Media psychology is the branch of psychology that examines people interactions with media—television, film, video games, music, and, of course, digital technology—and how media affect people's behavior, thoughts, and emotions, and how media shape the broader culture. It became an official branch of psychology in the mid 1980s, before the explosion of digital communication and social media. Television and its developmental effects, and specifically the impact of violent programming, was a central concern.

“With the explosion of the internet, mobile technologies, and social media, media psychology is also expanding its scope and changing dramatically," says Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts, managing editor of the Fielding University Press, which has just published Media Psychology Today, examining how people perceive, interpret, and respond to mediated content.

"Unlike earlier forms of one-directional mass media," Isbouts said in an interview, "contemporary media are interactive, participatory, changing and rapidly evolving. As a result, media psychologists today are investigating questions about identity expression, online communities, emotional contagion through digital networks, and the psychological dynamics of........

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