual, narrative/cultural, & social network/systems approaches) that address how and why we engage with digital media and its products. This course will put these psychological insights into dialogue with traditions of media analysis, particularly the media ecology approach of figures such as McLuhan, Ong, and others. In doing so, we will consider a wide range of issues such as media-based violence, the media's impact on personal relationships and identity, problematic Internet use, online sexuality, and others. We will raise questions regarding the ethical and psycho-developmental implications of media consumption. Students will be invited to examine their own uses of media and how these may be affecting their current lives.