Blog – Media Psychology Research Center

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Do You Want Your Kids Arguing Like a Politician? April 20, 2026
U.S. politics teaches kids to handle conflict by fighting dirty, not listening and responding with respect. Those lessons won’t serve them well in their own relationships. Key Points: I’m deeply concerned about the role models politics is giving our kids today. My last post, “Why U.S. Politics Looks Like a Bad Marriage,” didn’t tackle how […]
Pamela Rutledge
U.S. Politics Look Like a Bad Marriage April 20, 2026
Psychologist John Gottman identified four communication patterns that predict divorce; all are present in U.S. politics today. Key Points For most of its history, the United States has resembled a quarrelsome but committed couple. We bicker, disagree, and occasionally give each other the silent treatment, but underneath it all there has been a shared sense […]
Pamela Rutledge
We’re Being Played: Propaganda, Memes and War April 1, 2026
Packaging war in meme-driven narratives uses cultural cues to turn combat into entertainment, normalizing violence and influencing how future conflicts are perceived.Key pointsMemetic warfare uses pop culture symbols, like Call of Duty and Captain America, to frame conflict as heroic and morally right.Social media is flooded with memes that glorify military strikes, trivializing violence, and […]
Pamela Rutledge

Ubiquitous technology means we need a better understanding of:

- Digital and Transmedia Storytelling and constructing and sharing additive narratives across media channels
-Participatory and collaborative media
On-demand information access
-The use of technology to promote positive experiences through cognitive and emotional engagement: positive mood inducement, sense of self-efficacy, social connectedness
-Immersive Environments and new arenas for expression and social modeling of new attitudes, skills, social roles, and personal identity
-Human relationships mediated by technology
-Tools and environments for learning across the lifespan
-Psychological, perceptual and cognitive aspects of using technology and understanding usability