Media Psychology

I tell myself I am just checking my phone for a second. Five swipes later, I am still there, watching fragments of other people’s lives pass me by. Nothing dramatic, nothing important, yet somehow my attention is completely gone. That small moment is exactly why media psychology fascinates me.

Media psychology helps explain why media that feel light and harmless can still shape how we think, feel, and even experience time. Short-form videos are designed to keep us watching, often leaving us entertained but also mentally scattered afterward. Research shows that this kind of media use is linked to negative emotions like distraction and regret, especially when it becomes habitual (Cheng et al., 2023).

What makes this field so relevant to my programme is that it connects theory to everyday life. It looks at how media influences attention and presence, something we all struggle with in a world of endless content. Studies suggest that frequent exposure to fast, highly stimulating media is associated with lower mindfulness and less awareness of the moment we are actually in (Dabas & Tuli, 2025). Media psychology teaches me to look at media not just as content, but as something that quietly shapes how we experience the world.

Citations

• Cheng, X., Su, X., Yang, B., Zarifis, A., & Mou, J. (2023). Understanding users’ negative emotions and continuous usage intention in short video platforms. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 58, 101244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2023.101244

• Dabas, T., & Tuli, G. (2025). The relationship between daily reel consumption and its impact on mindfulness attention. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 7(3).