COVID-19 forces us online; I think we should stay there

2020-07-21T10:06:21-07:00

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology JULY 21, 2020 What I Learned from the Virtual Media Psychology Symposium. An online symposium has the same benefits as online education, wider reach, easier access and better content. Now that Fielding Graduate University’s first Media Psychology Symposium is over, I have time to reflect on the experience.  The Symposium was held virtually over two days (July 16 & 17) on Zoom, rather than in Chicago in-person, due to COVID-19.  COVID or not, however, I think a virtual Media Psychology Symposium is really the way to go.  Not only is virtual connectivity thematically appropriate with [...]

COVID-19 forces us online; I think we should stay there2020-07-21T10:06:21-07:00

Announcing Karen Dill-Shackleford — incoming editor of APA’s Psychology of Popular Media

2020-07-01T10:15:23-07:00

Karen Dill-Shackleford, PhD The American Psychological Association (APA) selected Karen Dill-Shackleford, PhD, as the incoming editor of Psychology of Popular Media. The APA journal, Psychology of Popular Media, focuses on peer-reviewed research into popular culture and general media influences on individual, group, and system behavior. [Read APA Editor Spotlight] It’s easy to trivialize popular media. But, the fact is, many of our pressing social problems play out in those spaces. If we understand their dynamics, we can help make things better." Karen Dill-Shackleford, PhD, is doctoral faculty in Media Psychology at Fielding Graduate University's School of Psychology. Dr. Shackleford [...]

Announcing Karen Dill-Shackleford — incoming editor of APA’s Psychology of Popular Media2020-07-01T10:15:23-07:00

How Stories Spread Conflict: The Face Mask Story Wars

2020-06-24T17:11:14-07:00

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology JUNE 20, 2020 The voice of reason is entirely missing when stories activate fight or flight. Anything that is perceived as an attack on beliefs, identity or affiliation shuts down cognitive processes and makes collaboration difficult, if not impossible. Narratives reveal core values that have to be addressed for both groups for compromise to be achieved and conflict resolved. There is no “changing the other guy’s mind” when the fundamental worldview is so different. This is true in politics, business negotiations, consume behavior and interpersonal relationships. The solution: Deconstruct the competing narratives to [...]

How Stories Spread Conflict: The Face Mask Story Wars2020-06-24T17:11:14-07:00

The Brain is Hardwired to Doomscroll: Can You Stop It?

2020-06-10T13:25:40-07:00

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology JUNE 10, 2020 According to Miriam Webster, doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms that describe continuous scrolling or surfing through negative news, even when it is depressing, demoralizing, distressing, or painful. Many people have found themselves continuously reading bad news about COVID-19 or the protests and police violence without the ability to stop or step back. This problem is a result of how the human brain is wired.  Our brains instinctively pay attention to any potentially dangerous situation as part of the biological imperative of survival.  Our brains are designed to constantly scan the horizon for potential threats.  Since threats are more [...]

The Brain is Hardwired to Doomscroll: Can You Stop It?2020-06-10T13:25:40-07:00

The Intersection of Media and Gender Diversity

2020-06-09T13:29:10-07:00

Fielding alum, Dr. Aiden Hirshfield, is a media psychologist and professional media consultant. His work focuses on the intersection of media and gender diversity, looking at the ways individuals use and engage with emerging media technology to explore and validate their identities. His dissertation provides context for important research in this area and offers insight on best practices for gender-inclusive research. Traditional social expectations of gender are being increasingly challenged by brave individuals who express themselves and identify outside of the gender binary (male/female). Gender is a social construct that differs greatly among cultures, generations, and geography. However, traditional depictions of [...]

The Intersection of Media and Gender Diversity2020-06-09T13:29:10-07:00

The New FOMO: What is the Impact of Coronavirus News Overload?

2020-03-25T15:06:22-07:00

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology MARCH 25, 2020 Last week we were worried about the negative impact of cellphone overuse.  Now we’re worried about staying employed, entertained and connected.  It’s funny how a little pandemic shifts your opinion.  In trying to decide about the impact of media consumption, I pay attention to how people use devices and what content they consume, not the amount of time or the frequency.  Device use during a pandemic resets the boundaries between what we think of as ‘appropriate’‘ vs. ‘problematic.’  What someone last week might have considered ‘overuse’ or ‘lack of personal boundaries’ now [...]

The New FOMO: What is the Impact of Coronavirus News Overload?2020-03-25T15:06:22-07:00

5 Lessons Brands Can Learn From ‘Contagion’​

2020-03-20T13:56:08-07:00

By Pamela Rutledge, PhD ‘Contagion’ is now the second most-streamed movie behind Harry Potter.  Why watch a show that scares us when we have a pandemic in real life? Because thrillers and horror movies can increase feelings of safety and decrease fear. There are big takeaways in the popularity of ‘Contagion’ for brands and organizations about what people need and want in times of crisis and how they benefit both the consumers and them. This is a time when the spotlight is on how brands behave in response to a crisis. Spoiler Alert: The most important messages from ‘Contagion’ and our real-life pandemic are the importance of hope, grit [...]

5 Lessons Brands Can Learn From ‘Contagion’​2020-03-20T13:56:08-07:00

12 Things Parents Should Know When Talking To Kids About Coronavirus

2020-03-14T13:22:41-07:00

by Pam Rutledge, PhD MARCH 14, 2020 Trying to get answers makes us feel safer.  This isn’t just true of adults.  It’s true for kids, too.  That’s why it’s important to talk with kids during times of crisis and uncertainty.   While parents grapple with making sense of it all, kids aren’t immune to the stories.  Kids are dealing with their own social and academic uncertainties and highly tuned in to their own sources and worries.  Kids hear a lot of what adults hear but it’s filtered and translated by young brains and shared around the playground or in the chat in Minecraft.  This means kids are easy [...]

12 Things Parents Should Know When Talking To Kids About Coronavirus2020-03-14T13:22:41-07:00

The Impact of Climate Change … on Our Minds

2019-01-23T14:43:46-08:00

School of Psychology Dives into the Thinking -- and Feeling -- Around Global Warming The state of the planet was a major topic of discussion during the School of Psychology's recent Winter Session in Santa Barbara, as both Clinical and Media Psychology explored how news of climate change is landing on our collective psyches. Dr. Garry Hare Media Psychology faculty member Garry Hare, PhD, was interviewed by the Santa Barbara Independent about why it's so hard to get people to make changes that could impact the current climate trajectory: Media and political psychologists like Dr. Garry Hare, a Fielding [...]

The Impact of Climate Change … on Our Minds2019-01-23T14:43:46-08:00

Four Media Psy Students Earn Mike Neal Awards

2019-01-23T12:14:19-08:00

Scholarships Awarded in Honor of Late Media Psychology Alum   Four students in Fielding's Media Psychology program were awarded The Mike R. Neal Legacy Award at Winter Session recently in Santa Barbara, Calif. The scholarships are awarded each year in honor of a beloved program alum who died in 2013. Mike Neal was an extraordinary student who often went above and beyond the required assignments in his coursework, and was known for his collaboration with faculty and students in designing research and presenting at conferences. Beloved for his involvement, his humor, and his intellect (he held 19 patents), Mike died at [...]

Four Media Psy Students Earn Mike Neal Awards2019-01-23T12:14:19-08:00

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