Philosophers and moral educators have examined the potential for "narrative media" (e.g., novels or films) to influence the development of "practical wisdom" (the forms of perception and reasoning necessary for virtuous living). Interest in studying this relationship using social scientific methodology is growing. One social…

Climate change denial is often rooted in an array of conspiracy theories with climate change itself viewed by some as the real conspiracy. While not all of us are climate change conspiracy theorists, it is upsetting for most of us to learn and accept that our climate is changing, that it is primarily human-caused, and that it is harming people,…

For nearly a decade, concerns about misinformation influencing U.S. elections have grown. As modern elections are increasingly characterized by overwhelming amounts of information, trust in the media is at an all-time low, with people across the political spectrum reporting low confidence in the mass media's ability to report the news "fully,…

This study interviewed adolescents about their exposure to and perceptions of substance-related social media content and substance use prevention messages. Participants (analytic sample N = 30, age 14-18 years, in CA, USA, 40% male) were recruited from Instagram and Facebook for online semi-structured interviews. An interview transcript coding…

Objective: This study evaluated a media literacy education program designed for sexual health promotion, "Media Aware," in southeastern universities. Participants: Participants included college students from four universities in the southeastern United States (n = 457). Methods: "Media Aware" was implemented on college campuses…

Background: Media exposure to mass violence incidents (MVI) is related to distress in the general public not directly exposed to these tragedies. However, limited attention has focused beyond this relationship. Objective: This cross-sectional study explores the influence of media exposure to MVI on parenting behaviors among parents of children…

Television has the potential to be a vector for mainstream audiences to learn about climate change and feel motivated to act. Comedic framings of climate change, while well-studied in television news and late-night comedies, remain under-explored in scripted television comedies. The goal of this study was to use frame analysis to understand…

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the concepts of bullying and banter within both sport research and media reporting. However, at present, research has not explored reports of bullying and banter within the UK sport media This is a potential omission, as the media may provide important conceptual information about bullying…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of viewing different types of digital environment images on college students' positive emotions, nature relatedness and environmental preference. This aimed to address the gap in empirical studies regarding the effects of digital environment images on these psychological constructs.…

Purpose: The prevalence of autism diagnoses has increased in recent years. The portrayal of autistic characters in mainstream media, such as TV series, may be a contributing factor. This study investigated whether young adults who consume media featuring autistic characters are more likely to self-diagnose with autism. Methods: 348 participants…

The growing presence and impact of predominantly female online influencers suggests the proliferation of a cultural phenomenon that characterizes the social aspects of our digital lives. Working with the notion of gender and maker literacies, this paper shines light on newer forms of making practices by looking at influencer cultures of five…

This study investigates the self-reported motivations, expectations, challenges, and successes of 147 students participating in semester or year long U.S programs in Europe through a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative survey analysis. While international education remains pivotal in shaping global perspectives, the student experience has…

This study aims to investigate the use of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets in terms of mediation types of parents who have young children. In this case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods, criterion sampling was adopted for the selection of the study group. The fact that parents of 4-7-year-old children who use…

Background: The prevalence of smoking is higher among sexual minority (SM) individuals compared with heterosexuals. The impact of televised anti-tobacco mass media campaigns on smoking outcomes among SMs is not known. Aims: We examined whether televised anti-tobacco advertising was differentially associated with current smoking and smoking…

Alongside climate change, democracy, and public health, digital disinformation and misinformation, or "digital dismisinfo," stands among the most pressing of global challenges. But how are societies responding to that challenge? Who are the key actors, what solutions do they propose or enact, and how does their work interact with that of…