BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology November 20, 2020 Zoom uses a lot cognitive energy because it violates so many social norms. Zoom is so prevalent that “Zoom” is now synonymous with video conferencing. The use of Zoom and other digital communications tools has skyrocketed given the number of people working and living in relative isolation due to COVID precautions and lockdowns. So many of us are Zooming (yes, it’s now a verb, too) that we are experiencing a new form of burnout: Zoom fatigue. Let’s face it. Zooming can be exhausting—and for good reasons. The numbers are impressive from a [...]

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology October 17, 2020 Social media lets kids fast track the developmental task of differentiation As the election draws near, kids of politicians are making news by speaking up to discourage voters from supporting their parents.  (See Beth Greenfield’s article.) Typical teenage rebellion?  That’s far too simplistic.  A combination of a major developmental task, prominent (and conservative) parents, and the amplification effect of digital media make a perfect storm for what psychologists would call differentiation and the parents under attack would call disrespect or rebellion. However you choose to label it, differentiating from the [...]

BY PAM RUTLEDGE, PHD Doctoral faculty, Media Psychology October 8, 2020 Watching Netflix’s The Social Dilemma was interesting and disturbing.  It was interesting to see how it was constructed but disturbing to see that many of the psychological techniques the documentary vilified were used by the producers to tell their own story. As a persuasive piece of media, it is very successful: Part documentary, part drama, it hits all the anxiety triggers of the last few years. The content is compelling and frightening — and also one-sided. The issues raised are serious and important, but not new. The call to action is to [...]