Exploring the Significance of Media Psychology in Human Communication During the Era of Digitalization

Introduction

In the past decade, media has undergone significant transformations, driven by the explosion of new communication technologies. These advancements have brought waves of change to the lives of individuals worldwide who have access to these technologies. Media psychology, as a field of study, explores how individuals perceive, interpret, apply, and respond to a world dominated by media. It is important to recognize that media psychology is a relatively new academic and practical discipline that has emerged in response to the prevalence of communication technology over the past 50 years. The field has evolved into a professional domain due to its social and practical relevance, incorporating psychological frameworks within media contexts (Rutledge, 2012). The multidisciplinary nature of media psychology, along with the evolving ways in which people interact with media across various aspects of their lives, including work, education, entertainment, and social engagement, is constantly changing. The goal of media psychologists is to address these evolving dynamics by combining an understanding of human behavior, cognition, and emotion with an equivalent understanding of media technology. In today's interconnected world, where media is present in almost every area of life, the study of media has become increasingly important as the world becomes more connected. Unlike some media studies that solely focus on content, media psychology takes a holistic view of the system as a whole. Psychology plays a crucial role in understanding the impact of technology. Media psychologists strive to find answers and solutions by combining our understanding of human behavior, cognition, and emotion with insights into media technology.

Media psychology is a newly emerged field within psychology that focuses on examining how individuals are influenced by mediated communication. While it draws heavily from psychology and communication, media psychology also integrates insights from various other scientific disciplines such as sociology, media studies, anthropology, and fan studies. However, the field remains scattered across multiple disciplines, with many researchers investigating the effects of media on individuals who do not primarily identify as psychologists. It is worth noting that media psychology represents an ongoing, interconnected cycle involving technology developers, content producers, content awareness, and user reactions. Its approach differs from previous research by providing a fresh perspective for comprehending and clarifying the theoretical structure of communication. On another front, digitalization and globalization have significantly altered human interactions. Human communication revolves around fulfilling the fundamental needs of association and interaction, encompassing collective activities involving the exchange of ideas, facts, and data between individuals. Prior to the development of spoken language, human communication relied on cues and gestures for centuries (Meyer, Allen & Smith, 1993). Since the advent of mobile phones and social media in the late 2000s, extensive research has explored the impact of technology on social interaction and personal communication (Przybylski and Weinstein, 2013). In one study, researchers examined the correlation between the presence of mobile devices and the quality of face-to-face social interactions in real-world settings. From a near-natural perspective, conversations conducted without mobile communication technology received significantly higher ratings compared to those involving mobile devices (Misra, Cheng, Genevie, and Yuan, 2014). It was observed that individuals who engaged in conversations without using a mobile device reported higher levels of empathic concern, whereas those who conversed in the presence of a mobile device reported lower levels of empathy (Reeve, 2016).